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Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 71 Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:35 am Post subject: Hello from Australia
Hello, I'm Peter.
At some time in my childhood, I had a Mamod Minor 1. I swapped it for a model aircraft engine, and have regretted it ever since.
In the past few weeks, I decided that I need a steam engine again. I stumbled across this forum and, after reading some posts about scratch built engines, I was inspired to build one. I had a few dead floppy disk drives that I hadn't got around to throwing out (yes, I'm a hoarder), so I used the chassis and flywheel from a floppy drive as the basis of the engine. I made the piston and cylinder from brass rod. The steam plate is a piece of 25mm x 6mm steel filed flat and smoothed with an oilstone. I then lapped the cylinder and steam plate using fine grinding compound.
I've run it on compressed air. A benefit of using the floppy drive is that the floppy motor now generates about 3.9 Volts AC, three phase. Now I have to build a boiler. I'm lucky that there is a shop that sells machine tools, kits for steam and Stirling engines and other accessories, just 10 minutes from home.
I have video of the "Steam Floppy" running if anyone's interested.
Peter.
Edit, I just woke up to the fact that I posted links to the thumbnails instead of the pictures. They might be a bit easier to see now.
Last edited by Classic on Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:22 am; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 19 Jul 2006 Posts: 3485 Location: Isle of Man
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:40 am Post subject:
Hi Peter and welcome to the forum. What a great little project and just right for the forum.Get that 'video' downloaded so we can all see your first, of what will become many, engines. _________________ Manx, the mobile man
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 71 Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:31 am Post subject:
Wallace wrote:
Would have never imagined using a Floppy drive as a basis for an engine.
So it's an engine and generator all in one?
The flywheel was the rotor of the motor that turns the disk in a floppy drive, and it has a magnetic strip just inside the outer circumference. When I stripped the drive, I removed the circuit board with the coils on it, and was going to throw it away. Then I woke up to the fact that it could act as a generator, so I put it back in. It also gives me a signal that lets me measure the RPM. It was doing close to 3,000 RPM in the video. I haven't tested the power output yet. I'll wait until I have it under steam. Compressed air is a bit boring.
The idea to use a floppy drive came from looking for a flywheel. My little Unimat 3 lathe won't part off any metal of the diameter needed for a flywheel. Having spent a fair bit of my career as a computer technician, I knew that there was a flywheel in a floppy drive. When I got the drive apart, I then realised that I could save some more time and effort by using the chassis. So, the steam floppy was born from my unwillingness to hacksaw through 50mm steel bar or fabricate a frame. I call it constructive laziness
Joined: 06 Feb 2007 Posts: 1487 Location: Staveley, Derbyshire. UK
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:39 am Post subject:
Hello, Peter.
A big welcome from Derbyshire, UK.
My son stripped several computers some while ago.
I stored the drive parts under my bench, awaiting inspiration.......... _________________ David.
All those days which have come and gone......
I didn`t know that was life!
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 71 Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 10:08 am Post subject:
Thanks everyone for your support of a somewhat crazy project.
David, if you're thinking about making use of your hoarded computer parts, I found my way around a few problems. After seeing your work on the SE3+, you may find better ways around the traps than I did. Should I start a thread in the Technical tips, details etc. forum to pass on what I learned?
Today I found that I can buy copper pipe in diameters of 50mm, 65mm, 80mm and 100mm and a minimum length of 1 metre at a local plumbing shop. As I'd like to build a few different types of boiler, it's probably worth buying a metre of 65mm pipe. I should be able to press the ends from brass sheet, using a press that I made using a steering rack from a small car. All I have to do is make the punch and die from hardwood. I made the press for folding the cases of guitar effects pedals that I design and build. If anyone wants information on how I made the press, I can post that in the Technical tips, details etc. forum as well.
Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 14666 Location: Western Australia
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:07 am Post subject:
Please do post how you made the press as I've been thinking that at some point I will need a press and was thinking along the lines of a car hydraulic jack but your idea sounds better as it would be a smoother action. _________________ http://www.freewebs.com/ozsteam/index.htm http://members.iinet.net.au/~tmuir1/
A nice example of an Australian made Scorpion Donkey Engine
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 Posts: 71 Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posted: Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:31 am Post subject:
tmuir wrote:
Please do post how you made the press as I've been thinking that at some point I will need a press and was thinking along the lines of a car hydraulic jack but your idea sounds better as it would be a smoother action.
Yeah, the action is smooth, and the mechanical advantage is enough to fold 1.2mm steel. I bought a 3 tonne hydraulic jack, but decided that the steering rack was better. I thought seriously about using a power steering system, but safety interlocks were a big issue.
It will take a few days to put the info into useful form, but I'll post details in Technical tips within a week.
In the meantime, here's a picture of the press in action on a 0.8mm guitar pedal case.
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Engine of the Month October Clinton's Workshop 2008
Boiler by Model Components Australia.
Engine by Bassett Lowke
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