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Build a Coke Can Stirling Engineby reukpower on March 23, 2010

Table of Contents

Author:   reukpower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

License:   Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Intro:   Build a Coke Can Stirling Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1:   Prepare 2 of the coke cans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 2:   Make the diaphragm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 3:   Cut and drill the bottle cap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 4:   Drill the bearing holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

step 5:   Cut the viewing hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

step 6:   Separate some electrical connectors and drill them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

step 7:   Make the cranks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

step 8:   Drill the bearings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

step 9:   FIt the cranks and bearings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

step 10:   Make the displacer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

step 11:   Make the pressure vessel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

step 12:   Now make the push rods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

step 13:   Making the flywheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

step 14:   Attach the flywheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

step 15:   Connecting it all together and counterbalancing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

step 16:   Make the fire box. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

step 17:   Make the trim to seal the sharp edges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

step 18:   It's finished now! Testing and trouble shooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

step 19:   [Optional] Add a cooling jacket, and maybe a generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

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http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Coke-Can-Stirling-Engine/

Author:   reukpower

Author:  reukpower    Junkie - Scrap to powerAlways a brew in hand, while making something. Take a look at my site for more instrucables and info.

License:   Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa)

Intro:  Build a Coke Can Stirling EngineThe Stirling engine is a heat engine invented by Robert Stirling in 1816, it's different from your car engine because the fuel is burned outside of the engine, which makesit much easier to build. There are Stirling engines which will run on the heat of your hand, although they are a little harder to build. The Stirling engine makes a cooladdition to any hobbyists collection of "things I've built!"

How does it work ?

This engine uses air which is repeated heated and cooled. To allow the air to be heated and cooled the coke can contains a displacer which is like a loose piston that canmove up and down forcing the air around the engine. When the air is heated it expands pushing the diaphragm (balloon) outward which turns the cranks. When thecranks turn they move the displacer down so that the air is near the top where it is cooled causing it to shrink and pull the cranks back, which of course moves thedisplacer upwards allowing the air to be heated at the bottom, this repeats over and over!

What you need:

3 X Coke cans1 X Balloon2 X Spoke nipples4 X 5A Electrical terminal blocksFine steel wire wool1mm steel wire (about 30cm)Thick (1.6mm) Copper wire or 1.6mm - 2mm steel wirePlastic Drinks bottle cap.1cm length of 20mm Dowel rod (you could carve this as you only need a tiny amount!)Super Glue30cm of Electrical wire (we want the outer insulation, so 3 core mains will be fine!)Fishing line about 30cm longSmall scrap of inner tube rubber about 2cm square.Small weights for balancing (5p 2p nickel etc)3 CD'sA Lyles syrup tin or other tin for the fireboxDrawing pinSuper Glue

[optional]

Red temperature resistant siliconeTuna can for a water Jacker

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step 1: Prepare 2 of the coke cansNext you need two coke cans with their inside of their tops cut off. Use the tin snips to cut them, this will leave a lethal jagged edge which you must clean up eitherusing a metal file or a small flap sander (could also use a Dremel)

Then cut the bottom off the cans using a Stanley knife. Try not to crease the metal as this will reduce the chances of it being airtight.

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Image Notes1. Trim the coke can with the scissors

step 2: Make the diaphragmThe diaphragm of this engine is made from a balloon (just an ordinary one, nothing special!). It's reinforced with a piece of inner tube in the centre  First of all cut the neckoff a balloon and stretch the balloon end over the top of a can. Then cut a piece of inner-tube  rubber about 1cm square and glue it in the centre of the balloon.

Once the glue is dry, you can use a drawing pin to pierce a hole in the centre of the diaphragm for the displacer wire. Leave the pin in the hole until your ready to fit thedisplacer later.

Image Notes1. Instructables orange is compulsory !

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step 3: Cut and drill the bottle capDrill a 2mm hole in either side of the bottle cap for the crank pivot, and a hole in the centre for the displacer wire.

Then cut either side of the bottle cap into a curved shape, this is because sometimes the displacer wire holder flicks to the side a little and it may hit the cap - This is moreof an annoyance than a real problem, but you might as well prevent it if you can! Plus I think it looks better with the curves.  I used tin snips here - they work well forcutting this thick plastic.

Now remove the diaphragm from the coke can and flip it over so that the inner-tube is on the inside of the can. Glue the bottle cap to the side of the diaphragm that doesnot have the inner-tube reinforcement. I sanded the bottle cap a little as I found that the glue doesn't like to stick to this plastic.

The pin is left in place to line up the holes for the wire.

Image Notes1. The copper wire is just to show where the holes go

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Image Notes1. Pin still in place

step 4: Drill the bearing holesI used a long 3.5mm drill bit to drill the bearing holes. I just drilled them by eye, no need to measure anything. They should be near the top of the can where it bevels in.Make sure that they're roughly level.

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step 5: Cut the viewing holeNext, mark a circle roughly in the centre of the can, so that you can see the cranks/displacer wire etc. It doesn't have to be a circle, but that makes fitting the trim easier.

Image Notes1. Viewing window2. This connects to the pressure vessel aka coke can N.2

step 6: Separate some electrical connectors and drill themNow you need to get some electrical terminal blocks and remove the plastic protection. The best way to get them out of their plastic blocks is to unscrew the screws asmuch as you can, then twist the plastic off around the screw thread with pliers.

Now drill a 2mm hole straight through the end of each one, as shown. You need three of these drilled. To drill them I held them with pliers.

You also need two of these not drilled in any way.

Image Notes1. 2mm hole

Image Notes1. Three drilled and you need two not drilled.

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step 7: Make the cranksFor the cranks I used some 1.8mm (approx - I don't know the exact size) copper wire - you can use old spokes, or steel wire, if you don't have copper. I used copperbecause it's easier to bend and I like copper. If you need to straighten the copper wire you can clamp it in a drill and hold the other end with some pliers - spinning the drillshould straighten the wire. Make sure you wear some decent safety gear though, in case the wire slips!

I've included photo's of every step of bending the cranks below. The displacer piece should protrude about 20mm and the other parts protrude about 5mm, no need to beexact though. The displacer part is at 90 degrees to the push rods - this is the best angle for this engine.

The electrical blocks are fitted as you bend the cranks, be careful to make sure that they all point the same way, as you won't be able to access the screws from theviewing window.

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step 8: Drill the bearingsI used two spoke nipples for the bearings. You can get these at bike shops or scavenge them from old buckled/broken wheels. 

Check your cranks before you drill them, they might fit without being drilled.

Like the terminal blocks, I drilled them out with a 2mm drill bit to remove the thread.

Image Notes1. The bearings fit in the hole you drilled previously.

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step 9: FIt the cranks and bearingsNow you can thread the cranks though. You can thread them through the viewing window at an angle. If you can't fit them through you can cut one end down a little untilthey do. You need to leave one end of the cranks long for the flywheel attachment though. The bearings should be a tight fit in the holes but if they are loose you can gluethem in place.

Make sure that the screws point towards the viewing window so that you can tighten them.

Image Notes1. The bearings fit in the hole you drilled previously.

step 10: Make the displacerThe displacer is made from steel wire wool wrapped around around a piece of steel wire. Bend a small hook in the end of the wire and begin rolling steel wool aroundthis. Once you get near the size of a coke can, cut the wool.  Pull out the wire most of the way and cut the wool so that the displacer is around 2 inches high. On the otherend of the wire (not the hook end - bend a spiral, this is just to give the wire more surface area so it can't be pulled out.  Finally trim a slight bevel around the top to matchthe bevel on the coke can.

You can test the displacer in a coke can now - it needs to fall freely under it's own weight. You can spin the displacer inside of the can to smooth it out. Try and make thespiral roughly into the shape of a coke can dome. Once your happy with the displacer movement you can tie about a foot of fishing wire onto the hook end of thedisplacer. Apply some super glue to the knot so that it can't wriggle loose when the engine is running.

Now you can remove the pin from the diaphragm, so you can thread the loose end of the fishing wire through the diaphragm so that the inner-tube rubber will be on theinside of the pressure vessel.

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Image Notes1. Make sure you pull the wire out, unless you want blunt scissors.

Image Notes1. Big catch! Tasty wire wool.

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step 11: Make the pressure vesselCut the bottom off a coke can leaving about an inch from the base. Put the displacer and balloon into the pressure vessel, then push this base into the end of the can.Check that the displacer still moves freely.

Now fit the balloon over the top it should not be tight or loose - just tight enough not to sag.

Take an electrical connector that is not drilled and tie the fishing line through the screw hole about an inch above the bottom of the bottle cap - make sure that thedisplacer is at the bottom of the pressure vessel by tapping it on the table. Glue the knot so that it can't come lose. Apply a drop of oil to the wire and check that thedisplacer can be pulled easily and that it falls easily pulling the wire with it.

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Image Notes1. Looks like a few splinters escaped my sanding - make sure there are none asthe could puncture the diaphragm.

step 12: Now make the push rodsNow you can make the push rods that connect the diaphragm to the cranks. Begin by taking a piece of copper wire (about 15cm long), threading it through the two holesin the side of the bottle cap.  Then the push rods are bent inwards to match the distance of the cranks.  You will need to cut the rods to length, they should just fit into theterminal blocks when their respective crank arms are pointing downward. Make sure that the rods can pivot freely in the bottle cap.

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step 13: Making the flywheelTo make the flywheel, I used a 1cm piece of 20mm wooden dowel as a centre for some old CD's . The dowel was about 0.5mm to big for the CD centres, so I had tosand it down a bit. Drill a 2mm hole all the way through the centre of the dowel and another around 3mm from the outside, about 5mm deep. This is so the crank shaftcan be bent back on itself, to grip the flywheel.  The CD's are just glued to this.

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Image Notes1. Glue CD's in place

step 14: Attach the flywheelThe flywheel is held on by bending a hook on the end of the crankshaft, this fits into the extra hole that you drilled into the dowel.

Image Notes1. This isn't supposed to be here yet, counterbalancing is in the next step but Itook this flywheel from another broken engine which already had the weight on...

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Image Notes1. Glue CD's in place

step 15: Connecting it all together and counterbalancingNow you can connect all the parts together.  The can with the cranks is pushed onto the top of the pressure vessel, don't push the can from the very top at the frontas this will crush the viewing window, instead push it from the bottom edge of the viewing window. You need to push it down about 4mm.

The first thing to do is connect the displacer and balance it. I cut a small piece of copper wire (about 30mm) to connect the displacer wire terminal, to the one on thecranks, the reason for this is so that the lower terminal block can be slid up and down, to adjust the displacer to stop it hitting the top or bottom of the pressure vessel. With the displacer connected, you can add a counterbalancing weight to the side of the flywheel opposite the direction that the displacer crank is pointing. The counterweight should pull the displacer crank part roughly horizontal, adjust the weight to get this right. I used tape whilst testing but glued it in place when I found the correctweight.  I found a 5p coin to be about right for my engine.

The push rods are screwed into the outside terminal blocks, put the cranks in there lowest position and fit the rods into the terminal blocks. Tighten them up all up.

Image Notes1. Small piece of copper wire about 30mm to connect the two.2. Sssshhh, I did not set fire to my flywheel by accident!

step 16: Make the fire box.For the fire box I used a Lyles golden syrup tin, which has a lip around the top that is a perfect for the base of the pressure vessel.

Cut an arch out of the front and drill about eight 8mm holes around the top for vents.

As an alternative to the Lyles tin, you can cut a hole in the top of an ordinary tin can that is a tight fit for the coke can.

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step 17: Make the trim to seal the sharp edges.To save anyone from getting cut on the sharp edges of the cans, I made a trim out of electric wire outer sheath. I cut the sheath down the centre so that it can be fittedover the edges of the metal. Cut it to size and glue it in place.

Image Notes1. This is from a different engine but shows how to fit the trim.

Image Notes1. This is from a different engine but shows how to fit the trim.

Image Notes1. This is from a different engine but shows how to fit the trim.

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step 18: It's finished now! Testing and trouble shootingNow you can test the engine (at last!) . Light some candles and test! Hopefully it'll work first time, but if not heres some tips that might help. Don't forget to oil all themoving parts so it runs smooth particularly the fishing line.

Air Leaks: If you suspect an air leak, you can submerge the whole thing under HOT water and any leaks should be obvious. Hot water is important as it causes the airinside to expand forcing it out making any leaks obvious. Dry the area of the leak ASAP as the air will cool down sucking the water inside of the engine which will createsteam when you try to run the engine, this will potentially blow the coke cans apart.

Too much friction: Does the engine turn reasonably freely? There will always be some resistance from the balloon stretching a little, but it should spin once or twice onit's own if you give the flywheels a quick flick.

Engine is "too" air tight: If the engine is perfectly air tight then the air in the dead space will expand causing pressure in the engine which the normal movement can'tovercome. The symptom of this is that the balloon just bulges out no matter where the displacer is.  The solution to this problem is to fit a small piece of fishing line underthe edge of the diaphragm, this creates a tiny leak which lets the excess pressure out. Over time the displacer wire seal will wear down a little and you should be able toremove the artificial leak. You cant fill the space between the top of the cans if you have done this as the water will seep in. 

Image Notes1. It's gonna blow captain!

Image Notes1. The solution - create a small air leak.

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step 19: [Optional] Add a cooling jacket, and maybe a generatorYou can make your engine run better by adding a cooling jacket to help increase the temperature difference. For this you will need a tin can a little bit bigger than a cokecan.

Mark around the can on the bottom of the tin so that you can cut the shape out with tin snips. You might need to file/sand the edges a little to get the tin to fit well. Pushthe tin in place near the top of the pressure vessel and seal around the bottom with RTV heat resistant silicone.

You could try adding a generator too, depending on how well your engine turns you might be able to get a little power from it: Theres more photos of the Stirling generatoron my website here

The engine needs to be built perfectly to be able to drive a generator.

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Comments50 comments Add Comment view all 148 comments

 flybynightenterprises says:  May 16, 2010. 6:30 AM  REPLYThis is the coolest engine and I really want to build one but frankly I can't follow the instructions. I would probably understand if I had ever build one before. Is there a diagram somewhere for this design?  For instance, does the balloon go on one of the cans that were modified in step one?  Which end?  Where isthe third Coke can?

 reukpower says:  May 17, 2010. 9:22 AM  REPLYI drew a diagram for you, I think it should be easier to follow the instructions once you have the parts in front of you

 flybynightenterprises says:  May 18, 2010. 3:29 PM  REPLYYour sketch is very much appreciated, I should be able to figure it out now.  Time to start rounding up materials

 cayson says:  Jun 5, 2010. 1:35 PM  REPLYhey i had the same problem and thanks for drawing that out!!!

 DieCastoms says:  Jun 16, 2010. 8:46 AM  REPLYI think you should maybe re-draw this diagram on the computer (not that it doesn't look pretty darn good the way it is) and include it in your 'Ible. Thedirections make a lot more sense with the drawing.

 reukpower says:  Jun 16, 2010. 9:18 AM  REPLYThanks for your comments! I'll try and do that when I get time.

 killersquirel11 says:  Jun 16, 2010. 10:25 AM  REPLYLooks like a beta sterling engine, unless I'm mistaken.  This picture from the wikipedia article might help

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 flybynightenterprises says:  Jun 19, 2010. 5:09 AM  REPLYThe animation is very cool and helpful also!

 killersquirel11 says:  Jun 19, 2010. 11:11 AM  REPLYYeah... I've done a fair amount of research on these, even made one in Autodesk Inventor as a final project in a high school class, butnever actually got around to making one...

 marteloficina says:  Aug 21, 2010. 3:42 PM  REPLYthis motor rotates with a constant speed or you can speed up and down?

 reukpower says:  Aug 22, 2010. 4:29 AM  REPLYThe speed is not governed in any way, it depends on the temperature difference.

 marteloficina says:  Aug 21, 2010. 7:26 PM  REPLYand the circuit as you have mounted after the stepper motor? I saw on your site and do not get it right.

 ciscu92 says:  Aug 19, 2010. 2:35 AM  REPLYvery, very, very nice! I searched all over the net before finding a guide so well done. :-D

 derekk says:  Aug 15, 2010. 5:21 PM  REPLYwhat do you mean when you say, "they should just fit into the terminal blocks when their respective crank arms are pointing downward"? does this meanwhen the wire that protrudes and holds the outer two terminal blocks is facing down, or does it mean how they are down in the fourth picture you have on thisstep (the picture farthest to the right)?

 reukpower says:  Aug 16, 2010. 1:07 AM  REPLYIt means that the push rods should only be long enough to reach the terminal blocks when the terminal blocks are at the lowest crank position.

 Chowmix12 says:  Aug 8, 2010. 8:42 AM  REPLYIs that another computer fan generator on the back of the flywheel?

 shadow4742 says:  Aug 7, 2010. 1:22 PM  REPLYwhat is the displacer for?

 derekk says:  Aug 6, 2010. 9:53 AM  REPLYhow do you start it up or make it turn on?

 reukpower says:  Aug 7, 2010. 5:50 AM  REPLYYou just turn it with you're hand to get it going. You could add a starter motor though if you want :D

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Coke-Can-Stirling-Engine/

 derekk says:  Aug 5, 2010. 11:41 AM  REPLYinstead of inner tube, i used a few pieces of duct tape stacked on top of each other and that seemed to work just as well.

 derekk says:  Aug 4, 2010. 7:17 PM  REPLYi have another question: my engine seems to lock up on the top position of the crank when i test it without the dowel and cds attached, and occasionally withthe dowel and cds. why isn't it working?

 reukpower says:  Aug 5, 2010. 1:11 AM  REPLYIt sound's as if the cranks are pulling the displacer up slightly too high, try lowering the terminal block that the fishing line is attached to

 derekk says:  Aug 5, 2010. 10:14 AM  REPLYok, thank you kind sir

 derekk says:  Aug 1, 2010. 8:30 AM  REPLYwhat are they called in the united states? i'm having a hard time finding them.

 reukpower says:  Aug 2, 2010. 1:42 AM  REPLYThey are called the same thing, terminal blocks, screw blocks, electrical connectors. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103986

 billythebobby says:  Aug 1, 2010. 6:53 PM  REPLYwhat do the electrical terminal blocks even do

 reukpower says:  Aug 2, 2010. 1:38 AM  REPLYThey are to connect all of the parts together, so you don't have to make silly little loops in the wire.

 billythebobby says:  Aug 1, 2010. 6:35 PM  REPLYo nevermind i read the thing

 billythebobby says:  Aug 1, 2010. 6:34 PM  REPLYwhere did the 1 cm rubber thing go on the 4 pic

 20shadee says:  Jul 20, 2010. 4:40 AM  REPLYhow can i prove that it makes electricity? where can i attach the thing the measures electricity it produce?

 reukpower says:  Jul 20, 2010. 5:54 AM  REPLYTo the output of your generator, whatever that may be. What kind of generator did you attach ?

 20shadee says:  Jul 21, 2010. 2:44 AM  REPLYi still doesnt have any generatior. what kind will be preferably used? im looking forward to this to be my science project. Will i buy a generator? If so,what kind na where?

 reukpower says:  Jul 21, 2010. 11:27 AM  REPLYI used a stepper motor out of an old printer, sorry I don't know any kind that you can buy that will definitely work. You could use a small motor outof a cd drive with a belt to gear it up, that will almost certainly work. Have you built your engine, if so, could you share some photo's ?

 20shadee says:  Jul 22, 2010. 1:21 AM  REPLYcan i use the little "engines?" that the Tamiya Racing toys have? the miniture one. i havent started it yet. but i would share some photos

 reukpower says:  Jul 22, 2010. 1:56 AM  REPLYThey'd probably need to run a little fast to make any useful voltage. I'd recommend trying to get hold of an old DVD/CD drive motor likethis: http://www.instructables.com/answers/Electrical-requirements-of-a-DVD-drive-motor/ You'll get a belt and pulley too :) You will needto use a belt and pulley if using a DC motor as they need higher RPM's than a stepper motor.

This guy uses one on his Stirling engine: seems to work well although his engine runs insanely fast!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Coke-Can-Stirling-Engine/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1BpGswGbRs

 reukpower says:  Jul 22, 2010. 4:51 AM  REPLYOh, one other thing, since you haven't started building yet I'd recommend using the bearings that I used in my Stirling engine fanrather than the spoke nipples as the ones in the fan are simpler and work better :)

 n33r says:  Jul 14, 2010. 12:17 AM  REPLYIs there ne other altenative then baloon ?

 reukpower says:  Jul 14, 2010. 1:36 AM  REPLYNo, not really. Balloons aren't hard to get though....

 Fenryx says:  Jun 23, 2010. 6:45 AM  REPLYWhat kind of electrical terminal blocks did you use?

 reukpower says:  Jun 23, 2010. 9:36 AM  REPLYJust ordinary 5a blocks.

 Fenryx says:  Jun 24, 2010. 8:22 AM  REPLYI'm rather horribly useless at electricity. Is there something more you can let me know about them, or perhaps a picture and/or link to something moredescriptive? Thanks. Or any ideas for substitutes, I'm struggling to come up with one.

 reukpower says:  Jun 24, 2010. 9:04 AM  REPLYThese are what I'm talking about : here and here. Hope this helps.

 m_b_r_o_o_k_s says:  Jun 26, 2010. 3:29 PM  REPLYI live in the U.S. anyone know here to get these? i am haveing the hardest time finding them.

 cdousley says:  Jul 13, 2010. 3:50 PM  REPLYRadioshack

 henrib736 says:  Jul 7, 2010. 4:50 AM  REPLYAfter each time I use the engine, the diaphram becomes looser and looser. Will I ever have to replace it or could I just put it on tighter?

 reukpower says:  Jul 7, 2010. 5:04 AM  REPLYDid you put an elastic band around it ? If not, that will stop it coming lose.

 electronics guy says:  Jun 29, 2010. 1:02 PM  REPLYCan I use something other than innertube to reinforce the diaphragm?

 reukpower says:  Jun 29, 2010. 3:23 PM  REPLYYou can use any kind of thin rubber. Inner tubes are about 1mm thick, so any rubber around that thickness will do

 merseyless says:  Jun 26, 2010. 12:47 AM  REPLYhaving problems with the baloon setup, i cant make the hole big enough for it to let the displacer fall under it's own weight, what would you suggest?

 reukpower says:  Jun 26, 2010. 1:59 AM  REPLYAssuming it's been oiled. you can try a bigger pin. You can try putting some steel wire through the hole and wiggling it about to widen the hole. Alsoleaving the pin in the hole for several hours can help.

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