022 The Strange Engine - An Easy Build Engine

[@joecruggle7638]

Great video. You could build that into a compost pile, which heats up to 150°F within a day or so, which will give you greater than 50°F difference between internal and external temps, thus powering the device day and night for probably a week.

[@TimeSurfer206]

I was thinking use a water bath heated by evacuated solar heat tubes.. Only viable during daylight, but, little to no maintenance year round, and the tubes are pretty cheap.

[@reypolice5231]

@@TimeSurfer206 Replace the water with oil up to 700F and then to a bucket of sand, and stick the first can in the sand. It has a lot of ways to get heat, like just a piece of sheet metal in the sun or the hood / roof of a car painted black ( or black garbage bag on the car roof) gets hot.

[@TimeSurfer206]

@@reypolice5231 Thank you. The oil idea is brilliant, I'm so glad I thought of it! (j/k)

[@drakedorosh9332]

Idea. Use a bass speaker instead of a balloon for a diaphragm and add a diode to rectify the signal out of the speaker.

[@gabrielsierra6890]

And a bigger can, more volume, more force and momentum

[@jameshughes3014]

From someone who's never built an engine of any kind, I just finally had success building one of these. It took me three tries but there's something magical about seeing something made of trash run. I'm excited now to optimize the coil and generator. I think i might be hooked lol. Thank you for the details, it really helped me figure out why things weren't working at first. If someone is trying this, my tips are the balloon should be smooth and pretty tight, and don't be tempted to try tape on the can seams. The glue really helps.

[@daroniussubdeviant3869]

rewatching this series of videos here finally gave me the insight to make one work. i can not thank you enough for all your hard work on this channel. i'm absolutely overjoyed it's working.

[@ianwilliams487]

G'Day,,very clever,,reminds me of the function of a "PUT-PUT,boat"

[@CarlStreet]

Your true strengths are your enthusiasm, sense of humor, and willingness to make errors -- would that there were more with your sense of wonder and emotional maturity. Thank you for your excellent presentations and your example of how errors and testing lead to real learning. You never cease to amaze...

[@thisisajewtube]

Idea. Make two such engines. One is bigger than the other. The larger one should be filled with water, the smaller one with methanol. Place the membrane with the mass on top of the smaller motor. The smaller motor should be placed inside the larger motor and the top should be closed. Thus, although the two motors are in one, they are actually coaxially opposite, and there is a membrane between them. In this way, the internal motor runs with the waste heat of the external motor. In essence, we use the heat twice, once with water and then with methanol. Overall, we get a steam engine that operates at atmospheric pressure with a temperature difference of 35 degrees Celsius. What do you think, could it be good?

[@romualdaskuzborskis]

I was thinking simmilar thing - only acetone.

[@stravs8097]

Idea: This comes from my experiments with solar ovens. Paint the bottom can black so it absorbs more light and heat. Make the middle ceramic cup white, so it reflects heat, and the top can paint white as well, or use some reflective surface on it to deflect light. This should enhance the temperature difference, especially if the unit is running in sunlight.

[@sierraecho884]

This looks like an awesome simple engine, I really would like to know how efficient it really is in the end. It can´t be too horrible compared to a alpha beta or gamma stirling engine, it has no cranks no moving parts nothing you can attach a speaker on top to generate some power, it is self starting and you can make it with a pair of scissors and a baloon, this is incredible.

[@everettblacknall1504]

Set it up with a "solar oven" style reflectors... Bam solar panel. Seems pretty efficient. Great video. Peltier can device!

[@makerslife]

Try adding a thermal plate between the heated side and the cooled side to block the heat from rising to the cool side. Maybe even add some heat sinks to the cool side.

[@kwinterburn]

That engine is used as the power generator in water boilers , its a atmospheric stirling engine the mass needs to be a magnet to generate power with a coil, they size the diaphram to match the 50hz mains

[@stevestogsdill5791]

I can't imagine that Edison's team at Menlo Park could have had more fun experimenting than you do! Thanks for more great videos!

[@justtinkering6713]

Edisons laboratory is now in Dearborn Michigan, at The Henry Ford.

[@kevinroberts781]

We could utilize that ratchet sound motor unit you made to turn a very small microwave turntable motor. Use a buck/boost converter and charge a cell phone

[@stravs8097]

I made one of these (3 can version) and could only get it to work sometimes. At times the balloon would rise, or just slightly rise but not enough. Turns out the welds were fine, it was the size of the hole at the top, and even covered with tape, was letting pressure out. When plugged firmly with something else, got pressure again. Just something to be mindful of if making for the first time.

[@theTeknoViking]

I love tin can projects! More! More!

[@amphibiousone7972]

Connect it to your magic lever flywheel generator 😉👍

[@ferencszabo3504]

Any chance that we will find a super simple, cheap, everlasting solution before the winter kicks in? Oh, and I've forgot to mention, it must have the RGB lights on it! 😊 Nice series, BTW!

[@justtinkering6713]

Robert, I think Stirling engines are cool and can be easy to make. But if I wanted the most power from the heat used I think a smart choice would be to make a steam engine. I think they would produce a lot more power than any Stirling engine. Why not do a video on that? For safety you could use a monotube boiler.

[@revmsj]

Solder some fins for a heat sink along the sides of the top/middle/perhaps both cans to maybe increase efficiency by more effectively cool the steam!

[@kwinterburn]

If you like stirling engines try to get a stirling engined fan powered by an oil lamp they were made in pakistan or india until quite recently

[@sequfow]

You could add focused sunlight to the base for heat. Replace nut with a magnet and add a coil and rectifier. Cheap basic solar generator.

[@Luziferne]

You could connect the 2068 Magic Button Mechanism to the membrane, couldn't you? At that frequency it would turn the wheel with quite some speed

[@Andrew-oy2et]

Fantastic!

[@justrelaxing1501]

Well, don't expect to get back from shopping anytime soon. 😁

[@sierraecho884]

Hypothetically speaking which method of energy conversion would be more efficient for this engine and why. Of course it is a linear generator. 1. Magnets moving through coil (or a coil moving through magnets, like in a speaker) 2. Piezoelectric crystal which gets deformed.

[@terryjaye]

It took me a couple hours to make this work. My first mistake was using a homemade alcohol burner heated up the column too much. I ended up using an induction burner with a washer and an awl to act as a needle valve on the hole.

[@robertsmith2956]

I'd say it is a water jet. Part pulse jet, part water cannon.

[@theTeknoViking]

This makes me think of distilling with a "packed column" :)

[@creative-gk2rg]

I guess an electric pipe organ of sorts can be made from that after placing a coil and magnet generator arrangement at the top. This steam engine is an oscillator, and each note will need different sized cans or something. I looked up JB Weld, its a namebrand type of Epoxy.

[@justtinkering6713]

Attila Blade coated a speaker spider with silicone rubber. It works great as a diaphragm.

[@stravs8097]

Drilling coffee cup. Couldn't quite catch what kind of drill bit you used. I tried a carbide head drill bit(advertised for drilling tile and ceramic), got through 3 holes (used a bit of masking tape on cup so drill wouldn't slip all over the place), before the 4th where the drill bit appeared damaged, black and very hot.

[@michaelkallekarlsson5777]

i would give it the name "Closed loop steam engine"

[@C.Scholl]

Maybe use a flowerpot (terracotta) that would be pre drilled, nice video.

[@enormousdork3831]

I seem to recall something similar, that would work from just the heat of a hand. Sadly I can not remember if it was a kit to purchase or if it was a home brew experiment. Very cool though.

[@neilmcdonaldii4367]

LOL!! Fish tank gravel..... I have ants that produce that stuff for free.... Now only if I could convince them to share it while also convincing not to eat my crops.

[@bencapobianco2045]

I wonder if this could be scaled up with some steel drums and maybe cool the top one down with some running creek water so it stays rather cool and heat the bottom with a solar heater (methanol) or rocket stove (water). Could possibly produce quite a bit of power? Biggest issue I can see is a robust enough membrane. I’d love to hear anyone’s thoughts on this.

[@sierraecho884]

I wonder if the regenerator would work better with metal pellets or coarse steel wool.

[@mikeconnery4652]

Nice video

[@pownonome]

If you use acetone whose boiling point is 56ºC it might work with the heat of the sun

[@ciudadanopromedio9566]

Mr. Murray, do you think that motor could be run with the hot side of the peltier, and if so, use the motion of the motor to pump the air from the cold side of the peltier??

[@glbaker5595]

Come on now get some damn 55-gallon drums out there and get busy,, let's let's bake a big one now😂😂❤

[@chaorrottai]

I made one too, I posted a bunch of shorts a while back on it. I call it state change thermoacoustic engine. The chamber pressure modulates the boiling point and condensation point causing rapid oscillations in boiling and condensing, so as the load is free to move up, the water is free to boil, but when the load reaches TDC the chamber pressure starts to build, at a certain point, the chamber pressure is too high for the liquid to boil so it condenses and continues to drop until you get to BDC. As a side note, it's quite efficient, this is probably just about as efficient as it's possible to get as you don't have a displacer to move around in the chamber. Bet it's damn near 70% efficient.

[@reypolice5231]

If you do this with solid dry ice/ CO2 no fear of flammability. Too little or too much dry ice may be key to what is needed for a particular size container. But once sealed, very little heat will be needed. Possibly better than water.

[@awesomewater6786]

could it be used to make a refrigerator ? that would cut down on some bills . great stuff by the way .

[@TacticalFlatcap]

What effect would the diameter of the pipe/cans have? I'm guessing the frequency of the diaphragm would be in relation to this but I don't have the knowledge to work it out....

[@mainegardenguy703]

I'd love to see a build on a generator that can be placed on or near a wood burning stove.

[@sojournerdelaterra6144]

They make sterling engine fans that sit on top of them. Also they make a peltier device that can get electric too.

[@velcroman11]

Beans on toast and wash them? Won’t washing the toast make is soggy? 😂😂😂

[@fluxpistol3608]

Depends how much you wash the toast. If toast is bread dough dried twice then wetting it once will just turn it back into bread but if you keep washing you'll get dough so don't wash too much.

[@KM-es4yx]

👍🏻

[@glennwebster1675]

👍

[@sierraecho884]

How exactly in detail does that work ?

[@donbangert]

Makes me wonder if it'll run off the heat from my compost pile.

[@travismoore7849]

Maybe you can make a voltage potential from the earth and air though a ground stake and cb antenna to run a piezo oscillator and coil to run an edison sound engine only you use a piezoelectric crystal to run it instead. And use earth ground potential instead of sound in an oscillator circuit.

[@thisisajewtube]

In fact, the motor is more powerful if it is not so high, but the membrane is right on top of the condenser, but then the weight is needed on it. If we make a long machine and the condenser is at 1/3, then the mass on the membrane is not needed, and the piezo is also good, and the machine is a little weaker and faster. For one, the mass on the diaphragm is the piston, for the tall machine, the air in the pipe is the piston, so no mass is needed there on membrane. At the same time, the piezo generator can be used in several ways and with different placement.

[@gerryplayz4532]

Hi Robert, you had a video with something that looked like ceramic balls that reacted with water, can you tell me what they were? I went through all of them but can't find the one.

[@noblemagi]

can you get enough power to charge a phone in a camp fire?

[@Aussiehomestead1965]

Did anyone catch how the 12 mm nut was attached to the balloon diaphragm?

[@revmsj]

Ooh! If you use alcohol instead of water, do you think you would need less of a delta T (temperature differential)? Edit: I literally asked this question about 15 seconds before you introduced the methanol…🤷🏾‍♂️

[@rnickel123]

I ate 3 cans of beans, can it be adapted to run on methane?

[@turkeytrac1]

There's a website link?

[@thisisajewtube]

google:" tibsim thermoacoustic 1488 "

[@veganismyname]

Boiling point acetone (nail polish remover) 56 celsius

[@justtinkering6713]

I Made one with acetone, it worked but the vapors were a big problem for me. They always found a way out of the engine, no matter how I sealed it.

[@Embassy_of_Jupiter]

I want to see what happens if you point a fresnel solar death ray at it lol

[@jitone1]

Are beans on toast a British thing?

[@TnTOmnibus]

no idea

[@3D_Printing]

Make a phone with two tins and a piece of string 🎉

[@AlanAlanAlanDave]

You should know to make a cuppa you need boiling water. tut tut.

[@goldcountryruss7035]

O.K., now scale it up to a 55-gallon drum and make some real power. Go big or go home.

[@sambastable513]

Plasmoids

[@TnTOmnibus]

lol - the invasion of the plasmoids at a cinema near you - sorry mate it sounded just like the title of a 50s B movie lol

[@sambastable513]

@@TnTOmnibus lol,I beg to differ sir, so you are aware of the potential phenomenon I find it interesting, love your content 👍✌️