1779 The Strange Engine As A Generator

[@Xanderbelle]

You make it sound so simple, and you still make it look like magic.

[@jimsmindonline]

Really great demo of energy transfer. Heat to kinetic to magnetic to electrical! It's very cool to notice, when under load, the oscillation gets damped as current flows through the coil causing back emf proportional to the energy transferred.

[@jerrodlopes186]

Perhaps if he tipped the magnet with an aluminum cap and added a superconductor above the coil, the magnetic braking may give a little pushback to mitigate the dampening. There are probably any number of less expensive ways to do it, but none so fancy.

[@alantupper4106]

Hi Rob, got a chance to build and test the strange engine yesterday. Had a bit of trouble getting it running but eventually got a good solid run out of it. Thanks for this series!

[@angelusmendez5084]

Loving that both are working on different ways to generate with the same engine 👏

[@JSabh]

It would make a great water pump. Generation is a fair way to use it as well. Nice video my friend, cheers.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

cheers mate and yes I think you are right it would be a good pump - hmmm

[@JSabh]

@@ThinkingandTinkering recirculate the water to increase efficiency on the cold end? Hmmm indeed

[@barrybpl]

I know it's just a proof of concept, but it amused me to think of how much electric the hob was using compared with the amount coming out to light the light. :D

[@Teknopottu]

You could put it on top of a fireplace, use it as a heat dump for electronics, anything with excess heat.

[@justtinkering6713]

Solar

[@DM-kl4em]

Yep. Paint the bottom can black, and set it at the focal point of a parabolic reflective dish.

[@DM-kl4em]

5:09 Somebody's gotta say it: "I've seen a number of adult films where they do that for about 15 minutes or so." All kidding aside, it's fascinating to hear the "hum" change to a lower pitch (i.e. engine slowing down) when the generator is put under load.

[@Buzzhumma]

Wow that's more than I thought but with a hot plate I guess that's more likely than a t light candle . Looking forward to the static version .

[@D-B-Cooper]

Might want to put a heat shield to stop the heat from the hot plate from rising to top chamber. I wonder how long it will take for the gravel to get too hot. The top chamber could be a motor cylinder with cooling fins.

[@staycurious8650]

Hi Robbert. Great video, I would like to see a flywheel added to this one.😅

[@azlandpilotcar4450]

Sand in the bottom container would give you some carry-on generation beyond what you demonstrated by taking it off the hob. Good work.

[@Victor.McCann]

Thank you I am going to work on this for a generator you gave me my answer to the question I asked in first video about the windless generator

[@tombadley862]

within 1 minute of watching this video I was able to generate electricity with some electronic scrap I had around and a magnet, genuinely.

[@TheAndreasMustola]

I made mine of a can and plastic cup and it works too. And the plastic is more friendly to the balloon. Noticed that if you put the device on a table made of metal it will slowdown and stop. And if you put it on table made of wood, plastic, rubber, textile or just lift it and hold it in the air, it will start again. So put the device on something that vibrates less. As it seems that the sound is travelling from the bottom of the device to the material it stand on. It also runs with lower heat if you use more pebbles and stretch the balloon even more. I got it to run at 56'C. If it suddenly stop you need to add 5ml liquid (I use "Red-ethanol. 95% Ethanol with methyl, ethyl, ketone, acetone, ethyl acetate and bitrex.) Will try with other materials instead of pebbles that can self heat. As it should work with any material as long it allow sound to pass freely.

[@Red9GearHeads]

This is such an Interesting project. Thank you for entertaining our suggestions Rob. You are appreciated!

[@NewHampshireJack]

This is the most fun I have had in months. I envision the "green set" building a project like this with mirrors to focus free sunshine on the base of the unit. Sadly, they can not charge their ":pollution-free" Teslas with rose petals. Perhaps there is hope with a scaled-up version of this gen-set. Fun project, we enjoyed watching

[@Vibe77Guy]

Simple design would be to replace the balloon membrane with a speaker assembly and harvest off the voice coil.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

you could try that but I suspect it wouldn't be that good as a speaker is damped

[@Xero1of1]

1:06 There's another option for generation. The diaphragm is moving, right? Which means it's pushing and pulling air? Get yourself another can, cut open both ends and then put a little fan or something on the far end. You'll need the kind that they use for ocean wave generation that spin in one direction regardless of the direction of the air flow. I don't know if it'll be enough to make it spin strongly enough to generate, but in theory, it should work.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

indeed the theory is good mate - it's a wells turbine that you are thinking of - cheers

[@Xero1of1]

5:49 It looks like the eddy current is slowing it down a bit, like I mentioned in a comment on your last video. Not enough to stop it, though, which is a good thing. :D

[@Dorpz]

Wow, seeing that gets the gears turning in my head for sure. I'm sure that with a bit of messing around it'd be possible to make a stove/enclosure made from these, allowing for a pretty decent "hit the fan situation" battery charger.

[@ProlificInvention]

Here for it, awesome video as usual Robert. I was wondering if you have an interest in Hot Bulb Oil engines or Hot tube style ignition engines? I ask because they are low compression completely mechanical engines with outstanding durability and the ability to run on literally any flammable fuel. I've seen them in real life in many of their iterations and they NEED to be modernized and utilized. It's been a goal and project of mine to convert a modern small diesel engine to operate with a hot tube ignition system. It's a long time coming and I'm still in the early stages as I'm so busy with other projects, however one day I will dedicate the time and resources. A little history on them I find interesting: This system was patented in October 1890 and development continued. In 1892 (5 years before Rudolf Diesel's first prototype), engineers at Hornsby's built an experimental engine. The vapouriser was replaced with a standard cylinder head and used a high-pressure fuel nozzle system. The engine could be started from cold and ran for 6 hours, making it the world's first internal combustion engine to run on purely compression ignition. However, to build a fully practical fuel injection system required using machining techniques and building to engineering tolerances that were not possible to mass produce at the time. Hornsby's was also working at full capacity building and selling hot-bulb engines, so these developments were not pursued.

[@kreynolds1123]

I like the concept of electrostatic induction. Tip 1) Cycle rate is important. If one can raise the resonate freqency, then they can get a proportionate increase in power from a charge pump, sort of like a bucket of water per second delivers 60 time more water over a bucket of water per minute. Reducing the weight on the diaphragm and increasing the tension on the diaphragm will increase the frequency it resonates at. Tip 2) increasing the surface area of a variable capacitor with a given minimal distance increases its capacitance and the amount of charge it can hold, sort of like increasing the size of a bucket of water holds more water. Tip3) The tapered neck of a wine bottle may focus the energy in the sound wave, thus increasing the displacement which inturn increases the difference in capacitance between minimum and maximum capacitance which can drive larger voltage swings for a given charge.

[@ryanlebeck259]

Use a plumbing boot for a toilet seal to keep the noise down mate. There should be one that it fits in and the neoprene should quiet it some and have some heat resistance if you use a candle or more direct heat source.

[@stevewynn6937]

Informative and entertaining at the same time. Great video Rob

[@AttilaBlade]

It was a plesure to see your next step as a generator and that the two stages version worked well! I'm so excited about the electron pump version! BLADE

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I have a friend at MIT who works on variable capacitors as electron pumps - I am sure she will help - I will be talking to her over the xmas period - cheers mate

[@AttilaBlade]

@@ThinkingandTinkering Great news!

[@reypolice5231]

An Omni bus of all the videos from your different platforms and your son's work: would be most helpful as I have difficulty finding them again. Like the big one you did with a repurpose fire extinguisher bottle. Or at least a video with all the links in the description box, maybe? I like the fact that it generated when the coil was above the magnetic. That means you may be able to stack several coils for more output. The compact design is also helpful. Thank you Rob for your posts.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

check this out mate kzbin.info/door/1E8OmOG17VckoPviOPmkMw

[@hunnybunnysheavymetalmusic6542]

There's a DISTINCTIVE load on the can! Definitely need to increase the mechanical resonance. Suggestion: build a 2 cylinder [2 diaphragm] 'teeter-totter' type pendulum to maximize the energy rebound. The idea would be to put 2 of these assemblies with their diaphragms together by a lever that looks like a playground teeter-totter, but then have an arm up above them which is a u-shaped magnet [both poles at the top] or, a large magnet with 2 Gauss transmitting steel ends in a bit of an upward facing "C" configuration, then hand the coil between them with a little post so it will stay in one position, while both poles of the magnet alternatively go in and out of the coil. The rocking motion and the pins would make 2 improvements: the rocking motion will better utilize the springiness of the diaphragms, and the stationary nature of the pin action will keep the parts from just jumping and bumping all over the place. Since the system is all based on the same principle, and needs no valves, all one needs to do to ensure it starts, is to tap on one end probably only once and it should just immediately leap into motion.

[@mountiedm]

New idea. (is it strange That this topic is now the domain of my dreams?) Put the stator on the inside. Yeah you'd have to re-engineer. Make it span both chambers - so, much longer. Then put the generating coils exclusively in only in the bottom chamber to use also scavenge the heat of the wire during generation. I'm kicking around thoughts of how to benefit from the addition of heat pipes, loop heat pipes, vapor chambers, etc to the design

[@McRootbeer]

It's amazing how far this is going with just cans and dollar store ceramics 😆.

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I agree mate - we can all experiment if we want!! lol

[@McRootbeer]

Do you really need the gravel? I'm wondering if a steel or copper pot scrubber would work as well? Or maybe carbon felt?? You could put bigger holes in the ceramic if you used the pot scrubber instead of the gravel, and that might improve gas flow.

[@newagetemplar6100]

I love this guy , reminds me of Fred dibnah with his enthusiasm. The world should appreciate guys like this much much more .have stuff like this taught in schools rather than that diversity rubbish . Merry Xmas from the uk 🇬🇧☃️

[@TrueSighted]

Might want to weight it down a bit more, or put a dampening layer to keep the vibration from carrying it away. Lol For a moment there, I thought it might vibrate itself off the heating element and table. Especially when you went to turn off the lights.😅

[@daviddjerassi]

Again more amazing examples of the motor its a long way from my Meccano and Lego days thank you .

[@TacoKhezis]

There used to be old spin tops that had a screw and the nut inside. You press on the screw, and the nut spins, making a spin top rotate. I wonder if you can make this happen here, converting the up and down motion into circular motion of the flywheel. More energy recuperated? I looked it up, it's called spiral plunger spinning top, and they are still sold today.

[@rbartsch]

Great Demonstration! If you can get 50A @ 65 VDC with a halfway decent efficiency you can charge solar batteries in dark winter! 😁

[@shanealexander9952]

How ironic

[@idea-shack]

kinda reminds me of those stove top espresso makers, probably could make one out of those too😄The espresso engine!

[@jamesross1003]

Nice and compact and so easy to build. Anyone should be able to make something like that. Thanks Rob! Think I may experiment with this one myself. Great video!

[@DMaN333v]

Can you please do a video on the strange generator showing watts or amps and volts as just volts is a useless measurement? To actually know if it’s useful we need the watt output.

[@BillDeWitt]

Side question for Rob or anyone. Just a random thought. If I held a lump of carbon in one hand and a piece of lead in the other, then wired them together, would current flow? IOW, using the body as the electrolyte. Obviously you would want better materials and a design that moved them closer together. I don't have any way to test this.

[@Teknopottu]

Our friends from Ukraine made a video about this in one of their travels. Check a video from "Kreosan English" named "How to get electricity out of people". Human sweat is the electrolyte in this case.

[@richardsandwell2285]

I rather like the simplicity of these engines, I was in Tesco last night and saw some stretch on silicone rubber lids, I thought they would be ideal to improve the heat resistance and life of the engine.

[@jamest.5001]

I wonder what a 55gallon drum version would do, with a piece of inner tube stretched across the lid and bolted down, and use a 2"x2" neodymium magnet, would do, with a coil from about 24gauge, (maybe put a magnet on the inside with another coil also, double the possible output chances, )use tiny pieces of hose and ceramic or maybe nylon washers, and brass bolts , solder the coil to the tiny bolts, using them as a mechanical attachment, and electrical connection! Use a rectifier, and capacitors, and you would have a heck of a phone charger at least, the soup can could be done similar, making a tiny emerge light and/ or phone charger, a slow one!

[@gameoverwehaveeverypixelco1258]

Make a long tube of coil on moving nut and add a long tube of Button magnets and you should get lots more power.

[@jeffreyrood8755]

Great video. That really does give lots of opportunities to charge different items with very low consumption. As soon as I get done making Christmas gifts, I won't to work on this. What did you put in the bottom section? Water or Ethanol?

[@simongross3122]

Fascinating series. I wonder if it would be possible to run this off sunlight. Perhaps using some magnifying glass assembly to heat up the bottom can. Or better yet, suspend the bottom can at the focal point of an upward facing parabolic mirror. That way it would be protected a little from cooling by the wind. And then of course, I wonder how it would compare to a PV cell for generating electricity - noisier for sure :)

[@hunnybunnysheavymetalmusic6542]

No expert about the variable capacitor idea, but it strikes me as very intriguing. I do plan to make a ceramic base with a slip-in aluminum heat exchanger on both the top and the bottom. I think what would work well would be to put a set of aluminum fins on the top, like say if you took a large beer can, carefully slice it into little flaps that flip out on each side, and then put some thermal paste between the aluminum can and the steel can, or else use an aluminum can and press fit the 2 cans together. [it is a bit difficult but I found that if you sand the inside of the one, and the outside of the other, place form (I used a dowel, but you could use other things) inside the inner can and then with some grease (in this case, thermal paste might work) between the 2 cans, and gently press it evenly. [I used a hydraulic jack and some pieces of wood because that is all I had, but you could rig up other ways, with levers, pulleys, long bolts and nuts, anything to apply uniform clamping pressure] Now... Admittedly.... I was not trying to make a generator... I was making a tiny model jet engine [for looks only, as it would have never run] that was spun internally with a little electric motor and a shaft down the center. But, if one were to simply cut away the 2 ends of the cans, they could easily mount this to the ceramic tube, as the end result would have both ends uniformly swaged, and have little lips you could use to help strap on the diaphragm as well as to help make a good seal on the ceramic, especially if you use silicone. In essence, just do what I did, only, cut both ends open. Now that I think about it, in the compressing stage, since modern cans DO have swaged necks on them, you COULD simply put sand inside the inner can to keep it from crushing while you pressed them. The deal is that the aluminum of the cans is specifically designed so it can be readily die drawn, and therefore, if you are very careful, you can use its willingness to be re-drawn, to press fit it, using the recipient can as the single use drawing die. I won't deny, it took me a few tries to make it work. The reason is, because even though the can is wont to be re-drawn more, it is only willing to do so IF you do not cut the sides out of it first. That makes it just a little bit trickier, because, you would then have to press the uncut outer can on first, and then, using something like a precision razor, very carefully cut JUST the outer can, so you kept the vapor seal, otherwise you risk ruining it by puncturing the inner can. What I finally figured out, from looking at a small carbide glass cutting wheel, was that I needed a little holder to mount the blade in as a fixed depth gauge. By putting a piece of hand carved wood on the front of my box blade [they did not have such things as 3D printers when I was a child... They still had black and white televisions and rotary dial telephones...] I was able to very carefully sand down the face of the block until I got just the right depth [something around 0.002" (0.0508 mm)] to just cut the outer can so I could flip out my stylized fins. The result was a lot of work, no doubt, but I was making a model at the time. How much it would be worth to do this for a generator, is anybody's guess. Also, now, we have a lot more options for cans, some are much larger [especially in import and single serving type beer products] all over the industry. High pressure aluminum aerosol cans could work as well, although I do not know how thick they are, so one would have to deal with that separately, and with smaller openings, one might want to decide in advance if they wanted to cut one side all the way off, or else devise some way to use the smaller opening of the necked end into their design. Loads of options out there in aluminum cans, the reason I mention them is mainly the fact that they conduct heat more efficiently than steel, and since they are being thrown away, they are just as cheap as steel.

[@patrickmcginnis7]

What about water beads from the garden shop? apparently you need about 232C to get them really energetic but I think you could generate more force to a diaphragm and thus move more mass thru a larger coil = more VoltAmps per volume. And possibly an overall more efficient heat engine if tuned correctly. Put some water beads on a skillet and maybe you can figure it out.

[@alexwild4350]

I guess the buzzing sound that diminishes as you present the coil to the magnet is the back EMF off the coil restricting the diaphragm moving as far as it was ? So the more power that is drawn from the magnet/ coil combination the less the diaphragm/ magnet wants to move ? Would this by why steam trains were powered with proper piston engines when proper power is needed ?

[@gabrielsierra6890]

The generated voltage is AC, so if you use a bridge rectifier, all will be DC and the LED will lite for both cycles, bringing out more light!

[@davidsoulsby1102]

What sort of temperature do you need to get it started running please?

[@mikaelfransson3658]

Waaoow! I Just love it! Now the 12 years old in me how always need to make a few questions more! Luke did a great cut in a glass-jar! Why not put out the bottom use the glass jar with a lid. put hole in the lid! A few tin cans have plastic lids! And I really want to see a full generator! For it seams so easy but if the force and fuel is the limited amount! Then we need a effective and might more costly generator! When you Rob are one how is the best in this field, I really want a bit of more of this! But I just love this film! 🥸 /Mikael

[@mountainman3602]

Would this work like a trickle charge for 12 volt lead cell car battery? Sorry if it's a stupid or already answered question. Love these videos keep them coming

[@Teknopottu]

Connect it into a boost converter board and give it a go. They cost about two euros.

[@mountainman3602]

@@Teknopottu Thanks from the USA mate! Ill give it a go

[@Teknopottu]

@@mountainman3602 Glad to help. Greetings from Finland!

[@DM-kl4em]

Yes. You can regulate it to 14.5 volts and rectify it to DC. It might not charge very fast, but it WILL charge until the battery reaches 14.5 volts.

[@leostarling5746]

Awesome! I am thinking about charging my modem UPS battery with this, on a little wood fire. Much easier than a steam engine.

[@jameskniskern2261]

You have a lot of fun. And it is fun to watch what you are up to.

[@c.t.murray3632]

That's amazing. vibrating magnets? I'll have to go over your demonstration over and over I don't understand yet.

[@bennjanse]

Stretch the balloon more so that the frequency increases, that can make maybe a difference on the voltage, very nice video, thanks very much, kind regards Ben South Africa 🍺🍺🍺

[@jerrodlopes186]

Robert, I believe that you have just invented the world's first rocket stove powered EV charger. 😉 Warm the house AND charge the car while you sleep!

[@Teknopottu]

People have been stamping peltier elements on stoves for years but the new engine type amazes with it's simplicity.

[@Unicorn-Ranch]

Great video(s) , thank you for your entertaining channel, Learned so much, could you scale this up, lets say in an oil drum, polish the heat part of the drum, put some mirrors around it, and let the sun heat the engine (filled with methanol from last time?, lower boiling point), and set it up in the dessert as an sun energie engine????

[@kennethjessop6073]

What would be the effect of changing the orientation of the magnet, ie across the direction of movement?

[@mtttony]

Great thanks!! What was the hertz ??

[@agreenode5898]

Will substituting alcohol for the water in the bottom tin, work better? Will a liquid having a lower boiling temperature than water have any advantage?

[@mrab4222]

It's generating AC, isn't it? But the LED panel works on DC, so how about adding a full bridge rectifier? I also wonder about how much cooling the upper part will get in the long term if it's ceramic, as it works on a temperature difference.

[@randalparker4686]

Also, I'm thinking of trying to incorporate a ring of these into a water heater with said rotor above, as a total assembly, if it would do anything

[@docink6175]

how much weight will it lift efficiently? Use a bolt with magnets spaced a bit apart and several coils.. would it work with the last candle heater you made?

[@RichardCranium321]

can you put an ice cube on top of the gravel media to 1: help with thermal exchange and 2: feed the water in the bottom as it evaporates?

[@justtinkering6713]

Robert, what was the fluid inside. Water? Methanol?

[@MrBrew4321]

That's a pretty simple device. I could imagine someone throwing that together in an emergency to like charge a cell phone but maybe that would need a few more components.

[@brionfranks478]

Hello ! Did you make the triboelectric ( static electricity) generator yet ?

[@jasonmorello1374]

The power extraction here is very much like a speaker/microphone, so if you used a speaker, it would already be set up. Wired and all. Flexible diaphragm. permanent magnets. All you need is your regulation circuit, and it can do all kinds of things. I am thinking how this works might be thermoacoustic. Mostly I am interested in wattage and efficiency, because its easy enough to build.

[@lightcapmath2777]

Yes, Thank you. Await the next video.. Cheers! DVD:)

[@keltonjefferys8872]

Can a small generator be used?

[@fly_away_haha]

on which material can be replaced balloon?

[@chrissavill8713]

Does it matter on the size of the magnet?

[@robinramkhalawan468]

What about the gravel u used awhile ago for cooling

[@kandsgibson]

Wondering - could you build this in a "horizonal" design??

[@knightyryder3]

Robert. Would be interesting to see if you can turn this into a mechanical fireplace fan

[@DavidLyon]

I just had a thought while watching, making a moving-coil generator might be more efficient than moving-magnet due to inertia losses. Otherwise it's progressing really well.

[@justtinkering6713]

It's the rebounding weight that makes it work.

[@joelaichner3025]

If you could put thinking in a capsule , we could end drug abuse ! No more junkies , just people thinking ,

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I believe that is really the answer ate - I have been thinking about this subject for a while now

[@orpheuscreativeco9236]

I'm a thinking junkie 😜👍

[@paulbrouyere1735]

We’ld better start thinking about abuse, not drugs, because it goes much further than that…

[@mike-ology22]

People take drugs to stop thinking

[@hibraisil]

The problem junkies have is oftentimes an inability to quiet their thinking.

[@ibme8359]

Rain,Wind and Heat (Florida Sunshine)! We've got all 3 down here)! Thank you for the new way to use solar! BTW have U ever explored (Involute and cusp) heating. I think that may have possibilities 4 we who "Live in the Sunshine).

[@makerslife]

What about connecting a speaker cone to it?

[@gabrielsierra6890]

It has occurred to me that you could mount the magnets sideways, where the field is stronger and get more output from the coil.

[@tigeron21]

Using a balloon does not look like it would last very long. Is there another substitute that would work just as well but could last a much longer time than the balloon?

[@Teknopottu]

People have been throwing ideas like a speaker diaphragm. Been thinking about this myself. Did this version use liquid at all or did Rob just leave it unmentioned?

[@dazzerdibble6165]

Watched a lot of your videos just wondering if u seen the short video cavitation heater overunity very interesting how it has hushed up

[@ryanbrown982]

Would you get more or less power out of it by adding heat dissipation fins to the top? You want it cold, right, so heat sinks there should allow a higher temperature differential, and thus a faster oscillation? I wonder what happens if you run it in reverse. Running a Stirling engine backwards can generate cryogenic temperatures. Could you run an AC current through a coil to move the magnet to pump heat?

[@tractorguy97]

A very interesting concept. Have you thought on making a larger one to increase the output? Or would the size of gravel have to be different idk 🤷‍♂️ (you would need a larger pink toothbrush holder 😄 )

[@peterxyz3541]

They exist.

[@jerrodlopes186]

Maybe a flower pot. I think he has a few lying about.

[@malHHkenny]

AC... Any chance of using the strange engine in a chain of devices to create a more efficient inverter for use with large power banks?

[@malHHkenny]

@@masterdebater8757 Efficiency is where you find it. Always go straight to the last place to look, because that where you always find what you lost.

[@malHHkenny]

(The problem is that you can't get there from here. You always have to go someplace else first.)

[@malHHkenny]

@@masterdebater8757 I have a lifelong neurological cognitive disorder where even my own neighborhood is a puzzle to sort every time. (If we're 5 blocks from my house, I can't describe to you how to get there, but I always manage to find my way home by identifying intervals.) Essentials stand out and make the process highly rewarding. Call it creative efficiency. Forget the established ineffectual stuff and look at things in a new way.

[@jb-dn3ct]

For a moment there I thought it was going to jump off the plate, certainly is a strange engine, has a mind to wonder

[@joshbeaulieu7408]

If you have a hot and cold section you could also attach a thermocouple, couldn't you?

[@Noswiatel]

So, whats the efficiency of the device?

[@ibme8359]

A fellow I watch said once (I'd like to find a way to generate energy without actually burning something"): I agree!

[@jerrodlopes186]

This engine right here with hydrogen peroxide as fuel.

[@piotr86]

Thank you. Now I wonder if this engine can run upside down - heated from top (the sun), cooled from bottom (ground or water).

[@johnbelcher7955]

Would a thinner diaphragm increase the speed and travel of the magnet and would this make a difference (for a thinner diaphragm I was thinking of a male/female contraceptive device lol)

[@peter-qv9tq]

Made the single cup and Tuna tin version. would not work with tea lights or stove. Removed from stove and it fired up brilliantly. Ran until it cooled slightly. More investigation reqd.

[@padraigparker1839]

You did it !

[@brucewhite4896]

Interested if it can be used as a mini compressor. If it can compress gas it could be used in a tiny heat pump / mini fridge etc. Any thoughts?

[@ThinkingandTinkering]

I was just thinking of it as a pump - if it is a pump it can be a compressor

[@TimeSurfer206]

Now, I am wondering if this darn thing can be built upside-down. Because if it could, I could heat it with a cheap 300x300mm Fresnel lens with a simple one axis solar tracker, and I just adjust the height each day or 12. This would be one axis with a passive Arc, of course. ETA: And after further ponderings, I believe the best option is going to be setting up a bank of these in a trough of hot water, heated by perhaps Solar Evacuated Tubes, and a cooling jacket on the top. And naturally, I will be using methanol as a medium.

[@youssefabdelmalek9901]

You can probably combine it with the sand battery and have it run with wind power

[@frankkroondijk586]

Am I right that the LED's act as a rectifier, sort of, so basically you are using only half of the potential energy right now?

[@seattlecarpenter]

I'm sure you could connect the nut to a speaker driver to create electricity.

[@randalparker4686]

Mr. Murray-Smith, what if you made a few of these, put them in a ring, and put a rotor above them?

[@jerrodlopes186]

How's about using a hydrogen peroxide reaction in the bottom of the three chamber model to create the heat? Nothing burned. No carbon emissions. Thanks so much for getting my brain working on something worthwhile.

[@justtinkering6713]

Did you use methanol again?