Stirling Engine w/ Generator Power Measurement

[@syniekos]

The simplicity of these devices make it very fascinating to see them at work.

[@jnygaarddk]

Maybe you should try having the amp meter in series, rather than shorting the motor.... No wonder it lost RPM....

[@3dprintwiz378]

Exactly. I was wondering why he did that when he was measuring AMps.

[@berniegrant6183]

There are 2 issues here with his power measurement First, you nailed it as he was testing short circuit amps, that is why the motor stalled. That is maximum current it can produce, but it is not usable as the voltage will drop to 0 so power is effectively zero also (P=I*E). The second is he was measuring open circuit voltage. There was no load on the generator., not no current was being drawn, again power was effectively zero As a result, the real power is less than the .12W he calculated, What you need is a variable resistor and 2 meters, one in series for current and one in parallel (across the resistor) for voltage. Adjust the resistor in steps and record the voltage and current. Plot these and you will see the power curve under variable loads and should also see the maximum power

[@Paul-ou1rx]

You do want the glass to heat up prior to starting the rotation. That is what heats the air inside the glass. Give it 30 sec then rotate.

[@gustavgnoettgen]

I'm afraid that your measurement method was entirely suitable here. You need to measure the max power at one specific rpm, the operating point. You can do that by using a variable resistor and two meters for voltage and current simultaneously, or even a wattmeter. You'd then tune the poti to find the sweet spot where amps and volts give multiplied the most watts. Max voltage (sort of) aka rpm doesn't say much about the power. There's model Stirling engines that exceed 2,000rpm, with no usable output though.

[@extremelife4705]

Thnks bro.

[@木人石芯]

Should we adjust the multimeter to AC voltage mode and connect it in parallel to the LED to measure the voltage, then use AC current mode to connect it in series to the LED to measure the current and finally calculate the power?

[@木人石芯]

Also, the engines have different power at different RPMs, these are very much like the models from China and the engines are equipped with very less efficient generators (motor reverse usage), these are what I know❤

[@tsbrownie]

Not sure if that would work. The generator is DC.

[@木人石芯]

@@tsbrownie Although the generator is a DC motor instead, it emits AC power, which I tested using an oscilloscope, as I once had a similar model.

[@tsbrownie]

@@木人石芯 It will emit pulsed DC.

[@木人石芯]

@@tsbrownie In fact, what it outputs is not pure DC. It has three wave peaks in one cycle. At this time, it is inaccurate to use the DC gear measurement. How to accurately measure the power of an engine running at a few hundred milliwatts is also a problem I am dealing with.

[@NinjasOfOrca]

These are fun, but based on your output, my dream of having a Stirling-powered usb charger would have to be much bigger to produce the wattage I'm looking for :/

[@tsbrownie]

You can search on youtube for videos on these. I think it was Philips that made one you put on your stove to power a tube radio. They have been used on and off, but they are tricky. Scaling them is tricky if you want them to be efficient.

[@thegodhoward8037]

Not if you have it running continuously into an external battery

[@ahmedezzat687]

Thank you very much

[@tsbrownie]

You are welcome

[@THE1BLACKJEW]

Got a double one of these coming want to hook it up to a boost converter and charge a phone

[@tsbrownie]

Interesting. Let us know how it goes. Post a video!

[@cheezenip2737]

Awesome! Make sure you connect belts and generators to all main AND secondary wheels to get the most power. Leave no wheels left un-belted (each engine has two wheels)!!

[@cheezenip2737]

Also a boost converter amplifies voltage, not the current. The current may go down because of the law of conservation of energy (Power in = Power out). Because of this, the phone charger might not work if the output current gets to low.

[@Videoneer]

Not enough current. You won't be able to charge that phone while in use, and it would take days to recharge it if it was turned off.

[@Mp1306-tm]

Yeah i agree..thats the law of conservation energy mean..if it produce hi-V..maybe can use buck converter.

[@wijayacanel4062]

Keren sterling nya👍

[@tsbrownie]

"Cool sterling👍"

[@ya00007]

How does the engine work? Are you heating out he air or water? Also how does the lever move backwards and forwards?

[@tsbrownie]

I have a video that explains the Sterling engines. They all operate by heating and cooling a "working gas" (air). kzbin.info/www/bejne/h2a0dnWnn9CBoNE

[@thechallenge293]

Can this be made silent?

[@tsbrownie]

There are some types that are much quieter, but the mechanical motion creates sound, so the faster it moves (more power) the louder it is.

[@rickbrittain8562]

Why did your meter when you check the amps big the motor you could tell it was dragging it down ? Very curious thanks for the vid

[@tsbrownie]

Not sure I understand your question. Most amp meters put an almost dead-short on the system, so that will drag down a generator.

[@utubeaccess7]

The meter, as it is attached here is a very low resistance "shunt". You create nearly a dead short with this arrangement. Most of the power generated from the 'generator' (motor) is trying to drive the same motor in the opposite direction. A previous poster alluded to the same.

[@mysilentwarrior]

Your calculations are wrong. The short circuit current will not remain at that value under a normal load, it will be less. The short circuit current is at 0V at the output, which gives 0W, also, 4V on the output with zero load again gives you 0W.

[@tsbrownie]

True. I need to redo it. I was just trying to give a feeling for the power, but a lot of people want better.

[@dipranjandas2665]

Can you give me the best buy link of this generator which you use..

[@yllib2012]

This was an honest evaluation of how little power these can generate. This type burns more energy in fuel than it puts out in power. There are much more efficient Stirling engine designs but none have ever proved they are useful compared to an internal combustion engine. They are a nice little toy novelty. Nothing more.

[@tsbrownie]

So true.

[@nic5779]

they have been proved useful over and over again what are you talking about? cryogenic cooling systems? powering mars rover?

[@Hyperion62]

Every tool has it's use. Just because a hammer is better at putting in a nail then a wrench doesn't make the wrench useless.

[@lortzo573]

by the result im guessing u were using a small dc motor as a generator?? but why? if u wanna do a power measurement then please use a real generator.

[@tsbrownie]

That's they way it came. And you are right, these little motors are not efficient generators. I have a video on that.

[@Thee-_-Outlier]

Daisy chain 180 of those on a steel slab over a bonfire and rig it to a USB 3 port and you could fast charge a phone. I'm not a physics expert so idk offhand if one giant one is more efficient in my example, but if anyone knows lemme know. Is one giant one over a fire better than a bunch of small ones daisy chained??

[@albin8638]

You should actually wait untill it heats up a little before attempting to run it.

[@tsbrownie]

Some people want to know how long it needs before it will start running. So if I keep trying they can see for themselves.

[@naswtf]

seems insane that such a loud and fast little thing is only producing 0.1 watts. I was expecting about 20

[@tsbrownie]

I have roughly measured the efficiency of the little motors they use as "generators" and it is very low, like 10% to 20%. So a good generator might be able to put out 5x to 10x more than I am measuring.

[@MrMorgan316]

@@tsbrownie so if I replace the motor with a better motor to use as a generator I'd get better voltage?

[@tsbrownie]

@@MrMorgan316 Voltage depends on the number of turns in the winding, plus things like total resistance of the windings.

[@danieldeponte2631]

Bro you want to let it build up heat first.. By rotating immediately and continue doing it that much, you let the heat dissipate all the time. Be patient bro... It's only like 30 secs..

[@josemanuelmartinruiz624]

the measures will be in ac

[@tsbrownie]

This is a DC brushed generator, so the output is pulsed DC.

[@prisnrev5265]

Ultra low watt, only 0,12 mw. So I don't want to buy it from online matketplace, ok thanks for your measurement. I always thinking about Sterling Engine 100 watt generator for my ebike range extender when touring

[@tsbrownie]

If you make it, please do a video and post it. I want to see it!

[@MrThfknsamurai]

Is glass the only option?

[@tsbrownie]

Other companies make different styles out of steel.

[@Russian_Chicken3]

Maybe try inside next time

[@tsbrownie]

My wife does not want me to set her house on fire, so I'm banished to the back porch. I have to find better wind breaks.

[@zero-by6ib]

Were can I buy this product?

[@tsbrownie]

I've seen them on Amazon.

[@scott1brayden2]

Hey could this be powered by a fesner lense

[@tsbrownie]

I think you are right.

[@tlabfr]

yes it could: web.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-032814-103716/unrestricted/StirlingMQP_Final_2014.pdf

[@Blinkshinati]

Hello, I was just wondering where I might be able to find a kit like this or one that I can hook a multimeter onto. If not, how might you suggest I measure power output and how I might make an apparatus for that to attach onto an existing engine. Also, are you able to exchange the cylinders for different lengths? Cheers.

[@tsbrownie]

You can find them easily online. The best way to measure the output is power, for that you need to measure volts and amps at the same time. The cylinders seem to be test tubes (or glass syringes) that have been sawed off. So I would guess if you can get the same diameter tubes then they could be changed out (some kits supply a spare tube). You also might have to modify / change out the flywheel to change the stroke.

[@lifechanger957]

How can we increase the watt of this engine

[@tsbrownie]

Two quick ways: make it bigger, run it at higher temperature differentials.

[@HydrO152]

@@tsbrownie how about replacing generator motor with 775? It will run?

[@tsbrownie]

@@HydrO152 What's a 775?

[@jp1764]

Wrong!!!!you must measure current and voltage at the same time. Voltage when you get 30mA! Do it for many concurrent values and you will get power curve!!!!

[@tsbrownie]

I don't have the equipment to do that. My amp meter will provide a dead short giving bad voltage readings. So it's not the best, but it gives some idea about what is going on.