---- START NEW MESSAGE --- Received: from cherry.ease.lsoft.com [209.119.0.109] by dpmail10.doteasy.com with ESMTP (SMTPD32-8.05) id AB42593D008E; Thu, 29 Jan 2004 03:15:14 -0800 Received: from PEAR.EASE.LSOFT.COM (209.119.0.19) by cherry.ease.lsoft.com (LSMTP for Digital Unix v1.1b) with SMTP id <10.00CC28CE@cherry.ease.lsoft.com>; Thu, 29 Jan 2004 6:15:00 -0500 Received: from MITVMA.MIT.EDU by MITVMA.MIT.EDU (LISTSERV-TCP/IP release 1.8e) with spool id 1903 for PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU; Thu, 29 Jan 2004 06:14:54 -0500 Received: from MITVMA (NJE origin SMTP@MITVMA) by MITVMA.MIT.EDU (LMail V1.2d/1.8d) with BSMTP id 7316; Thu, 29 Jan 2004 06:14:19 -0500 Received: from smtp.aaisp.net.uk [217.169.20.17] by mitvma.mit.edu (IBM VM SMTP Level 430) via TCP with ESMTP ; Thu, 29 Jan 2004 06:14:18 EST X-Comment: mitvma.mit.edu: Mail was sent by smtp.aaisp.net.uk Received: from hibernaculum.org.uk ([217.169.5.1] helo=TP380Z) by smtp.aaisp.net.uk with smtp (Exim 4.22) id 1AmA7l-0005Ms-RZ for PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU; Thu, 29 Jan 2004 11:14:17 +0000 Priority: Normal X-Mailer: PMMail 2.10.2010 for OS/2 Warp 4.05 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-ID: Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 11:14:18 +0000 Reply-To: pic microcontroller discussion list Sender: pic microcontroller discussion list From: Howard Winter Subject: Re: [OT:] Stirling engines To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU In-Reply-To: <20040129040136.EELC29509.fed1mtao04.cox.net@SONYGRT270PB> Precedence: list X-RCPT-TO: Status: U X-UIDL: 371856244 James, On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 20:01:32 -0800, James Newton, Host wrote: > If you want a good laugh on the subject of alternative heat engines, check > out my little fantasy at > http://techref.massmind.org/techref/idea/mc-heat-inject. htm Just a minor technical point: if you "snap off the intake valve stem" it will fall open! The valve is held shut by the spring pushing upwards (on an OVH engine) by the spring. Best to remove the pushrod or rocker arm, if it's a side-camshaft, or as you also say grind away the cam if it's OHC. It would also benefit from having the exhaust valve open twice as often, making it 2-stroke, and stay open until close to TDC, otherwise the compression stroke is a total waste of energy and would probably stop it working. Using a 2-stroke engine in the first place would solve most of the above, of course, but you'd probably have to modify the ports, or use one that had active (such as disc-) valves. I'd like to try it just for a laugh (I have a spare Triumph Tiger-Cub engine) but sadly the amount of energy from the Sun here is rather a lot less than where you are! Cheers, Howard Winter St.Albans, England (currently snow-covered) -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details. .