Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Topics - rcavictim

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4
16
Princess Auto has a cute little utility four stroke engine on sale again (ended yesterday sorry).   These come on sale fairly often however.  It is a 39 pound package that includes fuel tank, air filter, muffler, recoil start, low oil shutdown and a 3/4 inch keyed horizontal output shaft.  I picked one up yesterday because for $129.88, it is the cheapest solution to a unique power problem I have to address regarding my large wind turbine.

I have decided to build my behemoth turbine on a IHC TD14A, tracked crawler/loader which weighs about 25,000 pounds as the base rather than bolted to buried concrete and rebar to avoid the stupid and unfair property tax increase associated with improvements.  Once done I can move my turbine if necessary to somewhere else on the estate if my extension cord doesn't reach it.   :D

The original diesel engine is removed to make room for the wind generator stuff but I need to be able to make this thing crawl during fabrication and placement.  I don't need power to push over stumps while moving it and I don't have to set any speed records.  I plan to install this little engine where it can be belt reduction coupled to the input shaft of the crawler's transmission, where the original engine and clutch attached.

17
Generators / induction generator for battery charging?
« on: March 24, 2008, 01:05:25 PM »
In another post I explained that my ambitious wind turbine project has been re-evaluated and a VAWT is now the plan.  The 1200 RPM (6-pole) ST type alternating generator head that I was looking for in the 20-30 kW class has not been obtained, so I have begun to think about using a 1200 RPM, sealed 20 HP, 575 volt, 3-phase induction motor that I do have on hand with resonating capacitors as a induction generator.  The nice thing about this is the high voltage means only #10 wire is needed (20 amps max), to run the power from the remote turbine location to the building with acceptably low losses.

Induction generators handle inductively reactive loads poorly but a transformer based battery charger circuit that uses a bridge rectifier and smoothing capacitors on the output winding can be made with power factors very close to unity.  Based on this I think I may have a workable idea here.  The DC will be used to run inverters off the battery bank for household loads.  The HV AC directly from the turbine can also be used directly in resistance heaters.

Has anyone tried to charge batteries with a DC power supply driven by an induction generator here?


18
Generators / Changed subject - My ambitious DIY VAWT project!!!
« on: March 23, 2008, 01:36:10 PM »
The design of my giant wind turbine project which I began fabricating subassembly components for a couple of years ago has been significantly  redesigned.  The original was to be a HAWT (Horizontal Axis ind Turbine) on a 70 foot tall 8 legged steel tower with a 36 foot dual blade propeller.  I came to realize the folly of this when it sank in that I am no longer capable of climbing such a tower due to failing physical abilities.  It was going to be wayy to much work for me to complete and the risk of an overspeed explosion to total destruction was very real IF it ever got finished.

My new design was inspired by the episode on TV showing a neat little VAWT recently purchased by Jay Leno for his workshop.  The beauty for me of a VAWT (Vertical Axis Wnd Turbine) is that no tower climbing is required for most maintenance,  the heavy generator head, gearbox and other machinery is all at ground level!  Fortunately it appears that most of the pieces I spent so much time making can still be used in the new design.

In order to utilize the low loss planetary gearbox I have which must retain horizontal shaft orientation for proper luibrication, I find I shall need a way of changing the slow speed propeller shaft from vertical as it comes down as the main driveshaft, to horizontal so it can couple to the input of the step-up gearbox.  I need a fairly heavy duty 90 degree 1:1 or very low ratio gearbox that can handle about 20 kW safely at a couple of hundred RPM.

I cannot think of any place where I have seen such an angle drive in use commercially, like perhaps in a piece of farm machinery (of which my level of knowledge is extremely limited). 

I am putting this out there in the hopes I might receive some ideas.  I am aware that I could employe a 3:1 or so rear truck differential axle to give me the 90 degree change and then get back to 1:1 ratio with a chain and two sprockets, but that is needlessly sloppy and lossy.  Ideas?

19
I haven't had my new Changfa 1115 engine long enough to know it well.  When you are standing on the side of the engine opposite the flywheel where the controls all are you cannot see the flywheel.  See the flywheel side shown here and how those ring gear teeth are so close to the top of the fuel tank on the blind side!




So two nights ago I was running the engine and did a fuel top-up while the engine was running from the safe control side.  No problem.  Got the fuel cap back on and decided to grab a paper towel and wipe off the fuel that had spilled on the tank and wipe some of the water stains that had accumulated on the hopper at the same time.  As my hand followed the contour of the tank surface wiping the spilled fuel I decided to wipe over the far side of the tank.  Whoops.  Before I knew it I felt my fingers being mauled by the flywheel teeth.  There was just enough space between the flywheel and the tank so my fingers fit without contact with the wheel up to about my knuckles, then whammo.  I really believe that the lack of a guard here from the factory is a hugely dangerous oversight.  I lost skin and some flesh.  Lots of blood at the time as I apparently cut into a blood vessel on the middle finger.  Luckily no bone, joint or nerve damage and I will have full use of my precious right hand in a couple of weeks after scar tissue seals the holes.  Lucky, could have been a lot worse!

I went to the doctor today about 40 hours after the event to get a tetanus booster shot and some protection against blood poisoning in the way of a prescription for antibiotics.  My whole right hand has swollen up on top from the fingers back causing me some concern.  Who knows what pathogens might be on that freshly imported machine part from another country.  ???

At the time of the accident I washed the wounds in cold water (workshop has a bathroom and running water) and scraped paint from the flywheel off the remaining skin, then applied my trade mark paper towel and electrical tape bandages and went back to work.  Last night, 24 hours after the accident I removed the bandages to look at my damage.  When I saw this I took the picture, then decided to go to see the doc.  If you are morbidly curious click here.

www.area31.org/photos/INJURY.JPG

The moral of this story is LEARN FROM MY PAIN.  If you have one of these engines, fashion a guard around that large saw blade.  It is an easy, serious accident waiting to happen.

PS, go back and look at the arrow showing rotation on that flywheel.  If I had been using a cloth rag instead of a paper towel, my fingers may have been rpped off or my hand pulled into that starter.  I don't even want to think of what could happen.  Make a guard!

20
General Discussion / Remember Lee Iacocca?
« on: March 10, 2008, 04:21:09 AM »


Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from it's
death throws? He has a new book, and here are some excerpts.
_____________________________________________________________

Excerpted from "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?".
Copyright (c) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.

 


"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where
the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder.
We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a
cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even
clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of
getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians
say, "Stay the course"

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned
"Titanic". I'll give you a sound bite: "Throw all the bums out!"

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe
I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country
anymore.

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in
handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and
nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead
of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the " America " my
parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about
you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not
outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest "C" is
Crisis!
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's
easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send
someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield
yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001 , we needed a strong leader more than any other time
in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes.

A Hell of a Mess

So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for
winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the
history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while
our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs Gas
prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy.
Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. 
The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry
out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders
gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people
of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense?  I may be
a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us
take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? 
We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we
know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina.
Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the
hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in
the crucial hours after the storm.

Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again.
Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan.
Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can
restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed
that there could ever be a time when "The Big Three" referred to Japanese
car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we
going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the
debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The
silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our
country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your
asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked
and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so
afraid of?  That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a
break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough?

Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to
light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope, I believe in America .
In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America 's
greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: the
"Great Depression", "World War II", the "Korean War", the "Kennedy
Assassination", the "Vietnam War", the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles
of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this:
"You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody
else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better
future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge
I'm raising in this book. It's a call to "Action" for people who, like me,
believe in America . It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So
let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had
"enough."

Excerpted from "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?".
Copyright (c) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.

 

21
Just like a flywheel explosion.  Very sudden release of energy.  Scary!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u14tBwO5QVQ&NR=1

22
Everything else / Princess Auto does it again! DMM deal.
« on: March 06, 2008, 04:39:13 AM »
They currently have an outstanding deal on a very sweet, large format digital multimeter that does tricks not seen in the normal discounted multimeters and tricks that are especially valuable to those of us who work with gensets!

Item # 0700251, sale $29.99 CDN.  DT-9208 Digital Multimeter by Power Fist brand. This large attractive black meter in bright yellow soft protective impact shield is almost as big as a Fluke scopemeter, well has that look to it.

Besides the normal ohms DC volts, AC volts, DC amps to 10 A this does....

*DC amps to 20A

*AC amps to 20A.  Yes! two AC amps ranges folks!!!!!!!!  A first in my experience in any multimeter.

*AC frequency in hz to 2 kHz and 20 KHz  (determine your engine speed from alternator HZ.  Set governor for best 60 Hz tracking)

*Capacitance to 20 uF.

* Temperature probe (real stainless probe and handle, not a thermistor bead on the end of a wire) -40 to +400C.

* extra high ohms ranges to 200 meg ohm.  Can find your own accupuncture points. No kidding!

*diode test

*logic level test

*transistor hFE tester

*autio turnoff after 20 minutes to save battery

*sample and hold button.

*large 1 inch LCD 3-1/2 digit display.

I plan to purchase another while they are available.  This is one sweet meter!

PS, I`ll be darned.  I just discovered that the flat panel which is the actual digital display flips up out of the front at an angle that is user adjustable so the meter can sit flat on it`s back and you can see the display clearly.  Yes it also has the usual stand that flips out the back so the entire meter case can be tilted.  WOW!

23
Generators / I`m rewinding a burnt ST-12 gen head
« on: February 27, 2008, 11:49:01 PM »
Pat sold me an ST-12 head that had come back from a customer with all the smoke let out of it.  It has burnt windings in the stator. For the good price I thought it worth taking a chance that I could fix it. Close inspection showed that it was not likely a good idea to try to just do a patch repair and restore the windings that had lost their magic smoke, so I have just finished stripping all the wire out of the stator slots and removed the slot insulation.  The armature looks serviceable.

I took notes and drew a map as a guide as I pulled this apart but did not pay much attention to the way the harmonic winding is installed as I do not plan to put it back in.  I want to use an electronic AVR circuit on the rewound head.  I`ll be getting in touch with the fellow Ontaroid who has been offering them here for sale recently on another thread.

I actually need a 3-phase head for the application I want to put the new Changfa 1115 engine into and I plan to see if I can in fact rewind this head to make 208/120 Wye 3-phase power.  This shud be interesting.   8)

BTW, a call to a allegedly major electrical motor rewinder in Barrie today showed me that they did not have a clue how to convert a single phase head to 3-phase, despite boasting of engineering services and 35 years experience on their website.  Also they wanted $750 to rewind as is.  Yeah right!   :D

You know, there is such total incompetence everywhere you turn nowadays.  If I was not pretty much capable of doing almost EVERYTHING I need in the way of technical services all by myself, I`d be in big trouble!

I want to thank Doug for his guidance in this matter.  We spoke on the phone a couple of weeks ago and he gave me a nice understandable primer on the job I have decided to tackle.  Doug really knows this stuff!  Me?  I`ve never rewound a motor or alternator before.  Transformers yes.

I`ll post pictures of my progress here with a running story of the project as it develops.

24
General Discussion / All I really wanted was a cell phone.
« on: February 23, 2008, 10:43:19 AM »
This clever short video tickled my funnybone.   ;D ;D ;D

http://www.flixxy.com/sumsing-turbo-3000-cellphone.htm

25
General Discussion / Too funny! Introducing the Rockwell Retroencabulator
« on: February 23, 2008, 03:48:46 AM »
I wonder how many takes the actor needed to get this sales pitch right.

http://www.flixxy.com/rockwell-automation-systems.htm

26
Other Slow Speed Diesels / Yippee, Just got my new Changfa 1115 home!
« on: February 08, 2008, 09:59:55 PM »
I bought a brand new Changfa 1115 engine with electric start and an ST-12 gen head from Pat at Altopro and it arrived at the Brampton freight terminal yesterday.  It took all I had for strength yesterday to clear my drive so I could get a truck up to the workshop door. Wednesday`s snowstorm sure didn` help.  Normally I`d wait for nature to melt it but this time immediate access was kinda urgent. Today I spent four hours driving to get a borrowed pickup truck, hit the freight terminal. drop the load off at home. return the pickup and return home with my own car. I had to move quickly because we are expecting another storm tomorrow.  I am so bloody tired I cannot find the energy to go out to the shop and uncrate my new toy. Working alone, man that engine is heavy!  The ST-12 was easy to handle by hand in comparison.

I`d like to publicly thank Pat for his prompt and courteous service and for giving me a good deal on this engine that I have wanted now for at least two years.  I bought a JD175A previously from him and cannot give a vendor more praise for good customer service!  Pat stocks lots of spare parts for these engines and has very good freight connections with good shipping rates.  He is located just east of Montreal and can be reached here,

pat(at symbol)altopro(dot symbol)ca 

I am eagerly looking forward to breaking into that crate and seeing my new toy. Maybe later tonight after some zzzz`s.  I`ve never seen one of the larger China diesels in person so this is going to be a treat.   ;D


27
Everything else / How to test for diesel fuel in the lube oil?
« on: December 21, 2007, 12:38:44 AM »
Here is a practical question that I would like to throw out to the other thinkers here.  I suspect fuel dillution in one of my engines after seeming to see an increase in crankcase oil level and more oil foaming that I thought normal when hot.  I would like to perform my own analysis of the crankcase oil to determine if indeed there is diesel fuel in it as a contaminant.

I have thought of two possible methods.

Test method #1. Put a very carefully sample measured by volume into a stainless kitchen pot and boil it on a electric stove element with a small fan blowing air at the surface of the oil to expedite evaporation of the lighter hydrocarbons, then test the volume of the batch again.  The difference will be the light fractions.  If there are no light fractions in the original sample I believe that the volume of oil should be the same before and after.  Care must be exercised of course not to overheat the oil and burn it or set it on fire.  OOPS!

Test method #2.  Pour identical volume room temperature samples though a small hole viscocity cup and measure the time to flow a given sample size compared to new lube oil out of the drum.

Test method #3.  place your ingenious idea here please.[/color]

28
I had a small malfunction the other day on my JD175A engine.  The locking nut on the rocker arm  intake valve clearance adjustment screw came loose and allowed the valve lash to grow.  At first this resulted in a power loss because the valve was not opening fully to get enough combustion air. I noticed the power loss but did not hear any unusual extra noises over the diesel knock of this normally noisy engine.  I did not figure this out in time to save the engine from breakdown.  The nut eventually unwound itself completely off and as it momentarily wedged itself between the rocker arm and the heavy cast iron valve cover it created a lack of room for the pushrod to travel when the cam at the other end said MOVE!  The result was a loud mechanical bang and the engine slowed way down but was still running.  Curiously it would not accept additional fuel above a certain rack adjustment and I then noticed white smoke coming out a pinhole leak in the exhaust.  At first I thought I had burst the head gasket since I run a 7 PSI rad cap on the thermosiphon system and I had an overheat a few days ago when the rad fan failed due to a broken wire. Could the white smoke be evience of coolant in the combustion chamber? I was actually quite puzzled until I noted by hand cranking the engine with the exhaust lifter disengaged sometimes there was full compression and sometimes none whatsoever.  Hmmm.  Popped off the valve cover and the problem was immediately visible.  Turns out the white smoke was gross over fueling for the reduce volume of air in the cylinder.

The only damage was minor to the threads of the adjustment screw and a slight bend which I was able to fix with a metric thread cutting die, a vice and a gentle whack from a large hammer.  I had to make a new nut as the threads were beyond repair.  No problem here, just ran the metric tap through an SAE 5/16 inch UNC nut and voila, proper thread metric nut indistinguishable from the original!  The ~1/4 inch diameter solid steel pushrod was bent resembling the circumference of a dinner plate.  It took some work to straighten this out but it seems to be OK and is now back in service.  I plan to order a new replacement.

It appears that damage could have been much more severe.  I could have pranged a valve or even worse!

I have applied blue (removable) Locktite to both intake and exhaust rocker arm adjustment locking nuts while resetting the valve lash to proper cold clearance.  I highly recommend that owners of these excited little Chinese horizontal, liquid cooled diesel engines take the time to pull the rocker cover and apply blue Locktite to the lock nuts. You will need to use spray brake cleaner or some solvent treatment to completely remove the oil so the thread sealant can work. You don`t need much.


I would appreciate hearing from anyone else that has had the misfortune of this malfunction with their engine and what happened.

I should add that I like this neat little engine despite a few problems that I have been able to identify and iron out as I get to know it well.  Knowing what I know now I would not hesitate to purchase another.

29
Here is a 2 minute Windoz Media Player sound file (704 kB) of my JiangDong 175A engine on its new frame coupled to a massive 180 pound extra flywheel pretending it is a low speed diesel.  After running it at around 480 RPM I say `I`m closing the rack`, and it coasts to a stop with compression.  No load yet, no muffler, no hyperbole!   ;D

http://www.area31.org/sounds/jd175slo.wma

I am documenting the build of my 353 cc slow speed 1 kW battery bank charging generating plant here with pictures of what you just heard;

http://listerengine.com/smf/index.php?topic=2666.new;topicseen#new

30
Other Slow Speed Diesels / JD175 China diesel running at 500 - 1000 RPM
« on: October 16, 2007, 04:46:16 AM »
I have always wanted an engine that will run on the smell of an oily rag and this will be the closest I will be able to get to reach my goal.

The Lister or Listeroid 6/1 is a great engine to run continuously as a battery bank charger in an off-grid situation where the house and shop loads can then run off inverters.  Trouble is the 6/1 is a large displacement engine, nearly 1.5 litres displacement.  Anyway you run it, it has to use enough fuel to keep warm and not wet stack.  I wanted a smaller displacement engine that could live on considerably less fuel that was also capable of operating at Lister CS speeds to get low noise operation and long life.  No such engines seem to be available on the marketplace so I thought I might be able to `make my own` so to speak.

I have just fabricated a very strong and heavy welded steel frame to maintain the precise geometry between a small China JD175A diesel (353cc horizontal water cooled single rated at 6 HP@2600 RPM) to a 180 pound flywheel directly coupled to the original flywheel on an outboard bearing shaft.  The flywheel I am adding came from a agricultural hay bailer and is a very high quality casting and is very well balanced.  It is a stover type solid disc center with three large holes and an outer rim width of 5 inches.  The diameter is 19-1/2 inches.  According to the 60 MPH rim speed rule for cast iron wheels this flywheel should be safe to run at 1000 RPM max.  At 1000 RPM my JD 175 should be capable of making about 2+ HP.  That can translate into a KW or slightly more in electrical output.  In 24 hours I can put 24 kWH into my battery bank,  A house can run on 24 kW hours in a day.

I am retaining the original flywheel on the JiangDong 175 engine and have manufactured a coupler that bolts up to the JD the same way the V-belt pulley gets installed with three bolts at 120 degree centers.  My coupler transfers rotaional energy to the large flywheel through three coaxial rubber damped couplers.  This is tight coupling but provides damping so that harmonics cannot build up in the JD crankshaft nor is it likely to suffer cracking from high peak shock loading. At least that is the idea.   ;)  My large flywheel has it`s own jackshaft and two ball bearings to bear the static weight of the massive flywheel.  The center `pin` of the coupler half that is bolted to the JD flywheel terminates in a bronze bushing in the center of the large flywheel.  This provides some mass support of the large flywheel to the engine crank in the radial direction.

Today I finally got the engine and big flywheel all mated up on the new frame in near perfect alignment for the first time.  I fired it up and ran it for about 20 minutes. The stock governor on the JD would shut off the fuel rack completely trying to run slower than about 480 RPM, so that is where I let it run. There is no vibration at all and a glass of water has almost no ripple on the surface when perched on the frame base in three corners.  In the forth corner it has a slight ripple pattern.  I have not yet fine tuned the alignment between the engine and large flywheel with shims.  I can see that I need to add about ten thou worth of shimstock behind just one of the three perches that hold my coupler to the JD flywheel, that`s it!

At 1000 RPM and full power I expect to be able to run about 3 hours making 1 kW electric output on just a litre of fuel. It appears that this plant will run at 500 RPM, so 500 watts could be possible at a real slow speed.  At 500 watts, 6 hours per litre of fuel use ought to be possible.  That means it may run a 24 hour day on just one gallon of juice.  Only testing will verify if this project will succeed but so far my experimantal plant appears to run OK. 

Now I need to add the framing necessary to mount the big DC generator I plan to use and see how it performs under a load.  If OK I`ll install the fuel tank and radiator system.

I need to get into the stock governor and modify it to work over the new slower speed range.  I expect to have to increase the mass of the flying weights.

I`ll post pics as soon as I am able.

edit to correct minor tech detail.

Pages: 1 [2] 3 4