The crank position sensor works
Sat 6 May 2023
I have now used the 3d-printed light gate as a crank
position sensor on the Wig-Wag, and the first impression is
that it works well. Read more
Revisiting oscillating engine loss calibration
Mon 1 May 2023
Since my Wig-Wag has run in a bit now, I have revisited
the loss calibration. Read more
More inlet pressure measurements
Tue 18 April 2023
I'm not completely sure what has changed, but I'm now getting more convincing-looking inlet pressure data. Read more
Measuring Wig-Wag inlet pressure fluctuations
Mon 17 April 2023
I have connected an electronic pressure sensor near the inlet of my Wig-Wag so that
I can test the hypothesis that the actual pressure available at the inlet changes throughout the cycle of the engine. Read more
Calibrating losses in the oscillating engine simulator
Thu 13 April 2023
The biggest unknown variable in the oscillating engine simulator
is the amount of friction loss that an engine is likely to experience. To calibrate the simulation I have measured the speed of my engine at various supply pressures
and then simulated the same conditions, adjusting the simulated loss until the speed matches. Read more
My Wig-Wag
Sat 8 April 2023
I have finished building the Wig-Wag engine that I mentioned
in my post about the simulator,
and it runs! Great success. Read more
Oscillating Engine Simulator
Sun 19 March 2023
I've been working on an oscillating engine
simulator. It's a type of steam engine where instead of valve gear, the cylinder swings back and forth, exposing a hole
in the cylinder to an inlet port for the power stroke, and to an exhaust port for the exhaust stroke. Very simple.
(I've also been working on building one, in the form of a Wig-Wag,
but I haven't got very far with that). Read more