Wright Brothers 1903 Engine

[AOG]

Bill, While there is theoretically no reason you can't create a viable scaled magneto particularly if you use a neodymium magnet, Your biggest problems will be spinning the magneto fast enough to get a usable voltage (the high flux density in the neodymium magnets will help with that) and the poor spark from single coil igniter type ignitions. If I were you I would set the igniters to a fixed gap (to act as a plug) and hide an electronic ignition and distributor in a fake magneto. If you really want the magneto experience you could make a minimag and hide it in the base or fake magneto.

Just my 2 cents

Tony

[zeeprogrammer]

Had I remembered this, I'd have been down to visit you with a couple of spare boots some time ago.
No boot emoticon so this will have to mean what I'm saying 

[b.lindsey]

Thanks Tony, certainly that is an option down the road. There are MANY impediments to this thing ever working at 1/4 scale, but I guess I am stubborn enough to still give it a try.

Zee, maybe we need a guilt trip emoticon, a few of the guys in the old engine club I belong to keep asking me about this one...guess it is finally getting to me.

Bill

[Don1966]

Bill I am willing to assist you in making the magneto if you want. I don't really see any problem scaling it down. We could use electronic ignition, because the current required for the electronic ignition is low. You could put the small electronic ignition into a package looking like a coil. Then use the magneto to drive it, that is if you want a working one. I think it could be done...........

Don

[b.lindsey]

Was hoping you might peek in Don. Apparently this thing worked for the brothers with the specs shown on the nameplate. This was before the days of high voltage coils I suppose, but one would still need a good spark. Let me see if I can get some decent scans of the various parts of this blueprint sheet and I will forward them to you to have a look. This engine really did have a strange and somewhat delicate ignition system from what I can tell, but it did work as history tells us. Fuel delivery to the cylinders was even stranger, almost a vapor type system with heat from the engine helping vaporize the fuel, mix it with air and suck it into the cylinders.

If anyone is interested in a good read, I would recommend this book. I read it last summer at the beach...wonderful book about the Wright Brothers by a renowned author.

http://www.amazon.com/Wright-Brothers-McCullough-May-2015-Hardcover/dp/B00XTDIC5U/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1461797686&sr=8-5&keywords=the+wright+brothers

Bill

[90LX_Notch]

Bill-

I have often wondered what has happened to this build.  A couple of times I thought of PMing you about.  I for one would really like to see this engine completed.  I think this is a very interesting engine.

-Bob

[Myrickman]

Bill, stumbled into this resurrected build...way cool project. Always had much admiration for Mr. Taylor doing what he did when lightweight engines for airplanes were non-existent. I heard the wrights painted the engine cases black to hide their use of aluminum. I think you can make the igniters work in a small engine like this....think of the "behold" factor.... Agree that by hiding a small neodymium magnet motor in a facimile mag you might get enough current to fire them. Plan b would to use a hidden coil with a dummy mag. I have several multi year old engine projects in the shop...comes with the turf of being interested in too darn many things.. I'll be checking in on this one. Paul

[Admiral_dk]

I'm not sure that it is a totally low voltage ignition - not several thousands either, but it appears to work as the "magneto" ignitions on mopeds from my youth, where the secondary coil is missing.

The "generator" coil is short-circuited before the spark is needed. This is responsible for a big current (if the poles on the generator is timed correctly to the switches. At the right time - if I remember correctly, this is just before the voltage starts to go down again and we have max current - the switch (circuit breaker on a Kettering system) opens and the collapsing magnetic field is trying to keep the flux constant, thereby inducing a voltage around some 300 volts 

On the moped there would have been a secondary coil on the same coil and those connected together would have transformed the voltage to some 10K volt for the sparkplug.

The 300 volts or so one the Wright Brothers engine would have been enough as long as the compression was low enough ....

Best wishes and good luck with the project

Per

[b.lindsey]

Thanks for looking in Bob, Paul, and Admiral. Give me time enough to finish up the P&W and Vickie and I promise this one will be revived. May even throw in a teaser or two in the meantime...like the valve cages

Bill

[zeeprogrammer]

Give me time enough to finish up the

I vote no. Why should we give him a break?

[b.lindsey]

Just remember, what goes around, comes around Zee. I'll see your two  and raise you one     

Bill

[zeeprogrammer]

Just remember, what goes around, comes around Zee. I'll see your two  and raise you one     

I'll call. 

[crueby]

Just remember, what goes around, comes around Zee. I'll see your two  and raise you one     

Bill

Big branch down on a tree here if you want a bigger stick to poke with!! 

[Art K]

Bill,
You made the mistake of resurrecting this build. If you hadn't I wouldn't have known it existed, now I expect some movement on it. Sitting here with the  waitin for the show. What I've seen looks good, what does the bore & stroke on this scale end up being?
Art

[fumopuc]

Hi Bill, that is a very interesting project in my eyes. This engine has supported a very important mile stone in the historical technical development. It will be very interesting to follow you and Don if you both will start to develop and to make the model ingnition magneto system for this engine.