Author Topic: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger  (Read 16939 times)

Offline AOG

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #15 on: July 09, 2017, 01:26:11 AM »
I took a couple of weekends but I got the engine running. Here it is running on about 3 psi.



I decided to take Bills advice and not groove the flywheel. I will make a separate pulley when I make the generator. The next major assembly will be a PMR vertical boiler. But before I make that I need to make a boiler pressure testing fixture. I have a Stuart hand pump and a PMR water tank that I will use to make the fixture. I also need to find a good 200 PSI gauge for the fixture that's sized appropriately for the 1/4 inch model pipe I will be using. Any recommendations on that would be appreciated.

Tony


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Offline crueby

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #16 on: July 09, 2017, 01:35:29 AM »
Plenty of pressure guages available, I'd just find one that has a thread you have a tap for, and make a short adapter to the model pipe thread - opens up lots more options on the gauge.

Offline MJM460

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #17 on: July 09, 2017, 04:15:44 AM »
Hi Tony,

For your boiler test rig, I would suggest a larger gauge rather than a small one.  A 150 mm dial is easier to read and calibrate.  And with an adaptor to your preferred model thread, you can easily connect to other projects in the future.  Keep the small ones for the model.

Engine is running great, by the way

MJM460
The more I learn, the more I find that I still have to learn!

Offline AOG

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #18 on: July 24, 2017, 02:39:12 AM »
I've been slacking on my posts recently so I think I'll take this opportunity to get caught up to where I am in the build. With the engine completed I need to make the boiler pressure testing fixture. I Started with the water tank. The tank I chose was the one from PMR. I started by sanding the preformed tank bottom until it fit in the tube.



Next I drilled the tank for the outlet fitting.



The fitting was hard soldered into the side so that it wouldn't melt when I soft soldered the tank bottom in.



Then the bottom was soldered in using some of the PMR solder I ordered.



After pickling I accidentally dropped it and bent in one edge. I cleaned it up some but since it's open at the top I'm not to worried about it. Next I turned the base casting to a slip fit into the base of the tank



The bottom was faced off and the mounting feet were drilled.



With that done I deviated from the plans by JB welding the base casting onto the tank. Here it is cured and ready for painting.



Next up is the pump. I will be using a Stuart hand pump for the job.

Here's what comes in the box.



The first thing I did was flatten the base of the pump casting.



Then the mounting holes were drilled.



While I had the casting correctly oriented and centered in the DRO I milled out the handle pivot boss. As you can see the boss is not centered in the casting.



Next I transfer punched the holes to one of my tooling plates.



The tooling plate was drilled and tapped to take the casting.



The casting was mounted to the tooling plate and the area for the valve bore squared up.



Next the bore was step drilled to size.



The top was tapped for the plug.



Next the inlet and outlet ports were step drilled and tapped for 1/4 inch pipe.



I started to do the piston bore but I realized that I didn't have the correct size tapping drill for 5/8 BSP. So the rest of the casting went on hold and I started the caps. The first cap was for the valve bore. The supplied hex was chucked up and profiled on the lathe.



Then the end was threaded.



Next a 3/8 dome was drilled into the cap per the plans.



The cap was then parted off. I started on the cap for the piston bore but I realized that I don't own the required 1.5 inch die stock to thread it 5/8 BSP. That one also went on hold. Next up was the handle. It was trimmed to size and the pivot hole was drilled.



Next I cut the slot further up the handle. The part slipped while milling the slot so I have some cleanup to do on the slot.



I rounded the ends of the handle on the belt sander. With that I called it for the weekend. I'll leave you with a family shot of the pump.



Till next time

Tony


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Offline AOG

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #19 on: July 31, 2017, 09:23:13 PM »
Time for the next update. I received my 1 1/2 inch die stock so I decided to make the cap that holds in the ram. A piece of hex stock was chucked up and drilled.



Next the outside was turned down for threading.



Then the new die stock was put to use cutting the thread.



The nut was parted off and put to the side. I also received the drill I needed to make the matching hole. First the base casting was remounted in the mill and the casting faced.



Next the required holes were drilled. While I doing this operation I ran into one of the things I don't like about working with castings. The location of the hole is in the dimensionally correct location to intercept the other holes but it's not in the center of the casting. It bothers my sense of symmetry but in this case there is nothing I can do about it.



The last operation on the base casting was to tap the hole for the part I made earlier.



The next part was the ram itself. The stock was cut to length, faced on both ends and then cut with a slitting saw.



The widest slitting saw I had was 1/8 of an inch which is to small. The slot was filed to fit the handle and then the hole for the pin was drilled.



The last parts made were a pair of pins that were turned to the required profile, drilled and parted off.



That completes the machining of the pump. A final family shot is included below. Next weekend I will paint the pump and the water tank. I also need to order a gauge, make a manifold and see about getting them plumbed up.



Till next time.

Tony


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Offline b.lindsey

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #20 on: July 31, 2017, 11:08:07 PM »
You have been busy Tony and it's good to see an update on this project. Maybe you can turn a round piece of wood or aluminum to fit the top and round it back out again. Just a thought.

Bill

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #21 on: July 31, 2017, 11:53:46 PM »
There is something so marvelously "steam punk" about charging an I phone battery with a steam engine. I love it!!---Brian

Offline AOG

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #22 on: August 01, 2017, 03:16:00 AM »
Thanks Bill, the evil work thing has been severely limiting by shop time recently but I'm trying to keep the project moving. Brian, oddly enough the numbers say it should work. It probably won't set any records for charging speed but it is only intended as a display piece to allow my chief engineer to impress our millennial minions and make a point about not being afraid to reach into the past for concepts that can be adapted to fit the needs of the present day.

Tony

Offline AOG

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #23 on: August 11, 2017, 01:25:00 PM »
When I left off the pump was machined and ready for paint. Here is the completed pump.



Next up is the manifold. I started with a scrap of 3/4 inch brass bar and cleaned up the ends.



Using the DRO I found the center of the bar. From there I drilled and tapped a pair of holes for the standards.



Next I drilled and tapped the passage through the center of the bar from both ends. The intent is for one side to be the inlet from the pump and the other end to have the outlet valve.



Next I drilled, taper reamed and tapped the hole for the gauge.



At that point I realized I had made a fundamental mistake in the design. I hadn't put in a way to release the pressure. I decided to drill and tap another hole for a relief valve.



Next up were the mounting standards. Some scrap brass rod was cut unto 2 pieces and turned to the same length. One end was drilled and tapped to take mounting screws from the base.



The other end was turned down and threaded to fit the manifold.



Next it was time to plumb it all together. First I assembled the manifold.



Then I laid out and drilled the mounting holes for the components. That was a big mistake because I didn't account for the variability of the screw joints in the pipes. I should have mounted one component, plumbed the parts together and then drilled the mounting holes. I also screwed up when counterboring the holes for the manifold. On one side I went too deep and punched through.  I ended up JB welding the hole and drilling it again.  Here is a picture of the assembly as it is now.




Testing shows that the system will build pressure but I am currently working through some leakage issues with the pump that prevents the system from holding pressure.

Till next time

Tony


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Offline AOG

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #24 on: August 16, 2017, 09:12:56 PM »
While I was waiting for my check valve, I decided to get started on the boiler. Specifically I will be making the PMR BLR-1 vertical boiler for this project. The first thing I did is cut the boiler tubes to length.



Then both end plates were turned to fit the boiler shell.



According to the plans, I needed an extra hole in the top plate to take the safety valve. So that was taken care of.



Next up it was time to make the swaging tool for the fire tubes. The supplied hex stock was faced on both ends, drilled and tapped.



Next the final forming side was turned to dimension.



The part was flipped and the cross slide was adjusted to 45 degrees and the taper cut.



Next I made up a pair of matching spacer blocks to set the spacing between the end plates.



Here's a family shot so far.



I'll end this update with some swaging in progress.



Till next time.

Tony


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Offline b.lindsey

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #25 on: August 16, 2017, 11:21:08 PM »
More nice progress Tony. Hope your cell phone battery will hold out till it's done  :LittleDevil:

Bill

Offline zeeprogrammer

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #26 on: August 16, 2017, 11:43:40 PM »
I have that kit and it's on my 'todo' list.

I hope to see more of your progress.  :ThumbsUp:
Carl (aka Zee) Will sometimes respond to 'hey' but never 'hey you'.
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Offline crueby

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #27 on: August 17, 2017, 12:22:45 AM »
I have that kit and it's on my 'todo' list.

I hope to see more of your progress.  :ThumbsUp:
Me too! Interesting to see it go together. What will you use for a burner?

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #28 on: August 17, 2017, 12:29:40 AM »
Come to think of it I do too....very well aged by now too!! Along with the all bronze coke bottle engine, equally well aged.

Bill

Offline AOG

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Re: AOG's Steam Powered iPhone Charger
« Reply #29 on: August 17, 2017, 02:25:18 AM »
Thanks guys, Chris I'm not sure what I'm going use for a burner. Most likely I'll put in a bix burner.

Tony

 

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