Author Topic: Gentlemen--Start your engines!!!  (Read 3711 times)

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Gentlemen--Start your engines!!!
« on: January 20, 2014, 01:21:51 AM »
During the years I have been involved with model engine building, I have seen many different ways that people go about starting their model internal combustion engines. I have seen cranks, pull cords, dog clutches, one way bearings, drive belts from electric motors--the list goes on and on. We are engine builders, right!! Consequently we all must have a lathe and a mill. I am going to outline a small engine starter that works extremely well, will work for both clockwise and counter-clockwise engines, and best of all, costs nothing except a couple of hours of your labour and tools that you already have on hand. The drive hub I am showing here today is the drive hub I have just built for my opposed piston engine, which has a 3/8" diameter crankshaft, but this drive hub is "generic"--you can adjust the 3/8" center hole to fit whatever size the crankshaft on your engine is. This drive hub is also set up to use a 0.100 diameter rubber o-ring as a drive belt, because as you all know, I like to drive things with my engines. this system uses your variable speed electric drill as a starter motor, it engages and disengages very freely and smoothly, and an added benefit is that you can use the electric drills variable speed function to turn the engine over very slowly to visually check timing, etcetera. This works best with the engine base bolted down to a workbench or something solid like a table. I have never had it try to twist the drill out of my hands nor even apply any torque to my wrist, and when the engine starts to fire and run on its own it disengages very smoothly by just pulling the electric drill away from the engine. One further point which I haven't covered, but is relatively important is that the crankshaft on your engine must extend out past its bearing support to extend out almost flush with the outside of the drive hub. That way, the started spud is centered on the end of the crankshaft before sliding in to engage the two drive dowels which are Loctited into the starter hub. That is shown on the model of my opposed piston engine.



Offline gerritv

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Re: Gentlemen--Start your engines!!!
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2018, 09:12:25 PM »
Thank you Brian,
Just what I need to start my Ridders Glass Cylinder engine.
Gerrit
Don't confuse activity with progress

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: Gentlemen--Start your engines!!!
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2018, 09:24:19 PM »
Jeez, Gerritv--you had to reach a long way back to find this post!!!---Brian

Offline bent

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Re: Gentlemen--Start your engines!!!
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2018, 09:27:44 PM »
Cool, Gerrit!  I will definitely kibbitz on your build.

I'm planning to start the pulse engine/mobile from Jan's site soon too.  Just need to clear away about a dozen other pesky projects.  Oh, and I have a PMR #5 to build too.

Offline gerritv

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Re: Gentlemen--Start your engines!!!
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2018, 09:40:36 PM »
Jeez, Gerritv--you had to reach a long way back to find this post!!!---Brian
Yes, but so worth it :-)
Don't confuse activity with progress

Offline b.lindsey

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Re: Gentlemen--Start your engines!!!
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2018, 09:52:30 PM »
One thing about these forums is that things tend to get burried over time. Fortunately they are still there though, and it's nice to see them resurrected at times.

Bill

 

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