Author Topic: 3rd Generation Otto Langen  (Read 12709 times)

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #75 on: October 25, 2020, 10:22:03 PM »
Very impressive Craig. The engines you post that utilize a rack and pinion---I've never seen nor heard of them before.---Brian

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #76 on: October 28, 2020, 01:51:48 AM »
Chris and Brian; thanks for your comments.  Thanks also for those of you who just stop by to see the progress.

Brian; I hadn’t known these engines existed until I attended the Cabin Fever Expo for the first time some time ago.  Someone had one of Wayne Grennings models running and I thought “What a peculiar engine?”.  Sometime later they really caught my attention and I decided to build one.

I’ve been working on the re-design and then the fabrication of the governor.  My first design depended, to a large part, on gravity to make things work correctly.  As I got into the build I realized that at the size of parts I was using, there wasn’t going to be enough gravity to make things work right.

With the redesign, when the flyballs swing out, they draw the controlling mechanism down (maybe even against a spring if needed).  I’m thinking the re-design has a much better chance of regulating the engine.  We’ll see.

Here is a photo of the component parts.



And a photo of the parts assembled and on the engine.  The whole governor stands about  1 ˝ inches above the platform. 

« Last Edit: October 28, 2020, 11:34:42 AM by Craig DeShong »
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #77 on: November 01, 2020, 08:57:18 PM »
Thanks for stopping by to see the latest progress.

I’ve been working on trying to get the governor completed and working.  Below is a photo of the controlling lever that attaches to the governor and then holds the pawl open from engaging with the ratchet (preventing another power cycle) until the governor deems a power cycle necessary.


This was the second “try” at making this lever.  The first go resulted in a lever, but several of the dimensions were off and I needed to make a few adjustments.  I “sort of” expected this so I wasn’t surprised when the first one didn’t fit exactly right.

With this lever installed it was time for a test.  In the video below I’m turning the engine over by hand without fuel or ignition.  You can see that as the speed picks up, the governor engages and prevents further cycles.  When the speed has appropriately diminished, the governor allows the power cycles to resume.  I’m expecting this to work well; assuming the engine can attain sufficient speed to allow the governor to lock-out the pawl and ratchet from engaging.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oKREwJVZLc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oKREwJVZLc</a>

Now for the bad news.  While “tuning” the engine I had another over charge situation.  This time the rack was damaged.  I have affected repairs by milling off the broken piece (where the piston connects to the rack) and silver soldering on a new piece.  I’ve also changed the design a bit so this area should be a bit more rigid.

On Facebook I have been following “Wayne Grennings Shop Work” and I thought it interesting that while I was working on these repairs he was discussing the piston stop system on a full size Otto Langen engine he is building.  The full size uses two springs with a maximum compressive force of 2,540 lbs.  The spring on my model is a paltry 15 lbs so I’m thinking that I have way under protected this model.  To that end, I’ve ordered the stiffest spring I could find that would fit the model, a spring that requires 185 lbs of force to compress it completely.  I’ll wait to run the engine again until I have this new “safety” spring installed.
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #78 on: November 05, 2020, 01:16:31 PM »
Thanks for stopping by.

It’s been a few days since I last posted, so I thought I’d give an update.

The new “overcharge” spring was delivered.  Here’s a photo of the two.


As you can see, the new spring is an inch longer.  Upon installation, the engine is now hitting the spring with almost every power cycle.  The new spring occupies around 1/3rd of the overall available piston travel, so that isn’t actually surprising.  The engine is also running on the governor, though it slows WWWAAAAYYY down before the governor dis-engages and allows a power cycle, so I’d like to adjust that.

The engine is also “hitting” harder than I’d like when it does take a power cycle so I need to find a way to limit the amount of gas that is available during intake.

As you can see; a few more adjustments to make before I give you the final video of the completed model.

Stay tuned, and we’ll see.
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #79 on: November 05, 2020, 08:58:13 PM »
Thanks for stopping by to see the latest.

It seems my Otto & Langen model building has come around 180 degrees.  It took over a year to get my first model to fire; at all.  This third Otto & Langen I’ve built was leaping off the table on its first run and getting it to calm down was a significant issue.

The new overcharge spring is installed; the piston might get high enough to touch it every once in a while but I don’t believe it is being a major player in the running of the engine at this point.

The only issue I might address is an annoying “tap” in the governor and if it keeps bothering me I might have to do something about it; for now I’m going to let it be.

The model is running fairly well and the governor is controlling its speed nicely.  It may undergo a few more “tweaks” here and there as inspirations come to me (are models ever really DONE?); but I’m calling this build complete.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4KeZiejL9A" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4KeZiejL9A</a>
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Offline Johnmcc69

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #80 on: November 05, 2020, 09:54:46 PM »
 :cartwheel:
 Very well done Craig!
 A really interesting engine to watch with all its motions.
 :ThumbsUp:
 John

Offline Jo

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #81 on: November 05, 2020, 10:18:11 PM »
 8) That is very nice and it runs well  :ThumbsUp:

Jo
Enjoyment is more important than achievement.

Offline Dave Otto

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #82 on: November 05, 2020, 11:46:22 PM »
Beautiful work Craig!
You have it dialed in and running very nice.

Dave

Offline Brian Rupnow

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #83 on: November 06, 2020, 01:07:45 AM »
Great work Craig. The governor is very noticeable on the performance of that engine.---Brian

Online Kim

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #84 on: November 06, 2020, 05:18:27 AM »
That's running really nicely, Craig!  Beautiful work!  :cheers:
Kim

Offline kvom

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #85 on: November 06, 2020, 12:55:22 PM »
Unless there's a 4G version you'll have to find something new for a project.   :stir:

Great runner for sure.

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #86 on: November 06, 2020, 10:25:27 PM »
Thanks for your comments.  This one had a few 11th hour issues that needed addressed, but I’m very happy with it now.
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Offline Craig DeShong

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #87 on: November 14, 2020, 07:01:48 PM »
Before I leave this project and move on to the next (haven't decided what that might be yet); I took a few days to clean up the drawings, gather up some useful information, and have posted the drawings in the "plans" section of this site incase someone in the future wants to build one of these things.

Thanks again for those who followed along through the build, and especially for those who chose to comment.
Craig
The destination motivates us toward excellence, the journey entertains us, and along the way we meet so many interesting people.

Offline fumopuc

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #88 on: December 07, 2020, 06:46:59 AM »
Hi Craig, a very nice engine, running so smooth.
Congratulation.
 
Kind Regards
Achim

Offline TGD

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Re: 3rd Generation Otto Langen
« Reply #89 on: December 10, 2020, 07:31:05 PM »
Beautiful!

 

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