My first proper post here, I hope you find it interesting. I've included several videos to illustrate what I'm up to.
One of the things I'm into is restoring old stationary engines, you may have seen the sort of thing at village shows, agricultural events, steam rallies and such like. Usually they are laid out in a line with their proud owners stood behind them, while the engine dutifully drives a pump shifting water from one bucket to another all day long.
That's not really what I do, I just like working on engines.
If recent headlines are to be believed, and I think they should be, the lights are going to go out in three years time. Im sure everyone here is well aware of these news reports. We are heading towards a power shortage, it cant be denied.
So, to do something with my little engine fleet, I've been working on producing electricity.
This first video shows a 1937 Lister D which I restored, in this video I show how I reconditioned an old Lucas C40 dynamo, and lo and behold, I managed to light a headlight bulb with it :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j63fTSVHA8o
So the thing worked, but I wanted to do something a bit more useful than lighting one bulb!
In this next video, with the addition of a motorcycle battery and a 500W inverter, the set up runs a TV :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ih59RC_HaOs
These little Lister Ds are fantastic, they will run all day long - provided there is water in the hopper (cooled by evaporation), and fuel in the tank (they use hardly anything). This engine spent its life running a root cutter, its already done an awful lot of work, and now if the power goes off, it will light my garage.
Now, just after I finished this project I resurrected a lawnmower from the back of the garage. I had a spare Lucas 17ACR alternator (alternators are better than dynamos), so I decided that after restoring the alternator (new electrics), that I would drive the alternator from the lawnmower. I did this using all scrap-box items, and the only thing I had to actually buy was the alternator refurb kit.
You will see in this video of the project that although we're only using the same 500W inverter and the same little motorcycle battery, that there is plenty of room beneath the engine to fit two car batteries and a larger inverter. Here is the video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozUwXoIovV0
So, that's a more useful power source. But I need more juice! Fortunately I found (yes, I really did FIND this) a Lister SR1 single cylinder air cooled diesel. After a negotiation with the farmer, he delivered it to me for £120. This sort of engine can run on filtered used vegetable oil, and to this end, I have purchased a 200l tank which will become the fuel tank.
Anyway, here is the work it took to get the engine running :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLSZv-tdmOk
Its a very reliable engine. I have acquired through an auction site a 2.2kVA alternator which is basically brand new, and todays project is to weld up a box steel engine trolley to mount the two things on. I have had pulleys machined by a friend to give the right 'gearing' to translate the engines default 1600rpm to the alternators required 3000rpm to ensure we get a nice 50Hz mains output. This will yield 9A at 240V or 20A at 110V.
Here is the engine on its temporary trolley, and the alternator in front on the beginnings of its mounting framework :
My mind has now turned to noise. Obviously we don't want people turning up in a blackout asking for power. I have no problem helping out our elderly neighbours. Everyone down our road is either retired or octogenarian, and I don't mind lighting or heating one room from my projects for them. But, how to conceal the generators? My garages is well secure, but the problem is noise and fumes. I need to get the fumes out of the garage and keep the noise in. I have ideas about this, but I'll save that for another day.
I hope someone, somewhere found this interesting in some way.
Regards all,
Steven.
