"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
03/21/2020 at 18:35 • Filed to: Legolopnik
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"Jim Spanfeller" (awesomeaustinv)
03/21/2020 at 18:35 • Filed to: Legolopnik | 8
| 8 |
Ever since I discovered that there’s a company called Wilesco that makes working miniature steam engines and steam vehicles, I have wanted one. But, of course, they are very expensive. Steam engines ain’t cheap...
This thing costs $358. It’s worth every penny, of course, but definitely not cheap.
So I decided that if I can’t afford a Wilesco steam tractor, then I’ll build my own out of my most abundant resource: Lego. Except that instead of using a boiler, I’m powering mine with a vacuum cleaner. Because 1) Lego, boiling water, and fire don’t really mix, and 2) poorly made boilers can explode and that scares me. Vacuum cleaners generally have a low risk of explosion, so I find that option much more appealing. After lots of self-destructive prototypes, I’ve ended up with this:
That rectangular brown thing on the side is the air nipple that the pool noodle/suction hose slides over.
Aside from the lack of a boiler, my Lego vacuum engine works pretty much the same way a regular steam engine works. It’s got one big rectangular cylinder with a slide valve off to the side, which is set up in such a way that it can switch what side of the piston it’s sucking on, so every stroke is a power stroke. For a hose between the vacuum cleaner and the tractor, I’m using a pool noodle, because that’s the best thing I had on hand. It’s not the most elegant solution, but it works. It also has working steering, with the steering wheel connected to the front wheels via universal joints, and a little yellow lever in the back that moves a couple of gears, allowing me to engage and disengage the drive wheels from the engine depending on whether I want it to move or not.
So without further ado, here’s video of it running:
It’s even powerful enough that it could probably do a bit of work! Even though it has a tendency to self-destruct if the piston’s not connected perfectly, it’s proving to be a really fun thing to mess around with while cooped up indoors. So for that reason, I’m calling it a success :)
A Boy and His Longtail
> Jim Spanfeller
03/21/2020 at 18:39 |
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Neato! Are you making instructions to post to Oppo? Please, I’ll be really good!
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Jim Spanfeller
> A Boy and His Longtail
03/21/2020 at 18:51 |
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Maybe. In the meantime, here’s a video showing the inner workings of the engine I based my design on:
I made the cylinder on my engine a bit narrower for the sake of compactness and simplified the connecting rods, also for the sake of compactness. But the guy who designed the engine I based my design on has lots of great videos of vacuum engine-powered Lego vehicles. This one can even plow:
wafflesnfalafel
> Jim Spanfeller
03/21/2020 at 18:58 |
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holy cow - it actually runs! I was thinking you were joking at first. That is awesome! Sending that to my little bro right now.
RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
> Jim Spanfeller
03/21/2020 at 19:02 |
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Sounds like you need to make a Pop Pop Boat! Steam powered and easy to make....fun little craft projects! :)
Just Jeepin'
> Jim Spanfeller
03/21/2020 at 19:23 |
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That’s amazing!
Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
> Jim Spanfeller
03/21/2020 at 19:57 |
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Oh man that's a lot of rpm for a lego vacuum motor. I never quite managed to get one to run. I did get a pneumatic one to run off of some computer dusting spray
shop-teacher
> Jim Spanfeller
03/21/2020 at 23:58 |
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Holy crap that is freaking cool!
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Jim Spanfeller
> Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap
03/22/2020 at 02:50 |
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It definitely took a lot of trial and error to get it to work. The prototype was actually even faster, though of course it had much less of a load: