Fischertechnik three cylinder pneumatic engine. Fischertechnic is an alternative to Lego or Meccano

This engine was built to drive a gearbox, it has since been dismantled as we've decided we want a more compact unit. The switches operate solenoid valves that feed the next cylinder along. Each cylinder is single acting. The engine would self start, but alas I don't have a video of it doing so, this is the only clip of it. The engine is made entirely out of Fischertechnik -including the solenoid valves which come from the computer controlled pneumatics set, as do the cylinders. The plan at the moment is to build a twin cylinder double acting unit, or perhaps a three cylinder single acting inline unit, someday we'll have enough parts to build a V8! (four of these engines with one cylinder missing fitted in a row. These engines are all to demonstrate aspects of engine design to my son, an up and coming engineering student. Sorry about the compressor noise in the background, the compressor is a converted desoldering station pump converted to blow rather then suck. Shame I didn't get a better video of it before I took it to bits - this is the only one I took of it and it's a bit rubbish, but it's had so many views it would almost be worth rebuilding the engine just to shoot some better footage!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Fischertechnik
• Fischertechnic
• Fischert
• Technik
• Fisher
• Technic
• Fishertechnik
• Lego
• pneumatic
• radial
• engine
• Similar
• Meccano
• steam

[axel1973w]

I cant see the pneumatic cylinders. is it build like a STAR MOTOR used on older aircrafts ?

[ChuffChuffWoo]

@axel1973w Yes - but the cylinders do not have enough travel to drive the standard Fischertechnik crankshaft, so I had to extend the travel with linkages, so the cylinders are not directly connected to the crank. I really regret not remembering to make a better video before I scrapped the engine (to use the bits to build an inline engine that I haven't even started on yet), I think I'm going to rebuild it just to make better videos of how it works.

[pcrom]

Great ! How many prototypes did you build before it runs like this ?

[ChuffChuffWoo]

@pcrom This was the first radial, went with some tweaking, took it apart to build an in line engine -then remembered I only had this one grotty video of it, am still to build the inline engine! :-))

[legokid900]

I love the sound of the valves. (there electrically activated right.) Great engine.

[ChuffChuffWoo]

@legokid900 Yes, the switch operated by each cylinder actually operates the NEXT cylinder along.

[Delias2001]

10053 horsepower

[Delias2001]

Legokid900 yes build a v8 engine with knex pieces

[Delias2001]

ChuffChuffWoo Build a v8 engine with knex

[randomperson12494]

how many horsepower? :3

[axel1973w]

@ChuffChuffWoo , yeah! you should realy consider this. because this looks like a small piece of masterwork that should be well documented :)

[10tonvideos]

looks like lego but its really good