AN ENGINE FOR HOMEBUILDERS

Wow!

Now that's what I was hoping to see.

Okay, maybe a PSRU using belts. But not vee-belts. There is two
examples of v-belt drives we can use to draw data from, the one on
the Headwind, another on the PL-4. Both call for some wizard
machining and both need matched sets of belts, in that v-belts stretch
and you end up with slippage. This was covered... 'way back when
sometime (and I've probably got the details wrong).

The folks at Valley Engineering (sp?) have shown us how to do it with
a cog-tooth belt... which may also apply to some sort of serpentine
arrangement.

Would a timing belt work? I usta have a Pontiac that had a belt-
driven cam...

I'm thinking more of the machining here rather than the belt, on the
assumption that a cog-tooth belt WILL work... the main question being
how LONG it will do so. Which brings to mind the mention of a rear
axel something. Turns out, the bearing used for a rear axle is NOT
suitable for any kind of prop-drive. Slow prop turns more than 1200
rpm whereas a fast rear wheel is something less than that. Kinda like
the belt problem... you have to keep changing the thing BEFORE it can
fail, which it will in fairly short order. Cost is probably another
factor that needs to be considered here, in that a bearing that WILL
hold up at prop-speeds is probably priced a lot higher than your basic
rear wheel bearing.

Then there's the problem of starting the thing. Direct-drive we can
tweak the timing so it will start at a flip of the prop. But put a
PSRU in there we've got to 'wind it up' to get it to the proper firing
point.

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I wish I had a shop full of TATA engines to play with. There may be a
combination of cam & rod-length that can give a reliable 40hp at an
rpm most suitable for a prop.

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Speaking of props, has anyone ever heard of one made from bamboo?

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I've got to go. Zometa. IV. About a quart. Takes a while (drip-
drip-drip...) Then I gotta look at a faucet that is doing the same
thing (drip-drip-drip...)

-Bob