Sunnytech Low Temperature Stirling Engine Motor Steam Heat Education Model Toy Kit For mechanical skills (LT001)

Update: Oh, by the way, I didn’t mention in my last update but I cleaned the cylinder again and it’s been running fine ever since. I’m sorry for anyone that was emotionally committed to this experiment and was disappointed it was over. We’re at 2 years 9 months more-or-less constant use. I put a strobotach on it a long time ago and if i recall correctly at that time it was running about 300-400 rpm, but looking at it right now I bet it’s more in the 100-200 rpm range. I didn’t do the math how many revolutions this is total but I probably will someday. ———— Update: tonight I came home and the engine was oscillating back and forth, but not rotating. As others have mentioned, because of its magnetic coupling to the displacer, this engine can rotate in either direction. So if the engine loses enough energy (for whatever reason) the flywheel will stop rotating and begin to oscillate. If it can regain enough momentum it will restart in one direction or the other but if not it will eventually stop. Such drama as I was watching this! With each oscillation I’m wondering, “Will it get over the top??” Sadly it did not, and it eventually stopped. I have to admit, after 2-1/2 years it’s getting increasingly difficult to keep this running continuously. I think there are several factors, the first being that it’s been running continuously for about 2-1/2 years. Second, I cracked the power piston cylinder when I sprayed compressed air on it (inverted). Finally, in the past few months I put an UV LED over it so my painted-on glow-in-the-dark dots are glowy all the time. For some reason this has motivated gnats to think the power piston is a super place to call home even though the engine is under a glass globe. I don’t think the mass of the gnats on the piston is a problem but I could believe some gnat guts on the cylinder walls could be. Anyway, she’s all cleaned up and running again. ——— Update: it’s been a long time and I’m starting to lose track, but IIRC I’m at about 2yr 2mo of running this engine constantly on a 6w heater. I’m not going to do the math to see what that cost me on the electric bill. Ok, I probably will eventually. Anyway, it’s still going. There was a little while when it slowed down and even stopped but I cleaned up the power piston and now it’s going again full speed 24x7x365-1/4. —— Update: Coming up on a year of constant operation. At some point I painted glow-in-the-dark spots on it. That’s fun. —- Update: I’ve had this running 24/7 on the aforementioned warming plate I made for it for about 6 months now. There’s no indication that it’s going to quit. I would have thought that the arm would have sawed off the pin by now, but nope. As for the squeaking, contrary to the directions I put a small drop of light oil on the pin and that fixed it right up. Now for another PSA, if you get the urge to use an inverted can of compressed air to supercool the top plate, be careful not to get it on the glass cylinder because it *will* crack (I was able to fix mine). But, man, that engine will book when you spray it! ________________ Update: Just so you know, the DWCL-01 will not run if it’s set on a magnetic surface because of the magnet in the displacer, unless that metallic surface happens to be extremely warm. That means if you buy or build a warming plate it has to be non magnetic. I built a warming plate out of some spare power resistors I had laying around (we all have a collection of spare power resistors, right?) using a pickle jar lid as the surface. The engine would not spin! Unless I picked it up then it would run like crazy but if I set it down it would stop again! Turns out the magnet in the displacer was sticking to the jar lid. So I got rid of the lid and set it down with a thin piece of cardboard between the engine and the resistors and it ran ok. Turns out the resistors are also slightly magnetic. Anyway, not a knock on the product, just a PSA. Your physics may vary. ———— I got the DWCL-01 because some other people said it was a little better construction and had real bearings. When mine came today I opened it right off the UPS truck so the machine was pretty cold. I held it in my hand and it started right up. I heated up a couple mugs of water at work and it ran for just about an hour on each one. It’s neither noisy nor silent; sometimes it makes kind of a sqeaking sound, but overall I find the repetitive sound soothing! This one will be my home engine but I might get another for my office just for the sound! Tonight I put it in the fridge then took it out, held it in my hand, and it ran like gangbusters. I have many experiments planned for it. As for the construction, it’s smaller than expected but fit perfectly over the mug I had for it. The screws around the circumference actually held it in place nicely on the mug. The fit and finish is maybe not quite as nice as the photos but it’s fine. While I had it in my office every engineer that came in wanted to talk about it. (One non-engineer came in and was like, “What’s that?” and I said, “A Stirling Engine,” and she rolled her eyes and goes, “Ok, whatever.”) So, in summary, it’s cool and fun. Is it $40+ of fun? I don’t know. Between the price and fit and finish I’m torn between four and five stars. For the fun factor I’m going to give it the benefit of the doubt and go with five.

Item came very packaged and super easy to assemble. The longest step in gettign the engine running is heating up the water to power the engine. Extremely well tuned to work in the temperature differential between a hot beverage (140 deg F or 60 deg C) and room temperature (75 deg F or 25 deg C) you can play around with differnet temperature differences by using ice, or different hot drinks from too hot to drink to barely warm. It is abeafully executed design and is great to show an example of one of the classical heat engines taught in undergraduate thermodynamics class. Persoinally I was mesmerized by the engine and its operation. It is great fiun to take to meetings and geek out with colleagues and co-workers if you are in a nerdy geek work place or just watch and admire for any environment. Great gizmo at a good price, glad I made the purchase.

I bought the Sunnytech HA001 Mini hot Air together with the Sunnytech low temperature Lt001. Both where send almost immediately. Both came packed extremely well protected. The HA001 Mini Hot Air came with an additional spare glass tube, 2 spare rubber seals, a spare burner bottle (without magnet), and a spare wick. After attaching the upper piston arm to the crank I tried it right away with a candle as shown in another customer review. My candle was obviously of bad quality; the wick burnt down and left only a very very tiny flame. I was skeptical, but had no other, so I just put it on top of another such candle to get it closer to the glass cylinder. I didn't wait a minute until I gave the motor a first push - and it started running, speeding up rapidly! No lubrication, no adjustment. Amazing to watch it running. But as well it's just nice to look at this tiny little well built machine with it's many little details, standing at your desk or cabinet. Only thing I will probably change it the wick of the burner bottle which is just a very loose bundle of threads and doesn't look very convincing, but that certainly is not a big deal. 5 Stars+! The Lt001 low temperature needs you to install the flywheel and connect the two piston arms to the crank shaft. It definitely makes sense for a better protection at transport, and is not a big deal. Check for the bolts/screws which hold the base together. I found 1 loose screw, and 2 others also needed a bit tightening. I boiled some water, put it in a cup, and the stirling on top. Certainly here too I didn't wait a minute until giving it a push - and it started running! And runs and runs and runs. After a couple of minutes it started with a bit of a squeaking noise, but without slowing down. It surly will be gone with a bit of lubrication. This machine too is very nicely built, and joy to look at. 5 Stars + as well! Left to mention that both stirlings came with an instruction sheet, including email contact for customer service and promising immediate reply. I had no reason to try it, but based on the overall great experience I have no doubt about that. Very happy with that purchase!

This is a very cool little engine! It's bigger than I had pictured and a very quality assembly. The flywheel is perfectly balanced. The fit and finish is excellent and high quality. When I received it, I had it fully assembled in mere minutes. Just be careful and do not force anything or you could cause damage. Snap the connecting rods to the flywheel crank journals at the connection itself, not midway down the connecting rod or you will deform it. The flywheel must be oriented correctly to line up with the connecting rods, an easy fit-up. I applied thin coats of fine gun oil to all friction points. I read later where the instructions said "DO USE OIL", use graphite only. The concern is that the oil will collect dust and particulates. I would recommend doing what they say even though mine is still preforming in a superior manner and don't expect that to change. Heat up a cup of water in the MW until boiling. Set this little gizmo on top, gently give the flywheel a start and off you go! I've had mine running for 25 minutes before coming to a full stop. You can enhance the time by placing an ice cube on the top plate (wrapped in cellophane) to get a n even better temperature differential which is the principle on which this works. Be sure to wipe away any condensate from the bottom plate when you finish to avoid any potential corrosion. This is more than just a toy, it's a great teaching tool as well. I've been building cars, motorcycles and boats the majority of my life and have practiced mechanical engineering for over 30 years as a career and I am fully impressed with this neat little engine, especially for the price!

I was thinking about giving this product 3 stars, but then I thought better of it. I give tough reviews, and you're going to lose 1 star, no matter what, if you ask me, in your instruction manual, to give you 5 stars. Bad idea, and I think any Amazon sellers ought to stop that behavior. Physical components are good. Nice pieces of stainless steel, easy to work on mechanically (more on that later,) and does indeed demonstrate the concept. Packaging was good; no problems because of the flywheel being in the box because it was well packed. I don't expect much more than that from a toy, in the way of physical components. The manual is also good, if I ignore the review plea. Take that out, and it would be even better. Even better still would be good instructions regarding lubrication; I have no idea why lubricating the crank shaft and bearings make it run so slowly, unless there's some other problem. I saw one question where somebody complained about the noise, and the respondent said something like "can't really expect this from a toy." Sorry, not impressed. for $almost $40.00 (never been happy with the psychology behind $39.99,) I was very ANNOYED with the noise. That's where the problems started. First, the speed of this Stirling engine is a little slower than I would have liked. Is that because it's only for a demo, or the company is afraid of injury? OK, I'll accept that. I figured I'd put a drop of olive oil on the bearings to see if it would help with the speed. No way. Very slow after that. Maybe not the best choice? I don't know. but even after I cleaned everything carefully, taking everything apart and putting back together, still no luck. You need to improve this; there's no excuse for any piece of equipment that's supposed to demonstrate the characteristics of a Stirling engine to sound like an old rusty sewing machine. Fix that. Second, there's not enough clearance between the flywheel and the active components; the plastic disk is connected to the crank shaft by a metal rod in the center of the device, so the other piston should be a bit nearer the edge, and both crank shafts should be further from the flywheel. I think this would help to reduce noise and make the device a bit more stable. I have disassembled and reassembled this device. There is a 5-star review here on Amazon where the writer goes into a great deal of detail about what he's found out after doing this, and both of us have been able to get some joy out of it, including making the squealing go away. It still clicks, but at least it toesn't groan like it did when I first tested it (it groaned and growled even right after I took it out of the box!) I've decided to give this 4 stars because it is a toy. One thing I like about it is that everything can be tweaked. Fun to play with.

This item is made much more nicely than I expected. It's attractive artistically sitting on a shelf, and attractive intellectually when it's running. It's fascinating to watch, and stimulated me to finally learn just how this remarkable device works. I was surprised to learn how many current uses there are for Stirling engines now, and that new energy-saving uses are still being developed. . And that somehow I decided to learn about it exactly 200 years since Scottish minister Robert Stirling invented it, a strange coincidence for me. I am ordering a couple as gifts for my grandchildren to enjoy. One caution: This gadget does nothing more than sit on a cup of hot liquid and spin. It is not suitable for people of limited curiosity. But it is a great way to get a bright child away from shoot-'em-up games and think about how the principles of science they've (hopefully) been taught about come together to make all the things we depend on every all work. Unlike a few reviewers', my engine DID come with instructions! Just in case yours doesn't Here is my version, with a little hint about how the flywheel goes on: A. The flywheel has an axle with a little crank on each side of the wheel. They are spaced differently. B. Hold it so each crank is right above its connecting wire. C. Spread the support arms slightly and slip the flywheel ends into the little holes so it spins. D. Hook each wire over the crank pin above it and click its hook onto the pin. E. Sit the device atop a cup of hot coffee, wait 1-2 minutes, and spin the flywheel in one direction or the other to start it. F. When it stops, remove the engine. G. Drink the coffee. You may choose to vary steps E through G.

These Sunnytech scientific toys make great conversation pieces, and are educational demos of working Stirling engines. The price is excellent -- $40 for a choice of four models. Three of the models, the LT001, LT002 and LT003, are identical except for their color scheme. These three models come mostly assembled, but one needs to place the flywheel/camshaft assembly into the supporting columns, and press the connecting rod clips onto the camshaft. These three models are beautiful kinetic art sculptures, and make wonderful gifts. Their large, curved-spoke flywheels suggest motion even when still. They are also the best models for educational purposes: The flywheel is mounted on a crankshaft, with two throws, one on either side of the flywheel. One throw is connected to a power piston rod, which drives the wheel. The other, which is at 90 degrees from the first, drives a connecting rod that positions the air displacer disk. The clear chamber wall allows one to observe the internal action of the engine, and to clearly understand its workings. The other model, the DWCL-01, is far more efficient and quieter, but less aesthetic and less understandable. The flywheel is smaller, and accurately balanced. It is side mounted, with bearings, on a single, supporting column. The power piston is centered on the upper heating/cooling plate. The flywheel is directly driven by a power piston side rod (such as you would picture on an old steam locomotive). There is are no visible mechanical connections to the displacer disk. Is it moved by air pressure from the piston? Perhaps also from thermodynamics? When moving the flywheel gradually by hand, one can observe a point where the displacer sudden shifts from high position to low position. When turning the wheel in reverse, the displacer reverses position at exactly the same point. This change must be 90 degrees out of phase with the piston action, or else the Stirling engine would not work. There are no English instructions with this model, and I seem to be missing something in my understanding. The DWCL-01 comes fully assembled, ready to use just out of the box. Note that, even though less efficient, the LT001 model can achieve high speeds. The attached video was made by my 10-year old granddaughter, who is maximizing the speed by powering her engine with hot water below, and metal ice cubes above.

As others have said, the stirling engine from Sunnytech is well-made, and fun to watch. I got this as part of a bundle with their mini hot stirling engine. It works from heat from the bottom, usually sat over a cup of boiling water. However, I decided to buy a mug warmer from Amazon. I found a mug warmer with a limiter time deal, for $10. The warmer has 3 temperatures, the highest being 176°F. It also has a timer. As you can see from the video, the engine is running nicely over the mug warmer. I have the Warner set at 176° with the timer at 4 hours. It's been running for 1 1/2 hours now at a good speed. This is a nice safe alternative to hot water (and there's no condensation. UPDATE: I set the mug warmer at the lowest temperature. The engine ran great. The lowest temperature on my unit is ~ 135° F.

I got this for my very gadget driven husband and he loved it. He loves seeing how things work and this is a fun toy that he uses almost daily. You should definitely wipe the bottom of the device dry when you are done using it.

Nice product, the side transparent portion makes me to understand the mechanism easily. I've tested it with a cigarette lighter, and excellent

I was amazed that it works down to a T difference of merely 25 ºC, so very efficient design. The Stirling engine is a bit squeaky, but this can be solved by *SPARSELY!!* applying Teflon oil (no real oil, but Teflon nanoparticles in emulsion; solvent evaporates, leaving a thin Teflon film on metal parts). It's a great gizmo to run; sad how few people know about the thermodynamics behind the cycle process. Makes me wonder what kids get taught at school nowadays.

値段的にも納得して購入しました。低温型は安全で幼児でもメカの観察ができてとても良いものです。

Very nice model, well built machine and people visting are always drawn to it!