Listeroid Friction Starter

[veggie]

Here's the plan......

I'll need a few weeks until everything comes together, then I'll post an update.

Veggie

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[BruceM]

Looks good Veggie.  (Very nice drawing!) Here's my thoughts, most of which you probably already know:

The air cylinder for engagement is way too big without turning the air pressure WAY down.  The force of a 2" cylinder at 90PSI is 282 lbs of force! Too much! 20 lbs would do it based on your drawing geometry.

To calculate force- PI x Radius squared x PSI (minus return spring force).

9/16 or 3/4" is plenty (you'll need to down regulate the latter).  You want just enough force to not slip on starting, so that you don't wear the motor bearings too much. Get the drive wheel as close to the motor as possible, too.

McMaster has a 1/2 inch shaft coupler (steel) that has a 1" OD.  That's what I used for a bushing.  It was cheap and worked fine.

The Gast 4AM uses a pretty good volume of air.  Automotive style connectors, 1/4" will cut the power dramatically, stick with 1/2 supply, and 1/2" connectors.  Exhaust is just as important to motor power, and should be a short 1/2" line to a garden tractor muffler.

Vrrrooom! (Thats an air start)
Bruce

[veggie]

Bruce,

All good advice. Thanks for that! 

Cheers,
Veggie

[mobile_bob]

air starter, the ultimate survival starter system
all you need to recharge the starter air resevoir if it runs out?

is a bicycle tire pump!

and a half day of handpumping the thing!



bob g

[Carlb]

I have my small backup 3hp belt driven compressor on one of the circuits of my manual transfer switch so that when I have to run the generator even if my air tank supply is low I can recharge the air tanks using the 3hp compressor.

Carl.

[BruceM]

I have a two stage Eaton compressor to fill my 500 gallon air receiver (new unused Propane tank).  I have a small backup tank in the engine room. 

I really had a ball with air cylinder actuators-  if you have the air handy, they are cheap and powerful.  All my engine room actuators (6) are plumbed with 1/4" irrigation tube and fittings with push in terminations...cheap and very easy to work with.

My only problem with air equipment was lack of experience;  I found that air check valves (and pilot valves) all leak, though very slowly.  This is how they are made.  I tried some expensive "soft seat" check valves- they leaked after a while, and later the soft plug ended up traveling down my 1" air line a few hundred feet.  A motorized ball valve is the only real leak proof solution.  Ouch ($)

[rbodell]

Hi,

I'm trying to design a very simple system for starting my Roid.
In this case, a polyurethane or rubber friction wheel on an electric motor to drive the flywheel.
The proposed system is shown in the sketch below.

I use a 5 hp lawn mower engine. I believe I have about a 2 or 2 1/2 inch v belt pulley on it. I have a idler pulley I can engage manually. When the engine gets up to speed, I disengage the idler and trip the compression release. In the summer I use hand crank. Last winter I went all winter on one tank of gas for the lawn mower engine.

My question:
What HP motor do I need to crank the engine through it's compression cycles?
Anyone using an AC motor to start their engine ??

Thanks,
Veggie

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