The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions > Steam
Pimp my Microcosm...
1967Brutus:
Hello all,
Please let me introduce myself first, so y'all won't immediately assume I'm a nutcase wanting to pimp a Microcosm...
My name is Bert, I'm Dutch, I am a marine engineer by profession, 56 years old, and a modeller since about `12 years of age or so.
Mainly occupied myself with planes and helicopters, but the origins of the hobby, my first REAL RC model, was a boat ("Seal", by Krick from Germany, I'll never forget that one). After that, the virus of remote controlled flight really
Every now and then I venture into other fields such as RC cars, RC motorcycles, RC boats, even done a hoovercraft once, but usually only if such a model is a bit out of the ordinary: About 10 years ago for example, I found myself in the posession of 2 Fuji outboard engines, so I built a boat to run one of them. Big fun. Any kind of RC is OK, as long as it is powered by some sort of combustion process, and not a chemical reaction producing electrons.
About 5 years ago it was some weird project just to see if I could get a 5 cc fourstroke not only to run on gasoline, but to keep it at 1500 RPM and power a boat with it. That project will be revived in the near future by the way, but this thread won't be about that.
This thread will be about pimping my Microcosm M29 installation.
A few months ago I got that vibe again that I wanted to do something I hadn't done before, and this time it was STEAM. For no other reason than that I ran into one of those AliExpress ads selling them. It looked good, and not held back by any knowledge on the subject of model steam I decided to buy one and see where it would lead me.
Don't get me wrong, professionally, I am pretty well aquainted with steam and steam power, but I did not have the faintest clue whether these engines are any good, nor what actually makes a model steam plant "good" or "bad"....
Since the saddest thing on earth is an engine that has nothing to do, I went ahead and ordered a "Borkum" from Krick, to go along with it.
Well... after 2 or 3 weeks, the steam plant arrived. In one piece, undamaged, and, can't say anything else, looking extremely nice.
https://www.modelbouwforum.nl/attachments/20230606_140723-jpg.542757/
https://www.modelbouwforum.nl/attachments/20230606_144145-jpg.542758/
It was running within the hour:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sd-jruzKFM
It was not running all that bad, a bit rough, the Stephenson mechanism had an awful lot of play, and it went through one boiler filling awfully fast (about 10 minutes or so).
So I had my job cut out for me.
Step by step in the next posts.
rhavrane:
Bonjour Bert and welcome here :-))
I also have this plant, https://youtu.be/TO16806-3pM and https://youtu.be/HW0RsauGFa8 in my tug "Vient de loin" and have enhanced it with important accessories to my opinion, a gas regulator, a RC safety gas valve and of course a whistle ok2 that I would kindly suggest you to add also to your steam plant.
Because of its 6,7 cm3 steam machine and small boiler, I plan to add yet an electric pump (enhanced Microcosm one) :
https://youtu.be/uW7OW941xG0 and https://youtu.be/FNy_x-RR9mE and https://youtu.be/j0yn0yaT5F0
derekwarner:
Yes....welcome Bert.....being a Marine Engineer, this is right up your alley %) will look forward to you posts of a new vessel for the steam plant, and any advances that are suggested by our Friend Marcel [rhavane], re ...additional running time :-))
Derek
1967Brutus:
Be patient, guys, way ahead of you, the project is basically finished (took me about 2 months in total), I just wanted to make it a bit like a series.
I kept testing, observing, and expanding the installation as I went along. Right now, the engine has allready 42 runhours on it (the TX is equipped with a runhour counter that via telemetry detects "running condition", so that is actual runtime, not just the time the TX is switched on).
At this point in time, it's got a regulated burner, a feed pump, a condenser/feedwater pre heater, condensate recovery back into the feedwater reservoir (I don't think many people have that), it's got an automatic discharging oil-separator, wick-fed automatic lubrication, and basically it has become a "light burner and forget" installation.
I am getting about 50 minutes (normal practical manouvering) on a single charge of 50 grammes of gas and 350 ml (12 oz) of feedwater.
30+ minutes from the same on full speed non stop.
Boiler feedrate is linked to the steemvalve via programmed curve in the TX, which will keep level within 5 mm accurate for at least those 50 minutes.
The fun was going to be to take one subject at a time...
1967Brutus:
--- Quote from: rhavrane on October 13, 2023, 08:55:31 pm ---Bonjour Bert and welcome here :-))
I also have this plant, https://youtu.be/TO16806-3pM and https://youtu.be/HW0RsauGFa8 in my tug "Vient de loin" and have enhanced it with important accessories to my opinion, a gas regulator, a RC safety gas valve and of course a whistle ok2 that I would kindly suggest you to add also to your steam plant.
Because of its 6,7 cm3 steam machine and small boiler, I plan to add yet an electric pump (enhanced Microcosm one) :
https://youtu.be/uW7OW941xG0 and https://youtu.be/FNy_x-RR9mE and https://youtu.be/j0yn0yaT5F0
--- End quote ---
Hi Marcel,
we chatted the other day a bit on YouTube about that servo-feedpump you posted.
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