Dan's Workshop Blog

Lego turbine generator lighting an LED

Here is an electricity generating turbine that (except for the LED) is 100% LEGO, just like the rest of my engines! (more…)

Two-cylinder lego engine runs on vacuum

Here you can see the action! Running on a vacuum, this engine probably
does about 400 rpm. There are some gif animations and audio files that
you can view!  The engine can start from any position of the crankshaft. (more…)

The double-acting 4×4 single cylinder steam engine

Here’s a complete construction sequence for a LEGO
engine. This is a real smooth runner, and being double acting, it can
start from almost any degree of the crankshaft’s rotation. I wish I had
the LEGO rpm sensor to test it for sure, but from the sound it makes,
my guess is that it reaches 700 rpm under full (and I do mean full)
‘steam.’ (more…)

Single acting one cylinder

Building a working model of a steam engine out of Lego wasn’t easy. I
built my first engine when I was 15, (that’s been quite a few years
ago) and still learning this! Building a solid structure, keeping
friction down, and keeping things balanced are important in the design.
I found that the engine’s rpm improves with a design that allows air to
escape during the exhaust stroke. (more…)

Homebuilt Solid State Ignition Module, housed in electrical box

Most of us think of complicated electronics, computer modules and such,
when the subject of ignition systems arises. Even I’ll admit that the
electronic engine control systems on today’s cars are a bit beyond my
patience to understand. But now, could the fixed advance spark timing
on a single-cylinder small engine be really that bad?  Well, I’ve had a chance to find out. The official results are in. Small
engine ignition is simple. (more…)

A conceptual MOSFET self resonant oscillator

This design is a result of small scale experimentation. I originally
wanted to use SCRs because of the simplicity of the design. But it
turns out that low cost, readily available SCRs do not handle a
frequency high enough to heat small crucibles full of metal, nothing
above 10KHz. (more…)

Great ball o’ fire, it is!

It was a dark and stormy night…and the 3-watt generator lamp was
sporadic, cutting out altogether each time a whiff of snow happened to
come between its roller and the tire. “There’s got to be something
better,” the mad cyclist thinks to himself as he squints to make out
the faint halo of light cast by the 3-watt bottle dynamo generator.That
mad cyclist happened to be yours truly, and the above situation real to
life–and the inspiration for the MONSTER Quartz Halogen Bike Light! (more…)

Miniature TV converted to oscilloscope

Notes on converting that old compact tv set or computer monitor into an
oscilloscope. Proves very useful in line quality monitoring and other
low frequency applications.Here is a picture of the scope I built when I was 15 years old. It was
a 9 inch portable black and white tv set. It was very limited, the beam
only deflected to the positive. (more…)

Build your own arc welder! Many of you have been so patiently waiting the arrival of these DETAILED PLANS that you can purchase and download (4.6MB pdf!) for a small fee.

You get 90 pages of high quality color illustrations, photos, construction
notes, and all the FAQ’s, in printer-friendly pdf format. And MUCH more
information than the free (read: skinny) version. (more…)

A foam cutting lathe?!

This article is about my adventures in foam cutting with a hot wire method.  Here is a homebuilt foam turning lathe!! This is made from a window
motor adapted and appropriately painted for the application. The pillow
blocks that the rotating shaft bear in were made from foam patterns and
cast using the above mentioned techniques. (more…)