Cafe Jack - Yahoo!

The Stirling engine dates from the 1800's but it is finding applications currently to generate electricity using sunlight.

A large scale application using this technology is being built by Sterling Energy Systems in Southern California.

Stephen F. Austin State University provides plans and instructions for making a Stirling Engine for people interested in some hands-on learning about how these engines work.

This is the parts list -

» Three diet shake tin cans (e.g. Slim Fast, Adkins, etc.)
» Three soft drink aluminum cans (one taller 12 oz can if available)
» JB Weld Epoxy
» Red High-Temp RTV Silicon Gasket Maker
» 2" or longer straight pin (e.g. yarn darner)
» 3/4" to 1/2" PVC Elbow (outer diameters 1-1/4" and 1")
» Small balloon
» Flat washer and nut
» Metal coat hanger
» Old CD
» Wire nut to connect coat hanger to CD (optional)
» Wooden base and wood screws (optional)
» Tin snips or stainless steel scissors, pliers, can opener, hammer

______________________________


This YouTube movie shows a small hand held parabolic dish and a Sterling engine to demonstrate the concept of turning sunlight into mechanical energy - which could then be used to drive an electrical generator, hydraulic pump, compressor for refrigeration, etc.






At the end of the movie one of the people mentions a book, "Sunshine to Dollars" which you can read about at KnowledgePublications - Learning a Little More Every Day

Posted by jackcrossen at 05:42 AM | Permalink

I read an entry from a pilot on an aviation related blog about a hand held GPS receiver, intended for use by general aviation pilots, that in his opinion was "designed by people who like games."

I can sympathize with that statement. There are all sorts of bells and whistles, features and options that can be relatively cheap to implement in software but can end up leaving the user feeling like they are trying to solve a puzzle.

We all have experienced the frustration of using consumer devices and software applications, that have way more "features" than they need, sometimes at the expense of proper functionality of the basic purpose of the tool. A good tool is only as complex as necessary, a bad tool is the equivalent of a fake swiss army knife that has 15 tools but isn't much good for anything.

It can be particularly frustrating when a software application that performed it's intended function is constantly changed, sometimes to the point where users finally opt out of using it, or will once a better option becomes available such as what happened with Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Whether we are talking about software, consumer devices, traditional single purpose tools or multi-purpose tools there are some that are high quality and some that aren't.

This scrapbook of Bad Human Factors compiled by Michael J. Darnell has some good examples of poor designs in everyday objects.

Posted by jackcrossen at 10:07 PM | Permalink