Stirling Engine Model Kit for Adults, Hot Air Stirling Engine DIY Assembly Balance Metal Engine Motor Model, Electricity Generator Mini Engine Kit Engine Building Kit Gift

Did everything per the instructions 3 times just to be sure. This thing does not work. Pretty disappointed as this was a Christmas gift.

The media could not be loaded. This stirling engine model requires assembly, and has nearly 80 pieces and 47 steps in the manual. The manual is illustrated with full pictures and the pictures match the parts and design.Some of the black and white drawings, however, show differences - such as a glass heat head, whereas the parts included are a stainless steel heat head.The illustrations and parts list are correct, and assembly took less than an hour. The glass tubes were very challenging to insert with the rounds on them into the metal block, and I’m not sure I got them all the way in - the images suggest one of them should have gone further - but I was using significant force on the glass cylinder, using some wood to help, and I didn’t feel comfortable putting more pressure on it. It works fine even though that glass cylinder isn’t as far in as the pictures suggest it should be.We used 99% anhydrous alcohol and after 60 seconds of heating gave it a little spin, it sped up and lit the LED well. We didn’t need to adjust anything, although it looks like the engine mount can go forward or back so I suppose we could tweak it if desired.The additional led bulb would also light up but definitely slowed the engine down. If the conditions aren’t right - head too cold, or poor heat dissipation on the exhaust cylinder - then it is too heavy a load and will slow then stop the engine.It comes with an additional set of glass tubes and cylinders, which is a nice backup to have.It’s not a very efficient design. The cooling section is just a large metal block, without fins, so I expect it’ll saturate eventually and won’t run fast for long. Fina would help it run longer without hurting the glass which it warns about frequently in the manual.Overall I’m pleased with it. It’s nice and shiny, all the parts and tools except for a Philips screwdriver were included, and it worked immediately. The glass cylinders were very well fit with graphite lubrication already applied.

Easy enough to assemble. I have a seal on the pistons. Will not work. There is friction at the apex and vertex of the flywheel turn when the arms are connected, but not when they are not. So either I’m getting friction due to the arms being too long/too short, or there is friction in the pistons themselves. I doubt it’s the pistons, since when they are disconnected they move freely when manipulated by hand, so I really suspect the arms are slightly out of spec. I DO NOT RECOMMEND.UPDATE: The seller was great with communication. They offered to refund my money & did not require a return. That goes a long way towards any reservations I might have had in trusting them with future purchases. I suspect- if I wanted to invest more time in the item- that some graphite powder lubricant & some filing would probably get the engine running.

It doesn’t work. I had to add tape around generator to make it hold on bracket.

The media could not be loaded. As an electrical engineer, I studied thermodynamics 50 years ago. I haven't had to use a direct application of a Carnot cycle since then. When I saw this model Sterling engine, I was intrigued. I thought it would be cool to see an interesting application of thermodynamics. When I received this model Sterling engine, I was impressed at how well it was packaged. All the pieces arrived intact. It included a nice set of assembly instructions with color photographs. It also had an operating brochure. The actual pistons and cylinders are glass tubes that fit into each other. It was a little difficult getting the red o-rings over the outside of the cylinders. It was also difficult getting the cylinders with red o-rings on the outside into the brass body of the engine. Also, the connecting rods attach to metal pistons with o-rings that get inserted into the glass tube pistons. This seals the tops of the pistons. This also is a tight fit and I broke one of the glass pistons trying to insert the connecting rod metal piston with o-rings. Fortunately, they included spare glass pistons and cylinders. It took me about two hours to assemble the model. When I added alcohol to the lamp and lit it, nothing happened until I gave the flywheel a spin and then it started going. It lit the LED on the generator. The large bulb with wires and alligator clips did not light, but I am happy with the LED on the generator. This is a rewarding project and a lot of fun. I highly recommend it.