This engine illustrates that I
may have overdone my search for new ideas and more variety in my engine
collection. At first glance, the engine seemed easy to build, as it only
required a few simple parts for the gear. I had seen pictures of this type of
engine in several sources because V engines are often used to illustrate the
working principles behind Stirling engines. Because of the small size of the
model I decided not to use a regenerator. The size ratio between the cylinders
is not optimal -- there was some confusion on my side regarding published plans,
aggravated by not first making a drawing. Still, the engine does work, albeit
only under odd circumstances: When the displacer cylinder is heated with a hot
gas flame until its copper cap turns red, the engine begins to run incredibly
fast, but just for a very short time because all engine components are now so
hot that the heat sink ribs can no longer dissipate the heat effectivly. The
engine ends up dying when the temperature difference is insufficient.