Just One Spark Plug

One Hundred Thirty Sixth Post: Just One Spark Plug

I was tinkering with a 12hp tractor engine a little and found that it had only one spark plug meaning it only had 1 cylinder. It is just an average tractor engine, but the engine seems pretty efficient considering all the weight it has to pull up hills and including the weight of the rider. Of course the wheels hold most of the weight. It is not lifting 350 pounds it is just pushing it. Still the engine is doing a lot with a little 1 cylinder engine even if its top speed is 5 mph.

When studying the basics of the engine and looking at diagrams, a person sees how easy the logic is behind the works. What makes it challenging, however, is the fact that so many parts are need to perform the simple tasks. But if a person thinks of how the part functions withing the engine’s system it is easier to understand the part’s job. Once that is known, how the part does that job can further be broken into basic steps.

I also recently found an interesting basic robot projects done by introduction to engineering students. The student’s came up with some interesting ideas at: http://www.ge.uiuc.edu/ge100/F04_reports.htm

I am currently tinkering with a little with a math problem, but I am still thinking about the tape looper machine. It is all about breaking a complex subject into something simpler and describing it. Once that is done a person can build with the simple descriptions they have made. But until then.... May the Creative Force be with You