Electric V8 Engine (Cylinder Based Speed Control)

thingiverse

I'm designing an engine for a boat, inspired by a YouTube video I saw. Initially, I created a 12-cylinder micro version before scaling up to this larger design. This engine utilizes size 130 DC motors with optical AB Phase Encoders attached to the rear of each motor (check out https://www.ebay.com/itm/130-Motor-DC6V-12V-7800RPM-Metal-Speed-Encoder-Tachometer-Motor-AB-Phase/192486576192?epid=18003843567&hash=item2cd1181040:g:hKUAAOSw5k1cdyBy for details). The gears and shafts are comprised of 0.8 modulus plastic gears, which come in assortments on eBay. To build this engine, you'll need eight motors, eight 82-pinions (each with 8 teeth and a 2mm hole), and four crown gears. The largest crown gear it can accommodate is 16mm in outer diameter. The heads are designed to hold the motors and be cooled by either water or an oil circulation system, or as a last resort, air cooling. Since I'm installing this engine on a boat, I plan to pump cool water across them to dissipate heat and potentially run it over voltage. If I were building a land vehicle, I would use an oil cooling system that pumps past the motor jackets and recirculates into the gear system. This design does not incorporate a positive pressure lubrication system; instead, it uses a slosh or splash system to keep the gears lubricated. To assemble the heads, print four head plates and two head jackets. Apply silicone sealant around the edges of the lip on the plates, then assemble them together and let dry. Insert the motors into the block, apply silicone sealant to the entire dead surface, and bolt on the head with 10 30mm pan-head bolts per side. Finally, insert the motors into the head and assemble the crank and belly pan system. The AB encoders are used to measure cylinder speed. In a previous version, I encountered issues when one motor would drag or go slower, causing the gear to fly off the motor shaft. Now, using an Arduino, I can check the speed of each motor and adjust it to match. Another benefit of this system is that with added technology (boost converter), you can power half of the device while using the other half to charge batteries or run other circuitry, which is useful for long-term deployment equipment. This setup works better in the smaller N60 motor version than in this larger design.