V12 Solenoid Engine - Speed Testing - 3,200 rpm

Speed testing my homemade v12 solenoid engine, running it on 35 volts, instead of its normal 24 - this makes a big difference to its speed and power. Subscribe for future engine videos!

Technical details:

Type: 60 degree V12 electric piston engine

Maximum RPM: 3,200 RPM

Input voltage: 24 volts dc

Speed controller: Mechanical PWM

Cylinder bore diameter: 8mm

Piston stroke length: 10mm

Total theoretical displacement: 6cc

Firing order: 1, 12, 5, 8, 3, 10, 6, 7, 2, 11, 4, 9 (Same as old type Ferrari)

Main bearing size: 4x9x4 mm (684zz)

Big end bearing size: 4x9x4 mm (684zz)

Flywheel mass: 900g

Switching transistors: 2N3055

Solenoid model: SOLEN 121E16530 (with built in flyback diode)

Total mass of engine: 6kg approximately

Exhaust emissions: zero

More information:

A solenoid engine uses the magnetic pull of solenoids to turn a crankshaft, and resembles the architecture of an internal combustion engine. The crankshaft on this engine is made up of one hundred and forty individual parts bolted together, and is fully counterweighted to balance the rotational mass. The flywheel is an old drill / lathe chuck of some sort (army surplus), the engine has a tachometer pulse generator on the rear of the timing / distributor shaft to run the red LED tachometer, it uses Meccano timing chain and sprockets, and has a key ignition switch for added style. This engine can run both as a four stroke or as a two stroke, and can switch while running. This engine does not develop much torque, certainly much less torque than a standard rotary electric motor can produce, for the equivalent power input – for this reason the solenoid engine is just a novelty and an educational model.

I built this engine for fun, from mainly scrap metal and wood, and using mostly hand tools, and a basic drill press, during autumn 2014. It is based on a single cylinder prototype I had previously made here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiFonBrKQk0

Links:

You can watch stages of the V12 engine build here: