DIY Stirling Engine

Stirling engine is a class of great external combustion engines that turn heat (or temperature diffrence) into rotary motion. Named after Robert Stirling, a Scottish clergyman, who invented the machine to avoid the ill effects of the accidents assossiated with steam engines (bad burns to the workers arround, due to the hot steam).

It is a simple design, actually so simple that anyone can  make one out of tin cans. I have seen a great deal of toutorials and videos, how-to's and DIY but I haven't tried yet to make one.

Below is a video series I thought good enough to see, also a MAKE article about a teacup engine (works with a warm cup of tea as a heat source) and an Instructibles toutorial




Here is a video of a stirling engine used as a generator to power a radio. Awesome idea would be to use solar energy to heat the engine instead of fire, or even a biodiesel heating element