First ever piston engine with a working ignition system!

[RocketBlam]

This reminds me of the computer someone built in Minecraft using Redstone... it was an actual computer built in the game.

That is, doing something the game was not intended for at all, but that actually works. 

You have my like, sir.

[Azimech]

Never mind the wonky propeller, this is the first self-propelled piston-engined "car". Running at an amazing 2.5 km/h.

 

[Majorjim!]

16 hours ago, RocketBlam said:

This reminds me of the computer someone built in Minecraft using Redstone... it was an actual computer built in the game.

That is, doing something the game was not intended for at all, but that actually works. 

You have my like, sir.

It's a mod now. You can literally make anything with a mod.

Just sayin..

Edited May 25, 2016 by Majorjim

[Azimech]

16 hours ago, RocketBlam said:

This reminds me of the computer someone built in Minecraft using Redstone... it was an actual computer built in the game.

That is, doing something the game was not intended for at all, but that actually works. 

You have my like, sir.

I had to create elements resembling electronics. It goes too far to call them digital; I'm already planning to make an analog "piano" with them. With enough work they might evolve into simple logic gates. All with reprogramming stock modules.

[Majorjim!]

Are there any dl links to a working example of this? It's been up for over a month now and we have just seen GIFs. Does it work Azi?
 

[Azimech]

3 minutes ago, Majorjim said:

Are there any dl links to a working example of this? It's been up for over a month now and we have just seen GIFs. Does it work Azi?
 

Still tuning lots of things but I'm close to just go with what I've got for a 0.1 release. Writing the manual ... that's the horrible part. It will take days.

[Azimech]

Improved version, top speed 11 km/h, engine speed 80-120 RPM with a theoretical max of 270, working steering, custom low-drag wheels, fuel consumption dropped by a factor 10.

 

 

 

Edited May 25, 2016 by Azimech

[Majorjim!]

Just now, Azimech said:

fuel consumption dropped by a factor 10.

As it's a mod don't you just mod the fuel consumption value?   Isn't that what you are doing, changing file values?

 Aside from the mod that makes it work what other changes do you need to make to the game to get it to work?

[Azimech]

5 hours ago, Majorjim said:

As it's a mod don't you just mod the fuel consumption value?   Isn't that what you are doing, changing file values?

 Aside from the mod that makes it work what other changes do you need to make to the game to get it to work?

Yep, fuel consumption was totally unrealistic and I changed some values. Until fluid dynamics arrive (if ever).

The mod needs Infernal Robotics and KJR. For designing your own engines it needs Editor Extensions Redux, Part Angle Display makes the job a whole lot easier. V.O.I.D. is perfect for a readout of engine RPM, it's the only one that gives a reliable readout which is readable as well. No changes are needed to the rest of the game.

[Majorjim!]

You should make a flywheel, clutch, driveshaft and differential to drive the rear wheels! Limited slip maybe if possible.

Edited May 26, 2016 by Majorjim

[Azimech]

1 hour ago, Majorjim said:

You should make a flywheel, clutch, driveshaft and differential to drive the rear wheels! Limited slip maybe if possible.

Very complex stuff because of the Unity/KSP limitations but I'll work on it after the 0.1 release.

[Majorjim!]

2 hours ago, Azimech said:

Very complex stuff because of the Unity/KSP limitations but I'll work on it after the 0.1 release.

Basic versions of a clutch and driveshaft should not be too tricky. A differential, yup, that would be harder.

[Azimech]

I've got a request for you guys & gals. Without any more written documentation, can you understand the basics of my ignition system I'm displaying here? It's a WIP.

 

 

Edited May 26, 2016 by Azimech

[Majorjim!]

Just now, Azimech said:

can you understand the basics of my ignition system I'm displaying here?

That seems to be a nice comprehensive explanation of how your mod works but users don't need to know all that though right? For operating the engine I mean.

 

[Azimech]

Just now, Majorjim said:

That seems to be a nice comprehensive explanation of how your mod works but users don't need to know all that though right? For operating the engine I mean.

 

They do if they want to build their own one and it makes it easier to control/troubleshoot the existing one.

[Madrias]

I can somewhat understand it.  Context gives me the rest.  I could probably get one working with some trial and error and fiddling, but I think that's half the fun.

[Majorjim!]

Just now, Azimech said:

They do if they want to build their own one and it makes it easier to control/troubleshoot the existing one.

Well then yes if it does not work and you want others to help fix it would be very helpful. I would make an engine that works mate, post that let people play with it. That seems to be the point of all this right? I get a feeling you think it's not going to work reliably enough to be usable. Am I right?

 

[Azimech]

5 minutes ago, Majorjim said:

Well then yes if it does not work and you want others to help fix it would be very helpful. I would make an engine that works mate, post that let people play with it. That seems to be the point of all this right? I get a feeling you think it's not going to work reliably enough to be usable. Am I right?

 

You'll see my engine and you'll be able to use it when I publish 0.1.

It's just not very powerful but hey ... we all start somewhere :-) My first engines were comparable with performance of the 1860's. By now they're more like 1885. Until a few days ago starting them was a real mess. Now it's as easy as pushing a button, hold the starter and pushing two more buttons.

[Majorjim!]

How does it handle torque forces? Are some of the parts unbreakable? As if it's failing I would just do that, make it unbreakable. At least then its a working engine mod. You could use different powerplants for different things. People could build different vehicles around them.

 That would be awesome.

[Azimech]

1 minute ago, Majorjim said:

How does it handle torque forces? Are some of the parts unbreakable? As if it's failing I would just do that, make it unbreakable. At least then its a working engine mod. You could use different powerplants for different things. People could build different vehicles around them.

 That would be awesome.

Indeed! There are some things to think about though. Here's a small part of the manual I'm writing:

What this mod does:
*Give you the ability to build piston engines in any configuration you like (at this moment, two stroke only, four stroke parts are being developed).

What this mod doesn't do:
*Accurately simulate the Otto or Diesel cycle, since there are no real gases and therefore no fluid & real thermodynamics in KSP.

Current limitations in KSP/Unity:
*It's hard to bring everything to the size of real car engines, the editor camera becomes imprecise at the centimeter scale and the stack balls are larger than the objects.
*There's a lower mass limit, joints become spaghetti or break too easily, also colliders are less safe and with low mass pistons occasionally push through cylinder walls. I don't understand why Unity 5 let's you create a material but won't let it define properties like breaking force/torque and joint stiffness.
*There's a bug in 1.1.x which won't let me define my own sound samples, even some KSP samples won't play with their stock parts. I've issues a bug report.
*Engine RPM is limited to physics update, it becomes increasingly unreliable with RPM higher than 80. 
*Joints become unreliable at speeds over 477 RPM. Again I suspect physics update. Maybe it depends on CPU power.

 

I've updated the beamer control slide, refresh page if interested.

[Azimech]

Something for @Majorjim, currently exporting the clutch to Unity.

[Majorjim!]

Just now, Azimech said:

Something for @Majorjim

Ta muchly! Looks great man.

[Madrias]

Well, I don't mean to pry too much, but so far I've seen inline and radial.  Any other cool arrangements, or are those the limitations?

[Azimech]

5 hours ago, Madrias said:

Well, I don't mean to pry too much, but so far I've seen inline and radial.  Any other cool arrangements, or are those the limitations?

When I've got the time, I'll work on opposed piston, boxer, V, VR and W.

The most interesting configuration is probably the two stroke opposed piston delta.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_Deltic#/media/File:Napier_Deltic_Animation.gif

Edited May 27, 2016 by Azimech

[Madrias]

41 minutes ago, Azimech said:

When I've got the time, I'll work on opposed piston, boxer, V, VR and W.

The most interesting configuration is probably the two stroke opposed piston delta.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier_Deltic#/media/File:Napier_Deltic_Animation.gif

Wow!  Definitely looking forward to this, then.  (Personally, I find the most interesting configuration to be W engines, but that's just because of the crazy amount of cylinders you can get in a small space.)  Still, I find it amazing as to what you've got planned on engine configurations.