ZJchao Stirling Engine Kit, Low Temperature Stirling Engine Motor Steam Heat Education Model Toy

Bought for my uncle who is a DIY engineer. Ended up buying one for myself. Hypnotic and addictive to watch. Works well on a cup of tea or coffee. Very easy to assemble. Looks good even when not operating.MELTED ON MY STOVE. It was left on my wood burning stove, the clear plastic sides and the foam inside melted rendering the engine completely useless.

BAsic functional sterling engine. Only minor gripe is that there's sometimes a slight squeek as it rotates.Made for an ideal gift.

Most low cost Stirling engines using candles or similar as heat sources are a pain to get working reliably.The energy available is marginal to do the job, so a little bit of extra friction, a bit of disorientation of connecting rods etc and it wont work.This however is a delight ,looks good and works well even when your coffee is 10 minutes cooler than fresh..

This is not a toy. Age should be 12 + as assembly is fiddly and bits are delicate. No assembly instructions just a cheerful "assemble so it looks like the picture". there are only three parts so it is difficult to go wrong! However the connecting rods from the pistons are attached to the crankshaft pins by small hooks. These hooks have a small "bump/protuberance" on the end. This bump prevents the connecting robs from falling off the pins when the engine rotates. If the bumps are slightly too large they also prevent the connecting rods going over the pins. I needed to gently file a very small amount of metal off the bumps so that the rods would attach to the pins yet still stay on the pins when rotating.. Only three light strokes with a file was sufficient fettling to get the job done. No lubrication was needed on the piston. Beware there are some sharp edges on the base but probably not enough to actually cut.If you place the engine on top of a mug of boiling water the engine will start in about 60 seconds. It may not self start as that will depend on the position of the crank in terms of its stroke. Engine will run for about 40 minutes before stopping. It will also work if placed on a bag of frozen peas but not as energetically or for as long.There is no explanation about how a Sterling engine works but a quick look on Wikipedia will explain everything and more.It's a simple model of an important bit of mechanical history. I don't know if it is value for money but I was happy that I bought it. It started a useful discussion on thermodynamics and energy conversion after Xmas dinner which was probably more virtuous than watching yet more television.

I got this for my granddaughter as she is addicted to science stuff.Not sure why some say it is awkward to put together, we found it very simple. Kettle on, good excuse for a cup 'o tea, and first experiment started. It really did go fast and she understood the principles of it, she is 10 and very bright. We set a timer and got on with other thins, amazingly it took quite some time to eventually stop. Once removed, cleaned and allowed to cool down I asked her if it would work with cold, same principle. She wasn't 100% sure but we put it on a tray of ice cubes, gave it a minute and gently started it. Thankfully it did work, as it should do. Afterwards I asked her to explain what she had learned, she got it all.Educational and fun, can't beat it.

Used with boiling hot water in a mug, it takes a couple of minutes to get going but then spins fast for a few minutes, gradually decreasing speed until it stops. Surprisingly effective. It can be set spinning again several times with a little encouragement. After a while it stops (presumably the top plate has become a similar temperature to the bottom). Nice quality and a good demonstation. I'm guessing that an ice cube on the top surface might help too?

Fun to put on top of your coffee cup and watch the wheel go round and round.

Looked good for a few days then it stopped working. The big black piston became detached from piston. Can't see how to contact seller only return it.