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As it seems we have now included the actual solar powered engines (Sun Motor & Sun Runner) of Solar Engines of Phoenix Arizona, and by extension, PM Research as well, I'll include here a link to another great Forum where I did a thread on some comparative experiments between the two engine types.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/modelsteam/viewtopic.php?p=1156505#p1156505
Sadly, it seems that the accompanying YouTube videos have been decoupled from that original thread, but I can probably post them back up here if there is interest!?!? -
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Stoker: that was a very interesting series of experiments you ran on those Sun motors !
I had the chance years ago to participate (as a low level tech) on two Stirling projects. But I didn’t even get to see the engines , just the proposed heat sources.
One was a NASA project to use metal panels to conduit a gas or liquid to the Stirling engine for heat. The second project was for Sandia National Laboratory involving trying to keep the reflective surface “shiny” on the reflective array (dust was a nemesis ).
I guess those Sun motors could have benefited from a “tracking” type tripod as used in astronomical telescopes to keep the dish aligned with the “moving” sun. But that little device would be kinda expensive over-kill for a toy /demo.
Still those Sun motors are fun to watch in action, and are an excellent engine example of what the 1970’s was hoping would solve an Energy Crisis (or provide power for disco balls)
Today the marketing for those Solar/Sun engines might name them the popular 2020 buzzwords —— Systemic Free Range Diversity Existential Engines (or Little Greta’s how-dare-you motors)
1978 magazine cover
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I’ve been working on getting the “ratty” JEMCO engine cleaned and running. So far it’s not as bad as it first appeared. The displacer piston was easily cleaned off, as was the graphite power piston , but the inside of the heat cap was filled with old red rust dust and a little burnt oil deposit. The little rubber “o” rings on the power piston pin were deteriorated. Not a big deal, and probably normal for a 25+ year old engine. Easy fix.
[new heat cap parts still available at PM Research https://www.pmmodelengines.com/shop/solar/solar-accessories/replacement-heat-cap/ ]
Pic from early 1978 Owners Manual Model 1
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Nice cutaway view. I don't have the owner's manual for mine.
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Hero, I changed the cutaway pic title to reflect that it was from early 1978 manual. Earlier John Griffin letters show that Solar Engines must not have had too many Owners Manuals ready to ship with the engines, and thus Griffin was promising to send the Owners Manual latter.
One important point of interest that may contribute to solving the mystery of the Thermal Energy engines is look closely at the above cut-away. It shows a very early engine with a different power piston and a “knuckle” for a wrist pin. These two features were not present on latter 1977 engines , thus maybe cutaway is from early Thermal Energy version closely copied (not exact) from Davies-Charlton.
Also, I found 1977 advertising brochure promising the Sun motor to be introduced in Summer 1978.
Pic Circa 1977-78 “Tomorrow’s Promise”
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There's an article in here on the Sun Motor. Says that the "Steam Age" store is the official UK distributor for it, but don't go looking for the store, because it closed in the 1980's.
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I have been cleaning , polishing, and adjusting the “ratty” JEMCO engine so as to get it to run. Both cylinder bores in the heat cap and the power cylinder needed a delicate 0000 steel wool polish. The heat cap had a sticky crust of burned oil inside the base of the tube, I scraped out with a dental pick; wire wheeled the outside of the cap to clean. Moderate work was needed to re-tap the screw holes and cut screws to mount the cooling fin/power piston cyl assembly as some previous owner really messed those holes up. I re-installed the heat cap with a single wrap of teflon plumbers tape on the threads in hopes of giving it a better seal, and perhaps making it easier to remove the cap in the future (like new PMR models) . Finally I did a quicky touch-up on the screwdriver slot in the base that aids removal of the “fuel cell cap”. {trick to a get close color match was to squirt a few drops of 2 different green spray paints I had onto a piece of glass, then mix the greens with a toothpick and apply as tiny paint drops onto the damaged engine area with toothpick}.
Catman had ask a previous question about oiling the “bushing’” in the displacer shaft , it turns out that Solar used 2 kinds of bushings and the ‘Oilite’ one was not recommended to be lubed.
Oh, and as I was searching the internet for an original Owners Manual for these engines I came across another engine I reluctantly added to my collection. I will post about it latter and copies of 1977 owners manual.
Cleaned and run-able JEMCO engine:
Apx. Paint matching for touchup on pry hole (it’s still wet in pic)
https://vimeo.com/452329924
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So is this engine marked JEMCO in any way?
Or is it just marked:
PHOENIX ARIZONA
SOLAR ENGINES
?
The only fliers I've seen from JEMCO, just offered some hobby tools and an assortment of Wilesco steam engines and accessories, and also a couple of the little L S Loc engines.
The only other reference I've seen to JEMCO is the small print on the back of some Solar #1 manuals, where its found as:
SOLAR ENGINES (in large bold print)
A DIVISION OF JEMCO IMPORTERS, INC.
If you have other references available, I'd certainly love to see or hear about them!
I do suppose it fair to reference this era of SOLAR ENGINES as the JEMCO Solar #1, in the same way that SOLAR ENGINES is now a division of PM RESEARCH, and we often refer to the engines sold under their banner as the PMR Solar #1. However, in my mind it seems a little awkward, as in calling a 1955 Chevy Bel-Air a GMC Bel-Air just because Chevrolet was a division of GMC.
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Here are more pictures of my 8000-series engine. Hope they help.
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So is this engine marked JEMCO in any way?.............................
Stoker: There is no “JEMCO” marked on the engine. I simply used that “JEMCO” term in the context of this forum thread to give some point of difference between my 2 engines. The engine was accompanied with advertising stating “SOLAR ENGINES A DIVISION OF JEMCO IMPORTERS INC”, and it also came with the Andy Ross 2nd edition book that clearly references the same address for JEMCO as Solar Engines in the bibliography pg 120 , and on the back cover.
If you have other references available, I'd certainly love to see or hear about them!
I do suppose it fair to reference this era of SOLAR ENGINES as the JEMCO Solar #1, in the same way that SOLAR ENGINES is now a division of PM RESEARCH, and we often refer to the engines sold under their banner as the PMR Solar #1. However, in my mind it seems a little awkward, as in calling a 1955 Chevy Bel-Air a GMC Bel-Air just because Chevrolet was a division of GMC.
SO I called the engine a JEMCO purely because it was shorter than the long title with address... and I could verify three associated points of data to do so. I consider the JEMCO moniker simply as a name placeholder until a better name is found by consensus.
As I mentioned prior in this thread, that particular engine did have a REGISTERED TRADEMARK symbol. That trademark symbol denotes a very high level of identity because it would have been officially/legally issued by the United States Patent And Trademark Office. https://www.uspto.gov/trademark
I did try and search the TESS database etal to see who and when the Solar Engines Trademark (or any Patents) were issued to, but that search query proved massive and onerous. Solar Aviation of San Diego and Des Moines (since 1929) had a lot of “engines” but focused on turbines (they became part of International Harvester then Caterpillar). It is to Solar Engines Phoenix credit that Solar Aviations’ name holders did not fight the trademark name given to Solar in Phoenix !
To prove an entity such as a company existed or exist, one of the best ways is to produce a patent or trademark issued by the US Government or other equally reputable source. Note — It appears PM Research does still hold a registered trademark on Solar Engines and the little engine logo.
{Stoker —- regarding a 1955 Chevy Bel-Air ... well it is officially known as a “Chevrolet Division General Motors Corp Series C 2400 wb 115 Passenger Bel Air with codes for Style, Body , Trim , Paint , Top , ACC and Body By Fischer”. The detailed “numbers matching” craze in collectors makes this important because a nice 4 door 1955 Bel Air is worth about $25000, and a nice 1955 Bel Air Nomad is valued at about $100,000. 1955 GMC is another can of worms as it is “General Motors Truck manufactured by GMC Truck and Coach Division etc etc etc “ —— antique car and truck collector’s can be overly obsessive about identity !
]
Ok , so this post is getting long, but wait .... I found that the real name of the 1977 Solar #1 isn’t that at all. It’s called “Stirling Cycle Engine 1817-1977 Model 1 “.
I’ll provide evidence in my next posting.
Back Base Plate On “JEMCO” engine —>
Letterhead accompanying “JEMCO”
Hero; Nice pics ! I will post pics of the Dec 1977 Owners Manual of my #61** Thermal Energy Engine in my next post. My Thermal EE has a ferrous metal power piston (attracts magnet) , does yours ?
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After sifting through much old literature from Solar Engines Phoenix AZ I found that the company did not call the original engine a “Solar #1, nor was it named a Hot Air engine, nor Thermal Energy Engine. The actual name was staring me in the face after I found an original Owners Manual with a December 1, 1977 letter signed by John I Griffin stuffed inside the Manual. While Solar Engine #1 is what PM Research is currently calling that model, “Stirling Cycle Engine 1817-1977 Model 1” is what the original Solar Engines called it, and they often dropped the 1817-1977 part but retained the Stirling Cycle Engine Model 1 reference. Latter JEMCO Solar Engines 1980’s advertising calls that model their quote — “Original” Stirling Cycle Engine.
Here is the 1st 5 pages of the Dec 1977 referenced Owners Manual. More to follow. There is no copyright, no author listed, and the company on back page is defunct. There is also no page numbers, so I have put them in order.
COVER —>
PAGE 1 —->
Page 2 —->
Page3 —->
Page 4 —->
Page 5 —->
More of the 11 page Owners Manual to follow in next post.
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And as promised , here are the remaining page scans from the original circa 1977 Owners Manual.
Note that this is an early Owners Manual for the Model 1 and latter years had several major revisions.
Page 6 —->
Page 7—>
Page 8 —->
Page 9—>
Back Cover —->
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Great manual! Says it all! Interesting name, too.
AND AS FOR THIS:
"Hero; Nice pics ! I will post pics of the Dec 1977 Owners Manual of my #61** Thermal Energy Engine in my next post. My Thermal EE has a ferrous metal power piston (attracts magnet) , does yours?"
My thermal EE has a graphite power piston.
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