[Stoves] Music box guts as a spring powered fan

[drew]

I have been thinking further about the spring powered fan and have come 
up with two idea's that I would like to propose.   I have not had time 
to conduct real testing on either, but feel that I should introduce the 
idea so that others can incorporate it into their thinking

1.    After examining and dissembling a music box I noted that the 
spring mechanism is regulated by using a small, quite high speed fan.   
I removed the sound "comb" to increase the energy available to the fan, 
and found that it would run at consistent high speed for almost 2 
minutes.    I also considered using a mechanical spring powered 
metronome, but found the least expensive one I could find locally was 
60.00     The very small high speed fan is designed to regulate the 
movement of the mechanism and so is not optimized for air flow but none 
the less when I held my finger close to the contained fan I could feel a 
very strong air flow.   I held the small fan about 3/4" away from lit 
large bee's wax candle and it was extinguished instantly.   The 
mechanism I used was a sanyo and is available at this site for $2.55 in 
quantiles of 50,  and just under 5.00 for single units it is the first 
site I looked at and sells what apears to be a unit identical to the one 
I have.

http://www.klockit.com/products/dept-166__sku-GGGJJ.html

I have not looked to sanyo to see how large they make them, though I 
believe I have seen much larger units.   This unit uses a spring steel 
coil whose shell is less than 3/4 inch diameter.
I suspect that the people at sanyo might consider making a purpose built 
unit for this use or might already manufacture a unit that could be more 
suitably re purposed.

I contacted Lee Valley tools to see if they still carried them, and they 
responded within an hour!   Saying that they did not carry them anymore 
but sent 3 links of places that do.

http://www.nationalartcraft.com/group3.htm   
http://www.rockler.com/ecom7/product_group.cfm?&DID=6&CATID=86&ObjectGroup_ID=498 
http://www.murrayclock.ca/product_info.php?cPath=28_77&products_id=228  
 

2.   In my recent web travels I have found a large number of websites 
promoting "rat trap race cars"    These are simple mouse trap powered 
cars that use the long lever arm of the mouse trap to pull a string, 
which is wrapped around a small diameter axle to which the cars wheels 
are attached.   The simple springs used in mouse traps can be made from 
piano wire very simply.    I will attempt to use one to power a larger 
fan that I have, but would like suggestions, or to see other people 
attempt to use them to power a computer pancake fan, as these fans are 
optimized for low volume airflow against a slight pressure 
differential.    A big design issue that I can see with these is that it 
may be difficult to have a fan both provide speed regulation, and 
optimal airflow, the half full cup is that their is a large number of 
sizes readily available, and by adding extensions to the lever are a 
wide range of speed/load values should be obtainable from them.  To be 
clear what I am proposing is using the axle that would have driven a 
wheel, to drive a fan.    The students record on the last website listed 
is 19 meters of travel on a hard surface, using the standard small mouse 
trap.    There are a large number of these kinds of springs that might 
be much more appropriate for our use.
  
These are a few web pages about these toy cars note that most use the 
standard mouse trap, I think for re purposing that I propose the larger 
"rat trap" would be more appropriate.


http://www.docfizzix.com/how_work.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mousetrap_car

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/5080/

In both cases these would be less expensive than any electric fan system 
I have seen purposed, and would be automatically time limited, to help 
conserve food.   As I understand the intended use of these fans in most 
instances they are mostly needed to assist the startup of gas creation, 
and occasionally needed for the temporary higher heat output.   I 
envision a system with perhaps a handle projecting from the stove, with 
a lever below it which could "pump" the spring.   Giving a significant 
temporary airflow that could be used frequently when required, but not 
be needed during simmering.    To be certain these would not compete 
with an electric battery powered fan, which could probably run for a 
number of hours on a single charge, but, few people need to cook for 
hours at a time and I would suggest that using a time limited fan system 
will help maintain  the low fuel consumption that I believe is a primary 
goal of these stoves.

One question I have is does anyone know what the output watts of the 
Philips stoves energy source, in terms of watts delivered to the fan?

All the best
Drew






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