Back again...

I have learned the hard way to always back up your important files. A few months ago I accidentally spilled water on my laptop and destroyed it. I lost everything that I was working on and, out of frustration, decided to put this entire project on hold. That was then but now I have a new laptop and it was only a matter of time before I began tinkering with designs again.

I was reading through this blog before posting this and realized that a fresh start may not be such a bad idea. Instead of trying to design any major components, I will solve the problem of valve actuators and position sensors first. Once I have a viable solution, then my focus will shift to intake/exhaust ports, combustion chambers, and piston design. I will worry about what comes after that once the time arrives.

I have been doing some research and found a GM patent that I thought was very interesting. Click here to check it out.

New ideas

Sometimes when you have a problem the best thing you can do is walk away from it. Well I am focused on this project again and some things caught my attention the second I loaded the CAD model today. For starters I am designing the engine block around the position sensors for the valve actuators. They are entirely too big and they rely on magnets. Entirely too much fluid must be displaced to move the valve actuator to a desired position and EMI would affect position sensor accuracy. I can miniaturize the whole system and solve these problems by going with a custom made position sensor. I'm off to start sketching out the new design and rebuilding the CAD model. Here are a few shots of the block before I begin redesigning it for a third time.