Jim R. Larsen

I have always been drawn to hobbies that spark my curiosity, problem solving, and creativity. For the past several years I have been designing and building small Stirling engines. I was challenged by an engineer to see if it would be possible to design a Stirling engine that would run from the heat of a hand, yet be something that could be built without a machine shop for under $30. I spent the next several years researching and experimenting with different designs. I had a lot of fun working out problems with friction and momentum while keeping things as simple and low tech as possible. The end result is what you see in the first book, "Three LTD Engines You Can Build Without a Machine Shop".

I have continued to apply many of the lessons learned in my LTD research to make improvements to another low tech Stirling engine: The Pop Can Engine. I want students and others who build these simple engines to experience success. I have come up with a design that improves the ability of the pop can engine to cool itself, resulting in an air cooled motor that does not require the operator to continually add ice or cold water to keep the engine running.

My next projects include some new Low Temperature Differential designs for the LTD builder, and a new Pop Can Engine as well. I have been challenged to create a can engine design that can be built from easily obtainable materials and constructed in just a few hours.