Poppapope's Steam Car

Water Level and Boiler Burner Controls

I modify the STW Boiler Water Level Controls

STW provides a multi-stage method of controlling the boiler/burner. There is an infrared (IR) based sensor inserted in the back of the water reflex glass assembly that watches the water level. This is tethered to some low-voltage electronics. The basic operation of the electronics, as provided by STW, is to interrupt the power to the burner relay if the water level drops below the sensor. The system is in series with the Boiler Steam Pressure switch so either one will interrupt the power to the relay, and both must be ok in order to enable the relay.

This method allows for the cut-off of the boiler if it starts to run dry or exceeds the max pressure, but it does little to assist in keeping the boiler at a good working level.

The electronic components in the provided setup are simple; the IR sensor, a 5 volt power regulator, a small board to analyze the IR signal and turn it into a 5Volt High/Low trigger signal. This trigger signal goes into a relay control board. The board looks for a change from Low(0V) to High(5V) and visa versa.

When the water level is above the sensor, meaning that the sensor is covered, the signal is LOW and the

relay board triggers and holds the relay. This passes the 12V power on to the pressure switch. When the water level changes and the sensor is uncovered, the signal goes HIGH and the relay releases, killing the 12V to the pressure switch and turning off the burner relay, thus the burner.

The Reflex Glass and Sensor

My Modifications - Additions to the Controls

Looking at the provided controls, I immediately saw a couple of things that I wanted to modify. First was that I do not want to mount the control box to the side panel directly. When I get the side panels, I want to be able to remove them easily. So the electronics will get mounted to a plate that is attached to the frame.

When I tested the circuit, I also noticed that occasionally the relay would "flutter". This was caused by water droplets remaining on the sensor. (I dunked the sensor in a cup for testing.) My concern is that this flutter might confuse the burner. The power to the burner is actually directed to an inverter that powers the burner. So any flutter would go to the inverter, and then on to the burner. Now it may be that the inverter is robust enough that a rapid on/off will not cause any issues. Maybe it is smart and does not pass the high voltage unless it sees a stable 12V input. But I am betting that this may not be the case.

So I started looking at how to "De-Bounce" the flutter caused by the relay being powered on/off rapidly. At the same time I decided to look into a way to control the "Feedwater Bypass". There is a manual valve controlled by a lever next to the Parking Brake and Reversing Gear Control. The driver can turn the lever and close the valve. This will force the water from the pumps against the check-valve at the boiler and refill the boiler. If I put an "automatic" valve downstream of the manual one, I could use the water level sensor to determine when to close the valve.

There is an available contact on the STW Relay board that will work opposite of the burner output. When the burner goes off due to water level change, this output can provide 12V to the valve, closing it. When the water level increases, then the relay will re-trigger the burner output and the valve will loose it's power supply which will open it.

Seems like a win-win but there is a catch. Doing the solution this way, would cycle the process right at the minimum water level. The boiler will run more efficiently with water higher up. So how to continue to pump after the boiler re-fires? The answer is to move the valve controls to a circuit that can be triggered by the water level but then run for a set period of time. Assuming you are driving around, this would continue to allow the pumps to fill the boiler. Testing will allow for the determination of the timing for the fill period.

To do this I found a "Re-Triggerable Delay Timer" circuit board from www.mpja.com, one of my favorite places on the web. By using "COS" (Commercial Off Shelf" devices I know I will be able to replace any failed pieces, and those of you that are not comfortable with building circuits can replicate what I have done.

Obviously, paying attention to the water level while driving and manually controlling the bypass is the proper way to go, BUT having the pumps refill the boiler automatically if the level drops to the cutoff point is an additional backup to prevent scorching the boiler.

Here is a "tour" of the system.

And here is a demonstration of how it actually works.

Here is a schematic of this part of my electronic controls. The full schematic of the overall car is posted as a page on the right.

NOTE:

Today is April 20, I heard last night from Dean at STW with a further update on my remaining parts. From what I am seeing in the pictures, I am planning on receiving my next/last shipment (kits 15-24) in June.

Thanks for reading,

Poppapope

Denver, CO USA

Driving Lights and Stuff

Just Puttering Around

Well, the good news is that STW seems to be working thru the backlog. They formed a new group on Facebook that gives production updates to all the registered "owners" of the current production runs. As long as they keep up the flow of information, this will be great. I am going on two years from getting the initial shipments of kits, and I will be the first to admit that at times I wondered if my "investment" was at risk. Since seeing the production updates, even those from other models, I have gone from "concerned" to "relaxed".

I find myself reading over Grier's blog, watching some videos from Jim Trotta and picking up the items they found to be helpful. I am also building "shopping" lists but waiting for parts to actually show up before pulling the trigger.

I have also been working on the side driving lots, the tail and stop lights, and license plate lamp as well.

Side Lamps

When I first signed up for the Lyka with STW, Dean had a pair of Lucas driving lamps on his "used" listing of the website. We negotiated for these as well as a Carriage Bell and they were included in the initial pallet load. Now that things are progressing, I have been converting my various lamps to LED in order to lower the current draws and put them under control from my dash switch circuits.

When I got these, there were still "oil" lamps with wicks/burners included. I removed the burner assembly and attached a socket in its place. I used a "soft" adhesive that could be pealed off in the future if someone desired.

I attached a twin-lead cable to the wires coming off the socket and routed it out the slot in the housing (where the knob for adjusting flame height used to be). This way everything stays intact.

Next I mounted the lamps on the upper body frames, right behind the driver's seat. I used the brake and shifter quadrant as the determining measurement, and matched it on the other side.

Rear Lamp Wire Harness

During the latest spring snow I took the time to make up a wire harness for the Stop and Tail Lamps. When I originally started working on the electrical system, I ran the feeder cable for the stop lamps to one side of the chassis (rear end) and the tail lamps went to the other side. Then I actually picked the lamp units for the tail and I picked some Model A dual lamp tail lights. This meant that I needed to get the missing leads to the other side of the rear and visa-versa.

I also had to take into account that there was going to be a burner unit hanging off the end and I imagined that portions of the area inside the rear end (trunk?) might get a little warm.

So I made up a harness that routed the feeds back and forth, allowed for the connections to the original wired, and also allowed things to be disconnected when needed.

Here is the result:

The cable I used is plenum rated, which means it stands up to heat, and then I cased it in the ols-style sleeves to add another layer of protection.

That just about does it for now. It snowed again yesterday, so it will be a day or two before the garage warms up for more "puttering time"

Thanks for readings,

Poppapope

Denver, Co USA

A Status Update from STW.

Progress Report

Last week I received an email from Dean at STW. It was addressed to me, but I assume other Lyka subscribers also received it. Dean lays out that they are indeed making progress and that my pile is growing larger. Most of the parts have been created, bought, assembled.

The boiler still seems to be a bit delayed, no details on exactly why. I suspect that the copper tubing is still in short supply.

Here are some of the pictures he shared:

A stack of body panels

A "Kit" being pulled together

Bins of parts waiting to be picked

Not sure what this part is.

Steam manifold assembly. I hope that the outlets line up with the steam chest inlets.

It seems we are getting closer.

Thanks for reading,

Poppapope

Denver, Co USA

February 2024

Something I could not resist

I was wondering around Facebook and found a group that features parts for steam cars for sale. In there I saw a pressure gauge listed:

So how could I pass this up? I didn't.

I did some additional digging and found that in theory a pressure gauge works best when the system is setup to read about mid range on the gauge. So since the Lyka is setup to run around 250 PSI, this gauge should fit the bill quite nicely.

When it came in I felt that it would need a good cleaning and re-calibration. I searched the inter-web and found that there were very few people that would service the gauge. Finally as I was checking out links on Grier's blog, I hit upon: http://www.steamcatalogs.com/ and a gentleman named Terry Jones in Wisconsin. We corresponded and I sent him the gauge to work on. You have to be patient, he is busy and also 87 years old, but a couple of months later I got it back.

According to documents on the British Car website, the gauge was made in 1903, close enough for me.

I am not sure exactly where I am going to mount it, again - just waiting for the rest of the kits to show up.

Thanks for reading,

Poppapope

Denver, CO USA

January 2024 -

And so it goes - or so it seems -

Early days of the Stanley's and Steamers:

As the time continues to pass without being able to make real progress on the build, I decided to do additional research on the early days of the "company". There are a couple of sources on those early days of the automobile. The one I think of as contemporaneous is the weekly newspaper called the "Horseless Age" that was published in New York. I also have been able to find a number of references to the early days of the collaboration via the advertising campaigns that took place. By looking at the dates of publication and also skimming the articles and columns in the paper, I find that the initial startup was named "The Automobile Company of America" in Spring of 1899. Evidently, there was a challenge to the use of the name "Automobile" and by July 1899 the name was changed to Locomobile. The initial advertising featured the Stanley Brothers in the "Model 1" which was actually built in 1898 (seems like only one was produced, but 100-200(actual amount unclear) were on order before the brothers sold to Walker and Barber. The initial factory was known as The Stanley Factory in Newton, MA. Soon after the factory was moved to Bridgeport, Ct.

The published history of the Locomobile Steamers goes on to layout all the permutations of the various models and details the changes in size and shape.

We all know the Lykamobile is at best a "Tribute" replica of the Locomobile Steamers. I have chosen the original "Model 1" as the source of my "inspiration". As such, I have used the Newton, MA address on the nameplate I had created.

Here are examples of the early advertising:

The name badges have also evolved, again the first showing Newton as the location. Here is an image of the one I found in an archive:

This is the style I have modeled my plate after.

Of course, I have to have my own plate for the final reveal of the finished buggy.

Cabin Fever

Late last year I received a couple of emails from STW. The first were listings of the parts yet to come and an inventory of those on hand. Then came a general apology for the delays in production with a promise that the backlog should be closed up by late January. The actual "Boiler Inspection" schedule is still a bit vague, but I am hopeful that by mid February we will have a plan in place for shipping in the remaining kits.

During this delay period, I have been reading, again and again, the build logs of the previous builders I have found on the web. Grier in S.C. has been an invaluable resource, and there have been a scattering of other logs and videos from other models going back to the original company.

As a result I have determined some modifications and additions I will want to make once the build is under way again.

1. Add a semi-automatic oiler for cross-heads and valve guide bearing surfaces. Using a Leukenheimer oiler, attached to a manifold and distributed via 1/8" copper tubing.

2. Follow Grier's advise and secure the inner guts of the water-pumps to keep the check-valves from getting out of wack.

3. Finalize the design of the lighting on the rear of the Lyka. Colorado DMV will have a requirement for Brake Lamps. I decided on adapting the Dual Lamp models from a Model A to my use.

4. Finalize the rear driving lamp circuit to include a LED modified lantern and License Plate bracket.

5. Add a powered horn. I decided to use a foot switch in the future floor section, and picked up a little beep-beep horn for a moped. I will also have a full sized Rubes Air-Bulb Horn, Bermuda Carriage Bell, and Steam Whistle. Colo DMV requires the powered horn, the rest are just because.

Here are the bits and pieces I have acquired, the actual install will come later.

OILER SYSTEM

LIGHTS

HORN

Once the weather clears a bit and I can schedule a couple of days in the garage, I will get the wiring harness extended to add the lamps and horn.

Thanks for reading,

Poppapope

Denver, CO USA

October Activities - Small Projects

Report from STW

I heard last week from Dean at Steam Traction World (STW). He is the Director or General Manager of the company. I suspect he is also the owner, but I do not know for sure. The UK has quite a number of different terms for everyday things.

Dean and I have corresponded and talked over the past two years during my association with STW. I have been somewhat frustrated over the extended time the production is taking and Dean wanted to set the record straight.

STW has been affected by the last 3 years in much the same way as other industries. Suppliers have been unable to meet schedules, a number of the foundries they deal with have closed, people retired or moved on, and production has suffered delays.

Dean has assured me that the Lykamobile production is getting back on track and he feels that the remaining kits will be produced by the end of the year. Over the past month I have seen reports and inventory lists for the various kits and I am feeling comfortable with the promise that my investment is not at risk. Which is good because I am not sure what I could do with a 1/2 a steam buggy.

Dean sent me some pictures of more boilers under construction. If this is all of the Lyka boilers, then it looks like there are 8 other Lyka projects out in the world and underway. It would be great to hear from the other builders and get to know them. So if anyone reading this blog is currently building a Lyka please let me know and we can compare notes as we finish over the next months.

Louvers

The original Locomobile had a body made of wood panels. Parts were made from or covered in leather, and the side panels on most models had strips of wood running horizontally on both sides. These strips resemble louvers but in fact are not functional. Grier, on his blog, showed that he had found a number of drawings relating to the features on the side panels for both Locomobile and also Mobile (offshoot of the original Loco) models of the time.

Using these drawings as a guide, I started looking for pieces of wood I could use as louvers. From what I could determine from previous STW production runs, the body panels are provided smooth so whatever additional features will have to be added by myself. I could not find the tear-drop shaped (side view) slats of wood already formed as louvers and I have limited wood shop tools. I decided to buy some slats that were already close in shape from our local wood-working store. Then I set up a sanding jig to allow me to get them into a shape closer to what we needed.

A little more clean up and I have a nice stack of "louvers." Now it came time to decide on the color scheme. I had already decided to accent my build with "British Racing Green" (BRG) and some of the engine parts have been painted that color. I started looking for additional sources for the color and find that there are a number of versions to BRG and so I stayed with type I used on the engine. This is actually Engine Paint that is high heat and has some ceramic of some type in it. It went on smoothly and too the gloss top coat very well. I will put it all aside until the body parts actually come in.

Well, that is about it for this week/month/quarter. First snowfall is supposed to happen this evening, I guess Fall and Winter are really here. I will have limited working time in the garage shop. Time to work on some of those in-side projects I have been putting off.

So - keep an eye out once a month or so just to see if I have gotten anything more from across the pond.

Here are some pictures of the Lyka as I get ready to store her for over the Winter.