Trying to keep everything together here and adding a video for the little carousel. This is not an "active" link and will need to be copied and pasted. Sorry, my first effort at posting a video. May get better but I doubt it. Hope you like to see everything working.
Jerry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SgIv2uC ... playnext=1

I thought I would edit this and add the finished pictures. Thanks to all that helped with the meter (Alan) and the help on raising the acoustic level of the music box. Now I can start to work on the Philco 111 that has been waiting. I know I got a little carried away, let's just call this a fun and useless project but dang it is cute. Pardon the one pic as I turned off the lights and flash to get the lighting around the project to show. Two joule thief boards are in the power station to power the external LEDs. The "generator" only puts out .8 V at a speed appropriate for carousel. May make some real money taking it to preschools and charging 5 cents to look. I started this steam engine that long ago to go into a tug boat I was building. In hast, I went with an electric motor, but always wanted to see the engine running. I have attached a couple of pictures of it and indeed, it runs like hell on 20 psi of air. enjoy (or not) the pictures.
Jerry

http://www.mcmaster.com/#socket-head-cap-screws/=h856qy

Very cool ! I always wanted to make a small piston steam engine. Hope this helps.

Really neat!! I would like to see a video of it running!

Dave

Thanks for the link, Threeneurons. Unfortunately they don't seem to carry set screws. Great choices on various style cap heads though. Still looking, ACE, nada. Home depot, nada.
Jerry

Set screws?

http://www.mcmaster.com/#set-screws/=h8dl4u

oh, McMaster's got some of everything!

Mike Y

Thanks Mike, I seemed to have missed the set screw section. Looks like the smallest they carry are 6-32, looking for a pair of 2-56.
Jerry

Nice job.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#set-screws/=h8hxh2

Look at Thread size on left

jimmie

try here.

http://rtlfasteners.com/RC/k.html

Thanks guys, looks like I can get what I want. Not overly expensive but 50? Anyone else need 48 of these things? Can supply I guess for free (postage not included). At any rate, a little more work on the motor to do some rod alignment and it sure runs sweet. A nice change from working on radios. Getting the lathe and mill up and running. Really better than hearing a radio come to life. After all, this project was 30 years in the making and then have start to spinning was a real treat.

Jerry

Heh - yeah; cheap, but by the box.
Now we see how Home Depot manages to sell 6 screws for $2 in those hang tags.
Meh, get 'em for your project, then list the other 48 on 'For Sale'.

Shouldn't take but a 'Forever Stamp', some tape and some 'paper towel' around the set screws, and an envelope for everyone who responds...

Mike Y

More often than not I find that buying a box of 50 or 100 widgets at McMaster is cheaper than driving around to get the 10 needed for a project. Been buying from them for many years. The downside is that my shop's walls are lined up with plastic trays full of the "left overs".

Thank you all but apparently none of you had to buy these set screws and have 40+ left over. So I shall have to bite the bullet and become the owner of 40+. Just remember, if you need any you know where to come to.

Jerry

Well Jerry, problem is that there isn't that great of a need for 2-56 setscrews... Maybe 4-40 but for other than someone that works on miniatures, 2-56 are too small.

That said, even if you threw away the leftovers, what you would have had to pay to get just a few locally [even IF they were available] would have cost you more than the 50 from MCM-C.

I know, I know... I hate throwing stuff away too.

Eh, I'll take, at least 5 of 'em....

Well, received my 10 ea. 2-56 set screws today. Shipping was almost $6! I can now see why. Well, I only received 9 but below is the packaging. These could have gone into an envelope in a small zip lock bag or at worse in a small padded envelope. These guys are shipping idiots!
Jerry

> These could have gone into an envelope in a small zip lock bag or....

Yes; it's as if they only have the boxes.
Smaller vendors and some ebayers have sent stuff like that (a crystal, a knob...) in a padded envelope.
Free or maybe $2.50 shipping.

That's why when I buy from a 'major' vendor (who only has boxes) like Mouser or Digikey, I try & save up several items for that order...

Mike Y

bump, new picture and question on first post.
Jerry

Another question, anyone know a source for small meters that I might use to monitor the power of my generator set? Like something the grandkids can look at. Ideal would be a meter that centered and would display +1 volts to -1 volts. Steam engine running forward and reverse.
Thanks Jerry