Power Cube almost built

Days 35-37

Last weekend’s Power Cube workshop was a multi-faceted learning experience. Workshop attendees Luke and Lourdes Crowley learned the ins and outs of the PowerCube v7 and the Micro Power Cube.

At the same time, the interns learned a great deal about the intersection of planning, organization, documentation, and fabrication.

Moriah Baltz documents Emily Dixon’s work on the control panel of the Power Cube. Photo by Stephen Whiting

Brenna Fitzpatrick, Guillaume Coudray and and Edo Licina assemble parts inside the Power Cube frame.

Instead of ending on Sunday, work on the Power Cube extended into Monday and still has yet to be fully completed. The Power Cube has been completely assembled; however, there is a problem with the engine that is preventing it from operating.

Here’s what is happening:

When someone turns the key to ignition, the motor turns by the starter motor. The motor turns at an expected rate and sparks are created by the spark plugs.

Yet, there is no combustion happening inside the engine. Why might this be?

The battery checks out, the wiring is up to spec, and the fuel pump appears to be operating correctly. Spark plugs aren’t the issue, because Power Cube expert Tom Griffing tested to confirm they worked.

One possibility is the fuel delivery solenoid may not be fully actuating, which means the combustion chambers aren’t receiving gas. This might be caused by the solenoid not receiving proper charge or simply being defective.

Hydraulics are most likely not the problem, because hydraulics work off of the motor, which won’t run.

Fortunately, Tom brought a Power Cube that works with him, which OSE has bought for use during the next MicroHouse build.

Aidan Williamson co-authored this post.