This Atkinson differential engine was built by Roger Butzen of Texas, and loaned to the Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum as part of the Engine Collection of Paul and Paula Knapp. Mr. Butzen’s Atkinson engine is 14”-long, 12”-wide, 16”-high, and weighs 26 lbs.
This is a type of internal combustion engine invented by James Atkinson in 1882. Mr. Atkinson produced three different designs, with the differential engine being the first. The differential engine is arranged as an opposed piston engine, with a single crankshaft connected to two opposed pistons through a toggle-jointed linkage that has a nonlinearity. In each revolution, one piston provides a compression stroke and a power stroke, and then the other piston provides an exhaust stroke and a charging stroke.