Southern countries and desert areas are known for the high percentage of sunlight in daytime. For countries like Libya, Egypt, etc. it is up to 80% and over during daytime measured average for the year. This is an enormous natural energy source that we have not been using efficiently so far. Some sun stations, solar batteries and other similar devices exist but these are still very insufficient. For places like the ones I mentioned earlier, away from electrical supply systems and other energy sources a stationary time-measuring device operating on solar energy could be build up to be used by travelling laboratories, and expeditions.
We decided to use the principle of the device in Figure 4 but now having a substantial in size expansion cylinder with good quality seals. This could be coupled by a mechanical transmission to one or more clocks built in a tower or building framework [9].
The rectilinear reciprocating motion of the piston in the power cylinder could be transformed into a rotary motion. This is provided by means of a screw coaxial to the stem – the piston rod. This screw should have a large pitch thread. For example, the pitch should ensure a lifting angle of thread windings > 40°.
Rotating a disc or gear on this screw could provide rotation for a sunlight reflector. This reflector should stand so that when the cylinder has cooled down and the piston is close to the bottom, respectively the sunlight falls on the cylinder. And vice versa, when the piston is up (the cylinder is heated up), the cylinder should be in the shade [9].
Above thoughts led to an arrangement where the reflector is stationary. A moving obstruction for sunbeams directed at the power cylinder is going to be used. We made a kinematical connection between the 180° rotation of a disc mounted on the screw (piston axis) and this obstruction bar, which has the shape of a wall of a hollow semi-cylinder.
Hence, the reciprocating motion of the piston rod reversibly rotates a disc at ± 180° by means of a couple of saw-tooth face couplings. An obstruction semicylindrical section for the sunbeams is attached to the disc via stands. A reflector with a powerful parabolic mirror directs and focuses sunbeams on a black power cylinder. As a result of the cyclic heating and cooling (shade) the piston performs slow but powerful vertical reciprocating motion. We used a lever system of the type given for Figure 4 to drive a clock(s) or some other type of time indicating device [10].
The arrangement for Figure 6 is finally created. It seems the piston must be fixed and the cylinder must be movable so only the reflector and the cylinder are at the top.