Hey fusers! Today I'm going to share with you the building process of my vacuum chamber. Please note that everything I used was tested for strong vacuums and the products you purchase should be tested too! Additionally, be careful and always use a protective screen to protect you in case of implosion!
This is my Vacuum chamber! It required almost a year to build, because each of the components you assemble has to fit perfectly to ensure that there are no leaks, and some of them are pretty hard to find. The diameter of the glass chamber is around 3 inches (7.5 cm), and I find this the best dimension for the vacuum chamber as it provides enough space to fit the inner grid, but not too much, so that it's easier to create vacuum.
On the top right you can see the output where we are going to connect the vacuum pump. I chose to connect it to a ball valve in order to regulate the air inflow and outflow, and being able to keep the vacuum even switching the pump off.
On the other side you can see a barometer, that we are going to use to measure the level of vacuum in the chamber. Note that is should be in the range -1/+1 atm.
The vacuum pump is closed with the caps (that i drilled to fit the other connections) and it should be sealed with a vacuum resistant gasket. Additionally, I'm going to use the clamp shown in the photo, to ensure the seal to be tight enough. The clamps can be regulated and tightened, but i advice you to buy them from the same producer of the sight glass.
The feedthrough is a system that allow you to bring 10KV in the inner grid without electrifying the entire chamber, and therefore acting as an insulator and allowing the presence of an electrostatic potential. In the picture, the red "plastic" is connected to the cap of the chamber, allowing a metal screw to pass trough it without toughing it. Pay attention! the feedthrough is usually the place where, if not properly sealed, you loose the most vacuum! There are different types of feedtrough, just keep in mind that it should be able to stand extremely high voltages!
And this is the entire chamber! Be careful when handling it not to fracture the tube!
Comments