DIY Vacuum Chamber for Experiments

by Mad Gyver in Workshop > Science

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DIY Vacuum Chamber for Experiments

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Handmade vacuum pump and vacuum chamber for experiments
Как сделать вакуумный насос.mp4_20160529_125553.404.jpg

Aloha! In this instructable I want to tell you how to make a vacuum chamber and a vacuum pump for this chamber to carry on some crazy experiments!

Also I made the video, and at the first half of it I will show some crazy experiments in vacuum, and at the next half I will show how to make a pump and a chamber. And next steps for all who doesn't want to spend an Internet traffic for YouTube :)

All you need:

  • A very big (150ml) syringe, it calls the Janet syringe
  • 2x one-way valves
  • 2x T-connectors for tube
  • A drop counter
  • Vacuum release valve (probably: letter clip, tiny valve for aquarium systems or syringe's needle)
  • A silicon tube
  • A glass with cap

Connecting the Syringe

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Extend an end of silicon tube with scissors or tweezers. Stock tube is not fit to the syringe's tip.

Put extended tube on syringe's tip and fix it with tape or smth.

Connecting the T

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Cut off a necessary piece of tube to connect the T-connector right to the syringes tip with minimal distance between them.

Connecting Valves

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Connect both valves to the T with little pieces of tube. They must pass an air in one direction! (so there will be input valve and output valve).

Now connect the tube to INPUT valve, and another end - to the second T-connector.

Making the Vacuum Chamber

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Disassemble the drop counter and get a plastic part like on the first picture. Drill a hole in the glass's cap and attach drop counter's part into it with hot glue or cold weld.

Vacuum Release System

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You can't open you vacuum chamber with vacuum inside, so we need a vacuum release system. And it will be placed on last tube of the second T (which is near to the chamber, nor the pump).

There are several ways to make it:

  • a silicon aprt of drop counter, squeezed with a letter clip. Press it before pumping, and replace it to release vacuum:
  • a syringe's needle, cutted and filled with glue (just a plug). Remove it to release a vacuum.
  • an acuarium system's valve

EXPERIMENTS!!!

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This pump can create a low pressure (0.2 bar), that is enough for carrying some experiments, like boiling water, increasing marshmallows. I recorded few funny experiments, and you can watch it in this video. So, offer another experiments, which can be realize in that chamber!

Also you can use this project for school science fair, I think it is worthily!