Tabletop Fusion Reactor (Demo Fusor)

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Bcra

75% complete

Based on the build instructions at: https://makezine.com/projects/make-36-boards/nuclear-fusor/

Will be experimenting with different fusor configurations and voltages once I get it working. I'm following the build instructions pretty closely as a baseline.

 

Progress:

  • Vacuum chamber assembled
  • HV full wave rectifier assembled (VAC -> 0.5VDC)
  • HV transformers tested (15kV and 6kV)
  • System test - chamber holds a rough vacuum for about 40 minutes. HV while under vacuum produces a pale purple glow, indicating the pressure is too high.

Progress update #1:
Tried using less vacuum grease which helped, but not much. The chamber can only go down to 30 torr right now. Also tried adding more epoxy to seal the HV feed-through, with no effect.

Progress update #2:
Re-faced the chamber plates with help from Bill. The chamber still only goes down to 30 torr, but the chamber can now hold a rough vacuum for 40 minutes instead of 5! Need to do more experiments to get the chamber pressure down.

 

HV transformer testing video:
https://imgur.com/a/6YsWuQ6