The Amateur Scientist's Section

1. Projects:

   • The 'Plumber's Special' Sorption Pump

     Inspired by Shawn Carlson's article in the Scientfic American magazine.

   • Thermistor Vacuum Gauge

     A rough vacuum gauge that you can build for peanuts.Updated September 1999. A zipfile of the original gauge is here.

2. Links:

   1. The Bell Jar Home Page

      Steve Hansen's Pages of Resources for Vacuum Experimenters

   2. The Bell Jar

      Steve Hansen's quarterly newsletter devoted to vacuum experimenter's. There is some incredible stuff being done in basements and attics these days.A home built transmission electron microscope and Generating X Rays With Receiving Tubes [Link] are typical articles from past issues. See also Experiments with x-rays produced by receiving tubes.[Link]

      Links to other editions of 'The Bell Jar' ,as well as some other interesting stuff,can be found on Bill Beaty's Home Page.[Link]

   3. The Scientific American Magazine [Link]

      Shawn Carlson's articles in the October and November 1996 'Amateur Scientist' [Link] section of the magazine describe a simple cryopumped vacuum system made out of a home canning jar,etc.

   4. The Society for Amateur Scientists [Link]

   5. Teralab [Link]

      Robert Hunt's home vacuum coater, other experiments, plus miscellaneous antiques and things.