The prototype Control Module box was designed to be larger than is
needed to be to allow for easy tweaking and testing. I made it out
of Plexiglas. Note the Lego pieces in the corner used to reinforce
the integrity of the corners and bottom. I used a solvent that
chemically melts plastics together for an amazing bond.
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The Reaction Cell is heavy duty extruded PVC suitable for fairly high pressure.
It is sitting on a template I made on the computer. I actually
designed this before I built it, unlike the way I like to usually work
-- measure once, cut twice! The room I did this in was far too small,
and doubles as my music studio.
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Here is the template for the top on the raw Plexiglas. I did not
have the proper tools to route and mill, so I used rocks, stones and sharks teeth....
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Here is an early assembly of the FET circuitry on a makeshift heat sink,
to control the output power. Happily, it ended up that the FETs
did not get hot and I did not need a conductive heat sink to mount them
on after all.
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No Microprocessor yet..
I have a main fuse and the cells individually fused. Perhaps this
was over engineering, but if one cell failed, I did not want it bringing
down the whole system. I kept the factory applied protective paper
on for as long as I could so I could scratch the Plexiglas to heck
later. A little more Lego for structural integrity!
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The Control Module top is starting to look like something! The
display on the right is a backlit LCD display that shows the current
mode and status of the computer.
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I had to cut and clean the electrodes from large tubes. I
needed a reliable means of keeping and tuning the distance between the
anode and cathode. I ended up deciding to tap six holes around
each outer tube and use threaded, non-reactive, screws as the offsets,
then file them down and cut groves into them for a screw driver.
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Starting to wire the top..
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The Reactor Cell is coming as planned. Machining the Plexiglas
cell holders with a drill press was a bitch. The tolerances had to
be very exact of the unit would not slide securely in the finished tube.
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The top of the reactor was routed out and filled with a bit of
non-reactive silicone for a hydrogen tight seal. Remember,
hydrogen is the smallest of the Atomic chart. You need something
tighter than a gnat's ass to keep all the gassy goodness in the reactor
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I am hijacking this plane to Newark. I have a ....what the hell is
this I have?
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More basic wiring is done... Every wire was crimped and soldered for
quality control! I have lots of room for the micro processor and related
boards I will add soon.
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So far, so good. Notice the ever present bottle of medicine in the
background. This is to treat my mental condition. It helps
me focus and clean up after my work, clean my desk and keep from
playing with electricity and explosive gasses.
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Looks cool, but does it hold water? I was still waiting for my 1/4
inch stainless steel rods to come in so I could use them for tie rods to
keep the reactor from exploding under pressure.
I used some Home Depot screw rods on only half of the points to see if
it would be water tight like that. It was... after a few more
twists of the wrench!
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My SS rod came in. I had to cut it to size and die it. (..why,
what color is it now?)
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I soldered up a board to hold the micro processor. It has a 9-pin
serial connector so I can easily reprogram it as I improve my
algorithms.
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More electronic testing. I would show you more, but then I would
have to kill you.
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Early picture of all the components smiling pretty for the camera
One of the first, unpressurized tests of the system. That grey
stuff on the top is Oxy-Hydrogen
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More to come...
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