A cheaper vacuum pump can be made from a discarded refrigerator compressor. (Mine was free and came from a dorm fridge someone stuck an ice pick through the upper coils). cut the lines above the compressor and bend them upwards. the compressor can be used as an air compressor or vacuum pump and will pull a vacuum strong enough for A/C work. The compressor has mineral oil in it so don't turn it over. Some dental labs and jewelry stores use these compressors because they run silent.
I bought a smaller pump like yours to try and for desoldering - not that easy to modify, so your idea may work for this.
The only other tool I have currently to desolder is a lame spring-loaded (one-shot) syringe type which seems to do better at splattering solder over the PCB rather than sucking it up.
@pinoybelle yes, that's a definite issue. The small motor inside the pump has fan blades built onto the shaft. Once most the air is gone, there's little cooling air for the blades to move. However, there's 3 things to remember: The pumps are cheap ($15 dollars at Kmart), rugged (made for inflating tires while out on the road), they move a lot of air quickly. Run it for a minute, then let it rest. Repeat if you need to.
@CoconutScienceLab something to consider, under vacuum heat will dissipate faster. My only suggestion to the owner of this creation is put an accurate gauge on your set up that measures millibars of pressure and see just how much air this can remove from its enclosure before it reaches its limit.
@lothre Heat can't dissipate faster because there's nothing for it to dissipate to. Air may RADIATE faster through a vacuum but without something bearing density (air, water, oil, liquid nitrogen, whatever) cooling capacity will be greatly diminished.
@CoconutScienceLab While probably not worth the trouble in the long-run, your best bet for cooling the motor would be a water loop consisting of a coil of copper tubing wrapped around the motor a few times while a pump circulates water through it. It'd require you to tear into the pump itself and you'd have to drill a few more holes in the jar, but it'd ensure the motor doesn't burn out at the worst possible time (whenever that may be :V).
how did u drill the glass?
arsacd 20 hours ago
@arsacd -it's plastic. I just used a regular set of drill bits.
CoconutScienceLab 12 hours ago
What level of absolute vacuum does this make?
TheAnachronist 1 day ago
@TheAnachronist -I haven't measured it yet, but maybe in the future I'll post something.
CoconutScienceLab 11 hours ago
thats not and too cheap!!
kostas3307 4 days ago
can it actually suck dirt??
mizzbluer3ui3r 2 weeks ago
@mizzbluer3ui3r -it is not designed for vacuuming up dirt. It's designed for pumping the air out of a container.
CoconutScienceLab 2 weeks ago
my foot hurts
callmebigpapa 1 month ago
It doesn't look like its working.
UTubeisSHIT523441 3 months ago
What kind of pressure do you get there?
HeaanLasai 5 months ago
A cheaper vacuum pump can be made from a discarded refrigerator compressor. (Mine was free and came from a dorm fridge someone stuck an ice pick through the upper coils). cut the lines above the compressor and bend them upwards. the compressor can be used as an air compressor or vacuum pump and will pull a vacuum strong enough for A/C work. The compressor has mineral oil in it so don't turn it over. Some dental labs and jewelry stores use these compressors because they run silent.
clockguy2 6 months ago
Hey, thanks for a great idea!
I bought a smaller pump like yours to try and for desoldering - not that easy to modify, so your idea may work for this.
The only other tool I have currently to desolder is a lame spring-loaded (one-shot) syringe type which seems to do better at splattering solder over the PCB rather than sucking it up.
philbx1 8 months ago
@philbx1 -yeah, these cheapie little pumps are hard to modify, which is why I just put it in a can, then let it pump the air out of the can.
CoconutScienceLab 8 months ago
What a kickass idea! Way cheaper this way! Thanks.
JimiKiwi 8 months ago
Not going to pull 30 hg!
jjenson2006 8 months ago
Whats this for?
iToasterman 9 months ago
looks awesome!
Srabbel 9 months ago
You have a clean cut and stunning project!
LHUPA 9 months ago
love it!
MostFunnyUserName 11 months ago
Very good idea, thanks!
kenlmoe 11 months ago
Yes...Very Good!....BUT how long will it run before it overheats?
Is there some way to Cool the motor?
Thanks for Sharing..........
pinoybelle 1 year ago
@pinoybelle yes, that's a definite issue. The small motor inside the pump has fan blades built onto the shaft. Once most the air is gone, there's little cooling air for the blades to move. However, there's 3 things to remember: The pumps are cheap ($15 dollars at Kmart), rugged (made for inflating tires while out on the road), they move a lot of air quickly. Run it for a minute, then let it rest. Repeat if you need to.
CoconutScienceLab 1 year ago
@CoconutScienceLab something to consider, under vacuum heat will dissipate faster. My only suggestion to the owner of this creation is put an accurate gauge on your set up that measures millibars of pressure and see just how much air this can remove from its enclosure before it reaches its limit.
Very inventive set up!
lothre 10 months ago
@lothre Heat can't dissipate faster because there's nothing for it to dissipate to. Air may RADIATE faster through a vacuum but without something bearing density (air, water, oil, liquid nitrogen, whatever) cooling capacity will be greatly diminished.
ZeroPointAlpha 9 months ago
@CoconutScienceLab While probably not worth the trouble in the long-run, your best bet for cooling the motor would be a water loop consisting of a coil of copper tubing wrapped around the motor a few times while a pump circulates water through it. It'd require you to tear into the pump itself and you'd have to drill a few more holes in the jar, but it'd ensure the motor doesn't burn out at the worst possible time (whenever that may be :V).
ZeroPointAlpha 9 months ago
@pinoybelle have you ever considered submerging it in mineral oil?
NamesROverated 3 months ago
How great of a vacuum can this achieve, is it good enough for gas discharge lamps?
ltkenbo 1 year ago
@ltkenbo It pulls a good vacuum, but I haven't actually got around to measuring it yet. I'll post the results when I do.
CoconutScienceLab 1 year ago
I like it a lot, this is just what I needed for my plan. Thanks for sharing this :-)
Two thumbs up :-)
insAneTunA 1 year ago