Fusor Forums

A few more notes on the grid construction techniques I am using:

1. I wasn't sure at first how I was going to cut the braided tungsten. I have a hard enough time getting good cuts on single strand tungsten. You can't use cheap wire cutters because it will chunk your cutting edge. To my pleasure, I was able to buzz through the braided stuff with a 1-1/2 inch Dremel EZ lock cutoff wheel for metal. It goes through in seconds. No expensive diamond wheel needed.

2. I make my own crimps for the grid wires and stem connection using a segment of steel tubing. I cut it off with the same cutoff wheel. I make a double segmented crimp by a perpendicular cut about two thirds through and then a cut along the full length of the crimp. This allow me to fasten the grid wires at the base independently of the stem. I cut one end of each loop a little shorter than the other so it extends only through the first segment of the crimp. The other ends will extend through both segments of the crimp so they make up with the stem when I tighten the crimp.

If you use my crimp technique, be sure to clean all burrs and edges before you use them in your fusor. Otherwise, you will spend a long time trying to burn them off with frustrating sparks and arcs.

Tried to break in my new grid today. Still a little noisy nearing 40 kV but starting to settle below that. Neutron numbers are improving with this grid's ability to take current. At 38 kV and 12 mA my BF3 tube was around 700 cpm. My rough estimate is 1.7+ million neutrons/sec.

Jim what was the pressure? Real good reporting will always supply: voltage, current and pressure of the D2.
Voltage tells where you are in cross section.
Current tells how many ionizations, (hopefully deuterons), you have.
Pressure tells how much fusion fuel you have in the chamber.

Richard Hull

Richard, I dont watch pressure much during runs because I don't control by it. I recall around 7 mtorr when I was done. That number is uncorrected for deuterium.