Fusor Forums

ive been working on trying to build a Farnsworth reactor to experiment with just to get myself familiar with fusion in general to jumpstart my knowledge in the general area of free energy before i go off to college. Im doing it as a capstone project and already have a complete design, and a good amount of materials- mostly the electronics. But I still dont have access to a high vacuum pump or anyone with any real familiarity in the subject to bounce ideas off of or anyone to help in the area. Ive tried getting into contact with anyone that can help me but as of now I haven’t been able to find anyone, and have kind of been working entirely on my own, which obviously comes with a multitude of drawbacks. for example, at the end of junior year, i tried building a cathode ray tube as a small step toward a farnsworth reactor, as the electronics needed to generate the electricity required are extremely similar to those of a basic fusion reactor. But unfortunately it was never successful, and after weeks if experimentation and testing of each individual i just dont know what was wrong with it. If I want to actually make headway, I think i would need to find a university professor that would be willing to help with this experiment, as a real diffusion pump is not very accessible, and there would likely be many experts that would be knowledgable in at least the areas of high vacuums and high voltage. I really just have no idea where to start with much of this project, and was wondering if anyone had any advice. Im not sure if there are electrical problems with it or if the vacuum isn’t working well. Im using a basic air conditioner pump and a bottle sealed with JB Weld. Ive tested the electronics parts individually and it seems as though everything is working right, so I suspect it is the vacuum. Does anyone know where I can find a device that measures vacuum pressure? Thanks!

A start would be to show a picture(s) of your setup and explain what you did in moderate detail. Then people here might be able to aid you.

Also, a Farnsworth fusor is a great deal more difficult to build than a simple fusor - the symmetrical array of deuterium ion guns are a bit complex to build. In any case, without a high vacuum system (a diffusion pump or turbo), you will have many difficulties regardless of the fusor design.

As for a cathode ray tube, that just requires a decent two stage pump, a neon sign transformer w/diodes, and a glass tube with end plugs (rubber stoppers, for instance.) So, if that simple system is creating issues, a fusor is out-of-the-question until your issues are resolved.

I would recommend emailing local college professors in EE or Physics and ask if they would be willing to take on a high school research student.
It is rare but I have seen it done, and most professors are open to the prospect.

Ben_Barnett wrote: ↑Mon Jan 28, 2019 4:51 pm I would recommend emailing local college professors in EE or Physics and ask if they would be willing to take on a high school research student.
It is rare but I have seen it done, and most professors are open to the prospect.

You would be surprised... Professors like job security and are much like union workers

Block "quoting" peoples texts should not be done since it causes issues for the forum's sight.

Not sure what you are implying about Professors or Union workers but both groups are hard workers.

I had no trouble getting help from a University lab some years ago to both evacuate and calibrate a vacuum gauge. But times do change as CEO/MBA management styles of profit at all cost has changed our higher education system as well as many companies.