- 29
- 168 098
Signal Ditch
United States
Registrace 26. 09. 2011
Signal Ditch is the home lab of Nick Poole
Come hang out for interdisciplinary science and engineering projects in the boondocks of the Southeastern US.
All are welcome, bring questions.
Come hang out for interdisciplinary science and engineering projects in the boondocks of the Southeastern US.
All are welcome, bring questions.
Building an Oxikit DIY Oxygen Concentrator
This time we're talking about Pressure Swing Adsorption and how we can use fancy sand to pull pure oxygen out of thin air.
Errata and Clarifications:
- If you are going to use PVC pipe to store pressurized gas of any kind at any pressure, you MUST use pressure rated pipe and not "thinwall" or "DWV" pipe. I chose Schedule 40 pipe, which is the thinnest walled pipe that has a pressure rating, but there are such things as Schedule 80 and 120 pipe. Using pressure rated pipe does not make it safe to do, it just makes it safer. (Cheers, @Spirit532)
- Some concern has been raised about material fatigue caused by pressure cycling. I'm not convinced that a 30 psi pressure swing meets the threshold to cause this kind of failure, but the concern is probably well-founded. A failure of this kind at 30 psi could be scary, but probably not lethal. The chances are good that a failure would be unexciting, if it ever occurred. PVC is not a brittle material and is also very resistant to oxidative reactions. I will be sheathing my cannisters in something to prevent shrapnel just in case. (Cheers, @NicolasBana)
- Sieve is pronounced /sɪv/ and I _know_ that in any other context (I pronounce it correctly in the idiom "leaks like a sieve") but I learned to pronounce "molecular sieve" from @NurdRage, for better or worse, and his incorrect pronunciation has stuck with me. (Cheers, @nilo70)
- My description of the PSA cycle is not entirely accurate. I state that the equalizing valve is mostly responsible for purging the nitrogen from one tank to another, but that's not exactly true. Most of the purge actually happens via the orifices in the output junction. The equalizing valve theoretically "primes" the unpressurized canister with the last bits of pressurized O2 from its counterpart (because the tank will adsorb nitrogen better under pressure, so if you already have some O2 pressure in there when you start pumping in air, you'll pass less nitrogen as the pressure ramps up) I may address this in a follow-up video, but this is still not a bad introduction to the PSA cycle.
- Some of the PSA cycle diagrams show out of order, mostly when I cycle through them quickly. What I'm describing is still correct and any diagram that is discussed for any length of time is correct, it's just some of the quick ones. This section is a Google Slides stack that I recorded with a screen recorder and at times I advanced the slides in the wrong direction without noticing.
- If it is working properly, the oil in an oil-filled pressure gauge will never contact the process gas. What I describe as a hazard is absolutely still true, however. Please do not use oil-filled gauges in oxygen service. In fact, if I were building this machine for someone else to operate, I would take apart the cheap pneumatic valves, wash them in degreaser, and re-oil them with a fluorinated oil for reactive gas service. Take care to look into the oxygen compatibility of anything that has to carry pressurized O2 (Cheers, @AdvancedTinkering)
- When describing the tool used to agitate the sieves in the OxiKit video, I call it a "pneumatic vibrator." In my head, they used a concrete vibrator. Watching the footage back, they're clearly using an air hammer. If you go looking for that tool, it's called an air hammer. I don't necessarily recommend using it for this, however. They make a point to run it at low pressure and to only contact the fittings with it and not the pipe wall directly, but it still seems easy to damage your PVC this way. Buy a muscle massager instead, you deserve it.
- I describe the gas separation mechanism as "having to do with the relative size of the molecules" which is sometimes the case with molecular sieves but in this case, the mechanism is actually electrostatic and ion exchange interactions! This is why the metal cation (Li vs Na) bound to the zeolite affects the selectivity. (Cheers, @justliberty4072)
Check out the Oxikit project here:
oxikit.com/
You can stay up to date and support me on Patreon here:
www.patreon.com/integratedtherm
And if you want more info on my build, you can read the blogposts here:
www.nickpoole.me/
And check out the Github Repository:
github.com/NPoole/PSA_Oxygen_Concentrator
Errata and Clarifications:
- If you are going to use PVC pipe to store pressurized gas of any kind at any pressure, you MUST use pressure rated pipe and not "thinwall" or "DWV" pipe. I chose Schedule 40 pipe, which is the thinnest walled pipe that has a pressure rating, but there are such things as Schedule 80 and 120 pipe. Using pressure rated pipe does not make it safe to do, it just makes it safer. (Cheers, @Spirit532)
- Some concern has been raised about material fatigue caused by pressure cycling. I'm not convinced that a 30 psi pressure swing meets the threshold to cause this kind of failure, but the concern is probably well-founded. A failure of this kind at 30 psi could be scary, but probably not lethal. The chances are good that a failure would be unexciting, if it ever occurred. PVC is not a brittle material and is also very resistant to oxidative reactions. I will be sheathing my cannisters in something to prevent shrapnel just in case. (Cheers, @NicolasBana)
- Sieve is pronounced /sɪv/ and I _know_ that in any other context (I pronounce it correctly in the idiom "leaks like a sieve") but I learned to pronounce "molecular sieve" from @NurdRage, for better or worse, and his incorrect pronunciation has stuck with me. (Cheers, @nilo70)
- My description of the PSA cycle is not entirely accurate. I state that the equalizing valve is mostly responsible for purging the nitrogen from one tank to another, but that's not exactly true. Most of the purge actually happens via the orifices in the output junction. The equalizing valve theoretically "primes" the unpressurized canister with the last bits of pressurized O2 from its counterpart (because the tank will adsorb nitrogen better under pressure, so if you already have some O2 pressure in there when you start pumping in air, you'll pass less nitrogen as the pressure ramps up) I may address this in a follow-up video, but this is still not a bad introduction to the PSA cycle.
- Some of the PSA cycle diagrams show out of order, mostly when I cycle through them quickly. What I'm describing is still correct and any diagram that is discussed for any length of time is correct, it's just some of the quick ones. This section is a Google Slides stack that I recorded with a screen recorder and at times I advanced the slides in the wrong direction without noticing.
- If it is working properly, the oil in an oil-filled pressure gauge will never contact the process gas. What I describe as a hazard is absolutely still true, however. Please do not use oil-filled gauges in oxygen service. In fact, if I were building this machine for someone else to operate, I would take apart the cheap pneumatic valves, wash them in degreaser, and re-oil them with a fluorinated oil for reactive gas service. Take care to look into the oxygen compatibility of anything that has to carry pressurized O2 (Cheers, @AdvancedTinkering)
- When describing the tool used to agitate the sieves in the OxiKit video, I call it a "pneumatic vibrator." In my head, they used a concrete vibrator. Watching the footage back, they're clearly using an air hammer. If you go looking for that tool, it's called an air hammer. I don't necessarily recommend using it for this, however. They make a point to run it at low pressure and to only contact the fittings with it and not the pipe wall directly, but it still seems easy to damage your PVC this way. Buy a muscle massager instead, you deserve it.
- I describe the gas separation mechanism as "having to do with the relative size of the molecules" which is sometimes the case with molecular sieves but in this case, the mechanism is actually electrostatic and ion exchange interactions! This is why the metal cation (Li vs Na) bound to the zeolite affects the selectivity. (Cheers, @justliberty4072)
Check out the Oxikit project here:
oxikit.com/
You can stay up to date and support me on Patreon here:
www.patreon.com/integratedtherm
And if you want more info on my build, you can read the blogposts here:
www.nickpoole.me/
And check out the Github Repository:
github.com/NPoole/PSA_Oxygen_Concentrator
zhlédnutí: 29 294
Video
An Update on the DIY Glassblowing Lathe
zhlédnutí 4,6KPřed 11 měsíci
This time we're talking about the lathe again. It may not look it, but we're close to finished. In fact, I'm already using it a little. Check out my feature in Make Magazine: www.makershed.com/products/make-magazine-volume-86-pdf You can stay up to date and support me on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/integratedtherm
I Built a Custom Controller for my Vacuum Chamber
zhlédnutí 3,6KPřed rokem
This time we're talking about automation! This Arduino-based vacuum chamber controller can pump down the system and bring it back to atmosphere without any supervision. Check out my feature in Make Magazine: www.makershed.com/products/make-magazine-volume-86-pdf You can stay up to date and support me on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/integratedtherm
I Built A DIY Vacuum Tube Diode
zhlédnutí 7KPřed rokem
Just a quick update on what I've been up to in the lab while it ices over. I made a vacuum tube, gave a conference talk about it, passed 1000 subs, and almost finished the vacuum bench. You can watch my Hackaday Supercon talk here: czcams.com/video/39-5WgcvaHk/video.html You can stay up to date and support me on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/integratedtherm
High-Vacuum Basics and Evacuating Electron Tubes
zhlédnutí 29KPřed rokem
This one's all about the basics of high-vacuum systems and how I designed the bench that I'll be using to pump down my homemade electron tubes. You can stay up to date and support me on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/integratedtherm Channel Credits: @AppliedScience @AdvancedTinkering @glasslinger @EdwardsVacuum
Sourcing Uncommon Materials for Vacuum Tube Manufacture
zhlédnutí 11KPřed 2 lety
In this video, I talk about 4 rare components that I've managed to collect in my ongoing quest to build vacuum tubes. I cover what each item is, what it's used for, how I sourced it, and even the names of the suppliers! Gather 'round, adventurers and look at my wares, this episode's all about rare loot! You can stay up to date and support me on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/integratedtherm If y...
Designing an Open Hardware Glassblowing Lathe
zhlédnutí 11KPřed 2 lety
(FIXED AUDIO REUPLOAD) In this video, I'll introduce the concept of glassblowing lathes, walk you through the CAD for my Open Source Hardware design, and show you what parts have been fabricated so far. You can stay up to date and support me on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/integratedtherm If you enjoyed the music in this video, please support my brother's musical project "petrichor." czcams.co...
Introducing the Vacuum Tube Manufacturing Series
zhlédnutí 22KPřed 2 lety
In this video, I set out the plan for a series of projects going forward that will culminate - hopefully - in a bunch of handmade vacuum tubes. You can stay up to date and support me on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/integratedtherm Thank you to all of these creators and makers. Please go check out their channels! Ron Soyland (Glasslinger) czcams.com/users/glasslinger Dalibor Farný czcams.com/us...
Oskitone's Scout Synthesizer Sounds as Cute as It Looks
zhlédnutí 556Před 2 lety
Thanks again to Tommy for sending me this adorable synth. You can find the Scout-as well as his other musical creations-at www.oskitone.com/ or on Twitter at @oskitone Of course you can feel free to follow me on Twitter as well at @northallenpoole Or just get YT Channel updates at @signalditch SUPPORT THE SIGNAL DITCH ON PATREON! www.patreon.com/signalditch Thanks! Go Make Something!
Transfer flux from one syringe to another WITHOUT making a mess!
zhlédnutí 3,7KPřed 2 lety
Answering a few questions about using syringes to dispense solder flux
DIY Vacuum Pen
zhlédnutí 2,4KPřed 2 lety
Make a quick and dirty vacuum pen for hand placing components that are difficult to grasp with tweezers
Building a Liquid Cooling Loop for the Laser Cutter
zhlédnutí 25KPřed 5 lety
In this video, I'll be using PC cooling components to build a custom water cooler for an 80W CO2 laser tube. Here's a list of things I bought for this build: Asixx PC Cooling Radiator - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FF1WV29 Noctua NF-P12 redux-1300 - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C5L4QGN Thermaltake Pacific TF1 - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KR8VQQL Barrow Reservoir with Acrylic Tube - www.amazon...
Building a Wooden Shop Door from Scratch
zhlédnutí 2,7KPřed 5 lety
Building a Wooden Shop Door from Scratch
Cloning the Boring Company Flamethrower
zhlédnutí 1,7KPřed 6 lety
Cloning the Boring Company Flamethrower
Phone Phreaking and an Arduino BlueBox
zhlédnutí 7KPřed 11 lety
Phone Phreaking and an Arduino BlueBox
Measuring your Heartrate with Photoplethysmography
zhlédnutí 3,1KPřed 11 lety
Measuring your Heartrate with Photoplethysmography
Episode 3 - The SFE80 Micro Computer System
zhlédnutí 331Před 11 lety
Episode 3 - The SFE80 Micro Computer System
Episode 2 - Etching Circuit Boards at Home
zhlédnutí 676Před 11 lety
Episode 2 - Etching Circuit Boards at Home
Episode 1 - Introducing Fringeneering Labs
zhlédnutí 268Před 11 lety
Episode 1 - Introducing Fringeneering Labs
I've just started working for a US vacuum manufacturer and one of the senior manufacturing engineers was geeking out showing me some vacuum pump system that took the vacuum all the way down to e-13 mBar but takes days of bakeout and running a turbomolecular pump at 150 L/s. Cool to see this video afterwards to better understand how difficult that is to accomplish. Also, it is only e-13 mBar on a good day! XD He said the acceptable range is up to e-11 mBar at the worst but even e-12 mBar was good.
He also said it takes a lot of time to calibrate it and he said we have to do it every month. I asked him why we don’t have another one. He said it costs 100k and you have to have the business to justify it but our sales guys don’t really want to sell that stuff because it’s a bit complicated to understand. 😂
Western Electric claimed they were going to jump back into the essentials tube building process back at the start of the Russian/Ukranian war. But they were all hot air. I have written them a few times over time to ask how that was coming and I get the same PR corporate drivel. They are as worthless. They had a chance to corner a market both for hi-fi enthusiasts and guitar amp users, and literally did nothing.
Is there a chance you can talk about your tattoos? They look super cool I’d love to hear more!
Mate this is why you need to use the deep web. Its just normal web but much larger. Google has removed too much.
Im happy to contribute to the wide spread availability of borosilicate glass tubing
@tatianatub thank you for your service 🍃
I used a single large stepper motor and then used pillow blocks with a hexagon center I then connected them with a hexagonal shaft this was all placed behind the lathe with a belt from each chuck attached to the shaft.. I don't know if I'm explaining it well but it made it to where the tail Chuck can move left and right while staying in sync and using only one motor no 3D printer no nothing I built it with two wood lathes the only problem I had was my truck size I didn't have a big enough inner diameter but I made it at 16 and I had nothing but hand tools if I did it today I definitely do the truck different but I've not seen anybody connect both chucks the way I did so id figure I'd mention it
Can we get rough specification, to get an idea to which applications is this Oxygen Concentrator suitable? Mainly I'd like to know - power consumption - volume/min of oxygen on output
I don't have a great way to measure the volume and concentration, but enough people have asked that I may spend some Patreon money to get a cheap sensor. That said, I would refer you to the oxikit documentation because this is essentially a 1:1 implementation of that project. They claim 20 lpm+ at 90%+ concentration. As far as power consumption goes, I haven't measured but if you need a rough ballpark, the 2HP electric compressor motor is probably a good place to start. Probably a few kW? 2 or 3?
I really love that this is built on a typical hand cart! EDIT: I'd love to see if the atmosphere input would benefit from a heat pump drying pack as is found in a system like the GE ventless Washer/dryer combo.... EDIT 2: You've got me so hooked in with this vid that I keep thinking of things to say... For the sensor hookups that you've yet to use... I bet that data could be integrated as feedback into a controller that gives a more steady/efficient output!!! I'd LOVE to see a video about that!
How do you only have 5.2K subs? Such quality content that is a year old, yet I have only _just_ found you? That is unacceptable -- do better YT!
Very interesting project.Would it be possible to use this system via combustion to produce purified Co2 for MIG welding?
DIY CO2 is often from fermentation as there is hardly any in air, people use it to feed aquatic and other plant nurseries. I think removing moisture would be a thing to solve. This type of adsorption system is generally used for O2 or N2 concentration because they are 78+20=98% (+-) of the atmosphere.
When I clicked on this video I wasnt sure what to expect. It sure wasnt Bad Ass Applied Technologies, but here we are and I must say, you do a great job explaining things.
siv, not seev. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sieve#Pronunciation
Glad to see you :)
Perfectly cromulent indeed
What a wholesome build, and great quality of the project and everything. This channel deserves 10x or 100x the audience and I am so glad the algorithm sent me here!
Amazing video!
Can you collect the nitrogen off this too? Also, I don't see why the medical industry couldn't shrink this so people on oxygen tanks could wheel a small version of this around instead of tanks.
You can collect the purge gas, which is mostly nitrogen. You may have to process it more depending on what you're using it for. And the medical industry has done this! This is the same technology behind home oxygen machines as well as portable pulsed oxygen machines.
4:30 Well - halfway _logarithmically_, maybe. If the moon is 3e-10, you probably still have like ≥1000x more air in your vacuum than on the moon.
Oh yeah, for sure.
Cool tube. I need to make a vacuum fitting so i can try
This is really cool thanks for sharing 😊
My late friend used to run an optical shop which made large lenses and mirrors. He had a large vapour deposition system to aluminise mirrors up to 1 metre in diameter. He said that vacuum systems are expensive, frustrating and akin to black magic.
Excellent. 👍
love this i have a thing from a nitrogen generator its a tube with a sensor that is suppose to tell you what gassed in ppm are in the flow, its yours if you want it
Similar dessicant dryer on the air input line mau help.
He uses the coalescing filter after compressing and cooling the air to raise the dew point to get 'free' water removal before consuming space in the desiccant. Chilling the compressed air a much as possible enhances the water separation. Some dental compressors (these would be a great source of dry clean oil free air but are way more expensive than commodity compressors) use a membrane separator that I expect will be more effective than the sintered metal or packed fibre trap in the coalescing unit.
Dude this is really nice!
Antifa, vacuum diode hackaday, professional content, and only 5k subs??? What a travesty! You're wonderful.
Hey that's a Sack Barrow in NZ
Wow, it sounds like sack truck or sack barrow is the word in every other English speaking country just about
I have two old medical oxygen concentrators I want to convert into an oxygen generator.
Fantastic build mate, practical if a little complex, solution for a real cost. What is the rough hours of use to pay back the system I wonder? Also just a thought if that condenser safety valve would be better upright to reduce risk of it freezing shut?
Thanks! That's a good question, I don't think I can know that until I find it what the maintenance cost will be e.g. replacing zeolite. As for the safety valve, I think you're probably right. Someone else has brought that up as well.
Now you need to built an acetylene generator , then you would be cooking with fire .
Just a big bucket of water that you toss calcium carbide into
You ought to contact Elon Musk, he can do it a lot more efficiently...hay it's just like an air hockey table.
Yes please do a video on the clean build you have made for the spot welder.
Great video! Thanks very much for sharing and especially for the wonderful, high-quality video and narration! Liked & Subscribed! AND thanks very much for the added information in the video description text which fleshes out the narration and clarifies some key points.
Never thought anything good would have come out of Covid. Nice video.
Respect bro. Near cracked my screen hitting thumbs up. Love tubes. Love your work.
Cool project well explained, nicly put together in a compact package. Do you think that would have enough flow for cutting? I suppose with a larger filter and acumulator it could up flow rate. In the UK we would call your trolly "sack trucks" (point of interest, not a criticism of some bullshit UK terminlogy vs North Ameriacan termnology). P.S.Love the tats on your fingers. I always fancied e^i pi as in a preveosue life I was a mathermetician for a few years post uni. P.P.S. Excuse the spelling Spell check has stopped working on youtube comments for me!
Would a version 2.0 include an air conditioner in the path of the air you are ingesting help? I know a/c is great for dehumidifying , and my brain is trying to fit one in after your dessicant issues in the SE USA was noted. They make portable A/c units that you could pipe the output directly into your intake potentially. Likely overcomplicating your design, but I thought I'd ask anyway. Great video regardless.
That was cool, exactly the right kind of needing out for me. Subbed!
1300 bucks???
You never told me what you wanted it to cost so... I had to guess 👉👈 I've published a complete Bill of Materials in the github repo linked under the video. I'm sure if you look through it you'll be able to find cheaper alternatives to some of the parts, especially if you can source them locally/second-hand/salvage.
Your oxygen tank is a muffler.
Muffler? I hardly etc.
I especially like the exposed parts of the live wires at the solid state relay.
I especially like the sarcastic comments
Is that mica you're cutting on the laser/plasma cutter and using as isulators(?)
Yeah it's mica board. It doesn't end up being part of the vacuum seal, it's really just a convenient heat-proof material for cutting the wire jigs and keeping the vacuum wax from flowing out of the part during potting.
Very informative. I would like to know the composition of the sealant you use, which you pour when heated and which behaves well in a high vacuum.
In the video, I use "Apiezon Wax W," which isn't strictly meant to be poured in thick sections, but I've pumped this down below 10^-5mbar without incident. The Apiezon Wax is very expensive, but it is easy to work with and dissolves in mineral spirits, so it's easy to clean up. I only used it because it was given to me. I believe you could do the same with Faraday Wax, which you can make yourself (search for a video by @chromatogiraffery3104 on the subject)
So with very little modification, couldn't you extract the nitrogen exhaust and pump it into an air compressor and have NEA. Maybe have another stage of zeolite to get closer to N2 in your air compressor. 2 bangs 1 buck. N2 and O2 in separate containers.
Yeah, in theory, you could certainly do that
Lovely tech, awesome craftmanship! I'm picking up a lot of Dalibor Farny vibes here. Looking forward to seeing more.
💡Watch offer-up and occasionally you'll find used medical oxygen concentrators for as low as $50 and sometimes even free.
I love your tattoo's!
Thanks! My head piece was done by Brad Wooten, if you like the style you should look him up!
Hand truck = sack barrow 🏴🔧👍
Tube dimensions are generally tighter than pipe. As usual, I have a choice to be a maker or a patron. Maker it is.
"I have a choice to be a maker or a patron" I hear you, absolutely choose maker whenever you have to choose.
Can you oxygen pressure gauges?