DIY vacuum gauge controller saves huge cash

Measuring vacuum works in the identical method as measuring some other gasoline strain, as a result of an ideal vacuum is unachievable and so it’s a measure of how near zero the air strain inside a container turns into. However typical strain gauges aren’t meant to measure pressures beneath ambient atmospheric strain (vacuums). That requires particular sensors and Superior Tinkering constructed his personal vacuum gauge controller to deal with them.

The vacuum sensors that Superior Tinkering bought have been designed to be used with a proprietary controller that prices 1000’s of {dollars}. The sensors don’t simply ship an analog sign akin to strain stage (which might be very straightforward to learn), but additionally standing info. Even with that added complexity, the proprietary controller could be very costly for what it’s. Superior Tinkering appropriately assumed that he may replicate its performance with reasonably priced off-the-shelf {hardware}. The communication protocols for his sensors are well-defined in revealed paperwork, which made them a lot simpler to work with.

Superior Tinkering used an Arduino Nano board for this venture. It does must learn analog indicators from every of the three sensors, so he paired the Arduino with an ADC (analog-to-digital) module and a multiplexer. Every vacuum sensor additionally acquired its personal devoted management button and OLED display, the latter of which shows standing messages and the strain studying from every sensor in millibars. The buttons let Superior Tinkering activate every sensor. All of these elements went inside a tidy 3D-printed enclosure that matches the aesthetic of devices like these. In complete, this venture value Superior Tinkering solely about 5% of what he would have spent on the industrial vacuum gauge controller.