In this page the cloud chambers which left the garage or currently under construction !
Machine n°0 : the Prototype
This machine was built in April 2020 from raw materials during the lockdown. Until now, it’s my live experiment to test new glass chambers (method of evaporation, collection of alcohol, symmetry of electric fields, alcohol proofness…). I never modified the « core », the system which produce the cold needed. It need a serious design upgrade but I like it as is because this thing remains reliable after years !
This is this 4 th anniversary of running :
Machine n°1 : IP2I 2022
The cloud chamber of september 2022 was sold to an University in Lyon (CNRS, IP2I).
The feedback obtained is that the lock is malfunctioning and the power plug of the IR lamp could be more sturdy. I then modified the machine a year later to improve this.
The machine still works 2 years later :
Machine n°2 : IPHC 2023
I built another machine for an University in Strasbourg. I improved the internal design and made a lots of simplifications.
I liked their laboratory, the same as old films in secret labs from cold war
The machine still work fine but they had a problem : when methanol was spread outside the chamber, it dissolved the black paint I put on the external aluminium frame.
I thought it was more « design » in black but methanol corrode anything so I will stay with my raw aluminium corners, still good !
Machine n°3 : UCLouvain 2025
The Institut de Recherche en Mathématique et Physique de Louvain en Belgique desired a machine, but this was new for me as I had to ship it in early 2025.
I put the chamber on a wood pallet with a sturdy carboard reinforced. Unfortunately the courrier put a heavy package on the box which completely broke the glass chamber, making some damages to the active surface. I sent a whole new glass chamber into an unbreakable wood box, and again, it arrived destroyed on a side. I sent another shipment with the new side to the University, then they glued it with standard silicone to build the glass chamber. Then, they changed perfectly the active surface thanks to a video and the machine worked as usual. So, shipping glass chamber in long distance is almost impossible. The best way is to glue it from separate parts.
The university was very patient and skillful to repair the machine they received. At this moment it still work fine, but I want to let some time pass to be sure of its reliability to count it as a real reference.
Machine n°4 : Switzerland 2025
