A brief history about
          an easily affordable and buildable
          effective vacuum service air pump
 
 
 
    Nyle Steiner of Kaysville, Utah developed a really simple peristaltic air pump for vacuum  
   service. 
    It required a  length of surgical tubing, two ink brayers and a board. 
    He described it in  Scientific American's Amateur Scientist in August 1966.
 
 
 
 This is the illustration from the 
August 1966 issue of 
Scientific American's 
Amateur Science section. 

 This was perhaps the most inexpensive 
and innovative vacuum demonstration 
since the advent of the industrial era. 

 Things like a glass drinking straw, 
Model T Ford spark coil and brass 
ball point pen barrel are no longer 
available. 
 

 This picture was taken off a micro 
film viewer at the San Francisco 
main public library. 

  
 
 

 

      A year 2001 version of the linear peristaltic air pump.
 
                  This is a modern version of the linear peristaltic air pump. 

  Its design was inspired by both Nyle's prior art and my current knowledge of modern rotary oil-sealed 
 air pumps used for vacuum service. 
  
 Notice that the discharge tube is still running as seen in this picture. 
 This pump incorporates an exhaust check valve made from rubber bands over the exit end that prevents 
the air from returning back to the evacuated pump and chamber when one stops rolling the hose.  

 Gone is the additional brayer guide. The hose is secured to the stick by the gaffer's tape.  
 Now the hose will not squirm out from under the brayers. 
 Additionally the stick with attached hose is secured to the table so the whole assembly will not wander 
when rolled. 

 Additionally the long tube and the other dead volumes that connected the pump hose to the discharge 
chamber have been eliminated;  minimizing the number of joins, using the maximum diameter of tube
and the shortest connections  possible maximizes the effectiveness of this demonstration. 
 This is in accordance with good vacuum practice. 

 Because the discharge tube is small, in comparison to the swept pump volume, operating pressure is
quickly reached with only  a few strokes of the hose with the brayers. 
 

 

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