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László

@stripeyyena.bsky.social

430 followers 770 following 1.9K posts

Striped hyena, 37, he/him/yeen, dumb, anxious, cynical, NSFW, self-hate, likes machines & technology, hypermiles, PhD in physics, works in research lab with radioactive things, fiancé of @Takiwuff Icon by @WildDogFeral banner by @Ango76

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László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 1d

With Portland being in the news a lot at the moment, I'm reminded of this random drawing by @brushwolf.bsky.social that he once used as packing/filler material when shipping originals years ago. Still intrigued by it.

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 1d

No relation at all to my previous post.

Or to the fact that I'm a complete tool.

Screenshot of a customer survey e-mail from Agilent regarding the purchase of "one vacuum pump".

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 1d

One of my colleagues is being all "You've given me so much support, this shouldn't be a one-way street. Is there anything I could get you in return?"

A VACUUM PUMP.

Hah, didn't expect that, did you?

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 1d

Huh, an entire movie about watersports? Kinda neat!

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 1d

Academia, turning you into a renowned expert for something very specific, then sending you away so all that expertise is lost.

You want to keep doing science? Become a professor who never sets foot in a lab because they have to do HR and shit they are entirely unprepared for. Genius!

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 1d

They could've thought that the last 50 times he said idiocracy-worthy shit...

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 1d

It's this latter part that fucks up the pump oil by design. It has an electric gas ballast valve that opens for the first hour of it pumping on the scrubber, but there's so much water coming out of it that it's not really sufficient... It does say to change the oil after each regen cycle.

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, it's a mole sieve with some kind of copper catalyst that captures water and oxygen during operation. It gets heated up first and the initial regen stage just blows the argon/hydrogen mix through and ejects a lot of the water already, after which the scrubber is pumped on for a few hours.

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 1d

More deadlines, meetings, doing everything in between, and my colleague, whom I helped for days with his paper/proposal so he won't become unemployed, now found out that his yet-to-be-submitted proposal might be rejected. Ghnn.

This, this is why I'm so weird and enjoy obsessively maintaining pumps.

Photo of a magically floating oil canister pouring fresh oil into the fill port of a Leybold Trivac via a funnel.

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 2d

Everything regenerated, O2 and H2O reliably below 1ppm again.

Time to relieve the pump of its water-laden puke. Mhhhm...

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 2d

Yes, it's a sign that the regeneration is working, as the absorbed O2 reacts with the hydrogen being blown through the scrubber to form water.

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 2d

Haha, vacuum pump goes BWAARRRG!

Yeah, water in the exhaust line, water in the oil mist filter, water in the pump. Not great! I hate having to torture this thing, so an oil change will be first on the agenda tomorrow morning.

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 3d

Besser Regen als Reagan! ☝️

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 3d

It's getting moist in there!

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 3d

One scrubber regenerated, one more to go.

Let us intently OBSERVE the ball!

Some idiot is doing a stellar job of staring at a flow meter.

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 3d

Despite all the dumb academia stress, I started the 16-hour regeneration of one of the glovebox's O2 scrubbers.

After setting the flow, I expectantly stare at the vacuum pump to make sure the electric gas ballast valve actually opens.

And misusing a gas wash bottle so it doesn't piss on the floor.

First person view of me expectantly staring at a Leybold Trivac sitting inside an enclosure, with the removed sidewall giving unhindered access. A small LED indicates that the gas ballast valve solenoid is energized and this open, which I hope will help in avoiding the entire pump oil turning into a vomit-like emulsion while the water-laden scrubber is being pumped down.

Photo of a hose coming out the back of a cabinet, connected to a gas wash bottle. There are probably better solutions for this, but in my tired mind, it seemed like a good idea to catch all the droplets coming out the hose as the absorbed O2 in the scrubber reacts with the incoming H2 gas to water. My predecessor just let it piss on the floor, but come on, that's just not neat.

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 3d

Our smaller turbo-pumped chambers can idle in the -8 range, -9 with ion/getter pumps, but everything better requires baking (which I loathe).

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 3d

Can you help me with this paper, we need to submit it for this proposal.

Can you help me with this data, we need it for that paper we need for that other proposal.

Can you help me with the other other proposal.

Why do they all keep bothering me.

I just want to watch the bouncy ball.

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 4d

I think that's where my confusion originated from, as my brain didn't make the connection between the medical field and a shitty railbus, so I didn't think it was meant literally...

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 4d

Oh, sorry, then I stand corrected of my own correction of my presumed incorrect assumption! (hateful things those)

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 4d

For a second there I thought you meant Pacer as in railbuses, which would've also fit the narrative... xD

Reposted by László

Grem, of 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐏 🔜 MCAtlanta! @gremlin.world · 5d

I will never not repost this

(Sound on for maximum effect)

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 4d

Judging by sticky notes past me left behind, the one on the left a mere 2E-2mbar, the middle one 4E-3, the big one labeled V7 also 4E-3, and the smol one on the right 2E-2.

Getting into the lower 3s is pretty good for one of these.

László @stripeyyena.bsky.social · 5d

Destruction as a service!

Reposted by László

ascalaphid @ascalaphid.com · 6d

Brother Herbert's Big Onion

to the tune of Diarrhea Planet's Ghost With A Boner:
SHREW WITH AN ONION!
SHREW WITH AN O-O-O-O-NION!