How to Build a Temperature Test Chamber With Foam Insulation

Assembling the Box

• 1

  Cut seven squares of insulation from the sheet using a sharp utility knife. You will need two sheets, 20-by-20 inches, two sheets 20-by-18 inches and three sheets 18-by-18 inches. Use a yardstick to measure your squares and to act as a straight edge while cutting the sheets.

• 2

  Glue two of the 20-by-18 inch insulation sheets to one of the 20-by-20 inch squares using a hot glue gun. The 20-by-18 inch sheets should be glued by one 20-inch edge to the upper edges of the 20-by-20 inch square, forming an upright "U." The faces of the 20-by-18 inch sheets should be flush with the edges of the 20-by-20 inch sheet.

• 3

  Glue two of the 18-by-18 inch sheets in between the 20 by 18 inch uprights to create an open-top box. Glue the remaining 18-by-18 inch sheet to the center of the remaining 20-by- 20 inch sheet to create a tight-fitting lid. Use the yardstick to measure the distance from the edge of the sheet to ensure that both sheets are properly centered.

• 4

  Cut squares from the space blanket to line the inside of the chamber using scissors. Tape the space blanket to the inside of the box using double-sided tape. Wrap the outside of the box and the lid in three layers of space blanket. Use aluminum tape to reinforce the corners of the box and hold the outer layers of space blanket in place.

• 5

  Place a square of aluminum tape near the top of one side of the box. Drill a small hole through the center of the tape just large enough for the power cables of the fans to pass through.

Mounting the Fans

• 6

  Cut two squares of plywood slightly larger than the computer fans. Mount the fans to the squares of plywood using 3/4-inch wood screws just small enough to fit through the fans' mounting brackets. One fan should be mounted with the fan facing upward, while the other should be mounted with the fan facing downward.

• 7

  Cut four right-angle triangles from the insulation board with the congruent sides the same length as the fan boards. Hot glue the triangles to the bottom edges of the fan boards in the manner of shelf brackets.

• 8

  Choose a mounting point for the fans inside the box, near the hole you drilled for the cables. The fans should be situated near the top of the box, but with a couple of inches of clearance between the fans and the closed lid. Mark the mounting points with a marker.

• 9

  Cut the space blanket away from the marked points. Glue the mounting brackets to the exposed foam insulation. Thread the power cables through the drilled hole and seal the hole on both sides with hot glue.

Chilling the Chamber

• 10

  Place a metal document tray in the bottom of the chamber. Spread a pound of dry ice, broken into chunks roughly an inch to a side, in the tray.

• 11

  Place a second metal document tray upside down in the first, forming a rack over the bed of dry ice. Place the item to be temperature-tested on top of the second tray.

• 12

  Close the lid tightly. For best results, you may wish to seal the seams between the lid and the chamber with aluminum tape for the duration of the experiment.

• 13

  Plug the fan power cables into the receiving cables on a computer power supply. Plug the power supply into a wall outlet.