Hello,
After venting my initial frustration and anger due to purchasing a Robinair Thermistor Vacuum Gauge with a busted tube, i came accross the following page:
http://www.ee.ualberta.ca/~schmaus/vacf/thermis.html
I don't believe this has been posted before, and i belive this is something most bees can take advantage of. This design and a cheap multimeter will give you a working digital vacuum gauge at a very low cost.
The cheapest new digital vacuum gauge I found was $139 USD. Second hand ones can be bought for about $50 USD at auction sites, but like mine, could be busted. There is no one in this country that i can find, who assembles these things locally and a reasonable price.
By the way, if someone has found a source for a cheap digital vacuum gauges in Australia, i wouldn't mind a PM.
Take care all!
Thank you,
Sponsan.