Hands-free chamber lighting for standard ConFlat viewports

You should not need a flashlight, a phone, or a gooseneck lamp to see inside your own chamber. The McAllister CFF Viewport Ring Light clips onto a standard ConFlat viewport and puts a bright LED ring around the glass, so the chamber is lit from the direction you are looking. Hands stay free. The viewport stays open. You can see past the usual obstructions and get on with the experiment.

The entire assembly lives on the atmosphere side of the window. Nothing enters vacuum, nothing outgasses into the chamber, and there is no UHV contamination concern. Clip it on, light the chamber, and move it to a different viewport when you need the light somewhere else.

Power is USB-C. Use the included battery pack at the flange, plug into wall power, or run it from a phone. No dedicated 24 V supply, no AC cord draped across the frame, no hunting for an outlet on the rack.

We stock the three viewport sizes used on most UHV systems: 2.75″, 4.50″, and 6.00″ CFF.

Why it belongs on the chamber

UHV chambers are dark on purpose. Once the lights are out and the pumps are on, the only way to see a sample, a transfer rod, a shutter, or a stuck flag is through a viewport. Handheld lights glare off the glass and occupy a hand you need for the manipulator. Lamps parked in front of the window block the view they are supposed to help. In-vacuum lamps add hardware, heat, and contamination risk.

A ring of LEDs on the atmosphere side of the viewport solves that without touching vacuum. Light goes in along the line of sight. The clear aperture stays open for viewing, cameras, and alignment. The light stays put in any flange orientation, so you are not holding anything and not peering around the chamber to find an angle.

Key features

Clips onto standard ConFlat viewports — 2.75″ (CF38), 4.50″ (CF63), and 6.00″ (CF100)
Entirely atmosphere-side: no vacuum hardware and no UHV contamination path
Maximum open aperture — the viewport remains usable
Hands-free illumination; no flashlight, phone, or gooseneck in the way
USB-C power: included battery pack, wall adapter, or phone
Moves from viewport to viewport in seconds
Holds on in any orientation — upward, vertical, or downward-facing flanges
Low heat at the window compared with conventional lamps
Clears all standard flange mounting hardware including SHCS, 12-point bolts, studs and nuts, and hex head bolts.

What’s included

CFF Viewport Ring Light for the selected flange size
USB-C battery pack

Standard sizes (stocked for same-day shipping)

Model / flange Nominal flange OD Typical CF designation

2.75″ CFF 2.75″ (70 mm) CF38 / DN40

4.50″ CFF 4.50″ (114 mm) CF63 / DN63

6.00″ CFF 6.00″ (152 mm) CF100 / DN100

Dimensions are in inches (mm).

Operation

Clip the ring light onto the atmosphere side of a matching ConFlat viewport. Connect USB-C power from the included battery pack, a wall adapter, or a phone. The LED ring illuminates the chamber through the window while leaving the center of the viewport clear.

To use the light on another port, unclip it and move it. No tools, no venting, no flange hardware to disturb. If desired, the #1 Phillips head screw beneath the USB-C port can be tightened to positively clamp the light to the flange OD for extra security.

Notes

Atmosphere-side accessory only. It does not form part of the vacuum envelope.
Remove the ring light and battery pack before chamber bakeout.
Intended for standard zero-length ConFlat viewports in the sizes listed. Contact the factory if your viewport, retainer, or bolt pattern differs from a standard CFF.