One of my all-time favorite circuits is the the following DC-to-AC inverter (click diagram to enlarge) based on an old color TV flyback:
diy Scintillation Probe for Ludlum Ratemeters Using Surplus XP3312/SQ PMT
Ludlum general-purpose ratemeters are professional-grade instruments that are available on the secondary market at affordable prices. They are compatible with a wide variety of probes, making them a great choice for educators, surveyors, and advanced amateur users. However, probes for Ludlum ratemeters are often as expensive as the meter instrument itself, making it worthwhile
80 µCi Americium-241 Sources Inside Old Pyrotronics F3/5A Smoke Detectors
These are pictures of the Americium-241 sources inside some old Pyrotronics F3/5A smoke detectors that were being decommissioned. The activity of the Am-241 sources at the time of manufacture (1970s) totaled 80 µCi, so they should still have some ~70 µCi left in them. The Pyrotronics F3/5A smoke detectors were manufactured in the early 1970s. The
A Low-Cost, Super-Sensitive Paint Can Scintillation Probe for the Prutchi CDV700-Pro
We just finished constructing a low-cost, yet highly sensitive gamma-ray scintillation probe for our CDV700-Pro counter. The probe is based on a Philips XP5312/SN photomultiplier tube (that is available from Sphere Research) and a piece of scintillation plastic. The probe yields a background count of approximately 1,000 counts/minute (cpm) in our lab, and 7,400 cpm
Using the $79 SainSmart DSO201 Pocket Oscilloscope and GammaGrapher with the PMT/Scintillation Probe
Connects directly to PMT probe shown in the book’s Figure 30 with no need for PMT amplifier! The nice guys at the Yahoo GammaSpectrometry Group developed multichannel analyzer software for the $79 SainSmart DSO201 Pocket-Sized Digital Oscilloscope. The upload of the MCA software to the oscilloscope is really easy (via USB), and it allows the PMT probe shown in
New Isotope/Geiger Tube Holder at Images Scientific
Images Scientific Corporation just announced a new Geiger counter wand base provides a stable platform to hold the Geiger counter wand for experiments. The physical dimensions of the holder are 2″ wide by 12″ long. The length of the sled has markings in both metric and imperial. The sled isotope holder provides a stable and moveable
d.i.y. Alpha-Particle Rutherford Scattering Experiment – Supplementary Pictures
The book’s Figures 70 and 71 show our d.i.y. version of a popular apparatus to measure alpha particle scattering. The figure above shows additional views to help you build your own. The apparatus allows you to demonstrate alpha particle scattering discovered by Ernest Rutherford in 1908. Fundamental to the discovery of the atom’s structure, the experiment
Connecting to Surplus Scionix Miniature Scintillation Probes
Scionix in The Netherlands has taken advantage of the recent development of miniature mesh-type dynode photomultiplier tubes to construct small-diameter scintillation probes. Scionix’s miniature probes incorporate one of those PMTs, a NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal, and a built-in dynode voltage divider. Connection to the probe is made through a miniature high-voltage locking coaxial connector. Finding a mating connector is the main
Simple d.i.y. Bias-T for Scintillation Probes with Single Connector
Many surplus scintillation probes have a single connector through which the PMT is fed with high voltage and the anode signal is output. However, this may require an external “Bias-T” (a high voltage / signal splitter) to connect the probe to a high-voltage power supply that is separate from the PMT amplifier/processor.
Adding Your Own Primary to High-Voltage Flyback Transformer for Resonant Driving
Our two prior posts show how to build very high voltage power supplies using flybacks from old color TVs. The advantage of the method we use is that any flyback can be driven, regardless of how its primary is wired. This is because we wind our own primary using litz wire.
Universal Resonant Transformer Driver (High-Voltage Flyback Driver)
We use the flyback-driver circuit shown in our d.i.y. 250 kV DC power supply in many other of our setups, so we built a stand-alone universal resonant transformer driver.
d.i.y. 250 kV High Voltage DC Power Supply with Neat Trick for Switching Polarity
High voltage DC power supplies are used by science enthusiasts for powering electron tubes and x-ray tubes, charging high-voltage capacitors, powering electrostatic “levitators”, etc. Many of these power supplies use a flyback transformer to produce high voltage at high frequency (AC), followed by a “Cockroft-Walton Multiplier” to rectify and dramatically increase the voltage. The Cockroft-Walton multiplier
Home-Built Radiac (Radiation Detector and Meter) for a Surplus DT-590A/PDR-56F Scintillation Probe
Military DT-590A/PDR-56 “x-ray” probes are widely available in the surplus market. They were meant to be used with the military Radiac Set AN/PDR-56, which is a portable scintillation-type instrument used for detection of plutonium-239 contamination. In addition to emitting 5.1 MeV alpha particles, Plutonium-239 also emits gamma rays in the energy range of 14 to 21
Converting a DT-590A/PDR-56F “X-Ray” Probe into a General-Purpose NaI(Tl) Gamma Probe
The military Radiac Set, AN/PDR-56 is a portable scintillation type instrument used for detection of alpha contamination. The system includes a large and small interchangeable probe with a probe extension. This system is being phased out by the US Air Force, so new probes are becoming widely available in the surplus market. The “x-ray” probe
Open-Source Handheld Gamma Spectrometer on Yahoo Group GammaSpectrometry
An amateur-use open-source gamma spectrum analyzer is being developed by members of the GeigerCounterEnthusiast (GCE) Yahoo Group. This multichannel analyzer (MCA) is based on the STM32F103VBT6 microcontroller. It displays spectra on a color LCD. To access the design files (and hopefully to participate in the development) you will need to join the GammaSpectrometry Yahoo Group
