We prepared a short note on how to build a dynode voltage divider network for inexpensive surplus XP2422/SN photomultiplier tubes. The XP2422/SN PMT is especially suited for gamma-ray spectral analysis when coupled to a NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal because of its high pulse-height resolution (PHR). The XP2422/SN is available from Sphere Research in Canada.
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
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
Testing Electronic Goldmine’s “Giant Super Sensitive Geiger Muller Tube MC6″
I purchased two “Giant Super Sensitive MC6″ GM tubes from Electronic Goldmine (Item Number : G18717, Unit Price: $89.95). These are Russian-made new-old-stock model MC6. They are 10.25″ long x 0.9″ diameter. I compared the sensitivity of these tubes to the other GM tubes that I use with my CDV700 Pro Geiger Counter.
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
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
d.i.y. Handheld Multichannel Analyzer (MCA) based on 16F877 PIC Microcontroller and LCD
Some time ago I was developing a medical instrument which required histogramming, which got me in the mood to retake my own PIC MCA project(http://home.comcast.net/~prutchi/index_files/scint.htm ). I used the variable RAM in the microcontroller (16F877), so I limited the number of channels to 95 and let the histogram run until some channel reaches 240 counts (the
Prototyping PCB for d.i.y. Photomultiplier (PMT) Amplifier/Processor
We built the bulk of our PMT amplifier/processor/discriminator on a Universal PDIP Operational Amplifier Evaluation Module by Texas Instruments (model OPAMPEVM-PDIP). Click on the picture above for a full-size version of the picture. The diagram in the following pdf file shows the connection layout for the circuit shown in the book’s Figure 34: PMT Processor PCB
diy PMT Pulse Processor Suitable For Use With “Pulse Recorder and Analyser (PRA)” MCA
Figure 34 in the book shows the schematic diagram for the photomultiplier tube (PMT) signal processing circuit that amplifies the narrow pulses detected by the PMT probe. The discriminator stage removes small pulses produced by thermal noise in the tube. A pulse stretcher outputs pulses that can be heard on a speaker. In addition, the analog
diy Low-Cost, Regulated, Variable, Low-Ripple High-Voltage (2kV) Photomultiplier Tube Power Supply
The book’s Figure 32 shows the schematic diagram for a low-cost, variable-voltage PMT power supply based on a BXA-12579 inverter module that is originally designed as a power supply for cold-cathode fluorescent lamps. This under-$20 module produces 1,500VAC at around 30kHz from a 12VDC input. We are posting this picture to help you build your own power
RCA 6655A PMT Data Sheet
This is the datasheet for the RCA 6655A PMT used in the probe shown in the book’s Figure 30: RCA_6655A_Datasheet This is the datasheet for Hamamatsu’s replacement of the RCA 6655A PMT: Hamamatsu replacement for RCA 6655A R2154-02 Schematic diagrams for the probe are in Figure 29.
Assembly View of diy Variable-Output, High-Performance PMT High-Voltage Power Supply
We are posting this picture to help you construct the variable-output, low-ripple, high-stability, high-voltage power supply described in pages 38-40 of “Exploring Quantum Physics Through Hands-On Projects.” The schematic diagrams for this power supply are in the book’s Figure 31. Output voltage (up to 2 kV) and current (up to 1 mA) are monitored via
Compton Scattering Experiment Using Spectrum Techniques’ Equipment
Spectrum Techniques of Oak Ridge, TN - a top supplier of Exempt Quantity radioisotope sources and nuclear measurement instrumentation – released today our tutorial: “Experiment Note: Exploring Compton Scattering Using the Spectrum Techniques Universal Computer Spectrometer”
