Very cool man. I might do this. Never thought about making a Geiger counter. But it might be cool to have to track the kids about nuclear physics. Hopefully I’ll never actually need it but if I do I sure will be glad I have it. I can’t seem to find a 5979 tube though. Found a 5980 - so I’ll have to do a little research.
Some tips for you: Skip the pencil shaped 5980 tubes. They are not very sensitive at all. If you want alpha sensitivity on a budget, the best bang for the buck is a soviet surplus SBT11A tube which can do alpha+beta & gamma. If you don't need alpha sensitivity (most don't, actually) then the next best choice is a surplus SBM20. They are amazing tubes for the price. They run at 400v. Very sensitive bang for the buck. Get a tested to work one. Ebay has good prices. Also, you may want to look up how to build a gigaohm HV probe for your multimeter otherwise it will bog down your delicate HV supply and you won't get an accurate 400v reading with most multimeters out there. Fun stuff.
Is there a selector or a way to know if the detected radiation is Alpha, Beta or Gamma? Does the Meter indicate that? You didn't show your battery pack charging circuit. Are you applying 12V to all three series 18650s, like the top (+) and bottom (-) only? You can get 3-series-cell charger with 4 wires to monitor the charge of each individual cell so no one cell in the series pack is overcharged or undercharged when you think the series pack is fully charged. When, let's say, the center cell is fully charged, the charger stops charging it. Same for the other cells. You can also get a DC to DC Converter which will take the battery pack's 12.6V Full charge (4.2V each) down the safe discharge 9.6V (3.2V each) as input and supply a constant 12V output, so battery pack drainage does not change your 12V input to those 12V input devices. This may require a larger project box, but it should be worth the rebuild.
@@100vg The output voltage of the AC wall charger is 12.6 volts. There is a board inside the battery pack, but I have no idea how good it is. I'm only drawing around 50-60 milliamps so I'll never overheat it.
@@electronicsNmore I was talking about Balanced Charging for all 3 cells and a DC to DC Converter as described would supply a Constant Voltage out. A Full Charge of 12.6V will never be seen by the circuit because of Voltage Drop once Power is applied. 12.0V may be the best you'll see, but a DC to DC Converter's Voltage out will be constant until a certain low needs-to-be-charged Voltage from the battery is reached. The Balanced Charger circuitry may determine the recharge Voltage and stop the battery pack from working. Some of them have an adjustable Voltage out and some have a set Voltage Out spec, which you have to select to meet the circuit's needs. And there are various types, with some of them much smaller and made to be soldered onto a PCB, but their Amps capability is smaller, too, but certainly capable of 50-60 mA. A Balanced Charger for three 18650s in Series has 4 wires, one for 12.6V (+), one for 0V (-), and two for where each battery in Series touches another in between. This configuration allows each individual cell to be charged to 4.2V and then stop charging, like an 4-bay 18650 charger does, and the schematic that comes with the Balanced Charger shows where each color-coded wire goes. If your battery pack has 4 wires going into it, then it has balanced charging, but it was hard to see how many wires there are in your video, but I didn't pause the video and click Full Screen. Each module is of a fair size and height, and that's why I said a larger project box may be required, but the lower Amperage DC to DC Converters may suit your needs. It may be worth looking into.
Just say, "I'm helping the airlines by monitoring radiation levels at high altitudes!", just be sure not to be salivating on side of mouth at the time.
Surprisingly I know people have flown with the SBM20 based devices which look even more suspect. The key is you need to turn it on and show the security guys it's just a geiger counter and working OK. Send it through their X-ray machine and it will scream from all that radiation.
Nice. Really love this one.
Very cool man. I might do this. Never thought about making a Geiger counter. But it might be cool to have to track the kids about nuclear physics. Hopefully I’ll never actually need it but if I do I sure will be glad I have it. I can’t seem to find a 5979 tube though. Found a 5980 - so I’ll have to do a little research.
Some tips for you: Skip the pencil shaped 5980 tubes. They are not very sensitive at all. If you want alpha sensitivity on a budget, the best bang for the buck is a soviet surplus SBT11A tube which can do alpha+beta & gamma. If you don't need alpha sensitivity (most don't, actually) then the next best choice is a surplus SBM20. They are amazing tubes for the price. They run at 400v. Very sensitive bang for the buck. Get a tested to work one. Ebay has good prices. Also, you may want to look up how to build a gigaohm HV probe for your multimeter otherwise it will bog down your delicate HV supply and you won't get an accurate 400v reading with most multimeters out there. Fun stuff.
Is there a selector or a way to know if the detected radiation is Alpha, Beta or Gamma? Does the Meter indicate that? You didn't show your battery pack charging circuit. Are you applying 12V to all three series 18650s, like the top (+) and bottom (-) only? You can get 3-series-cell charger with 4 wires to monitor the charge of each individual cell so no one cell in the series pack is overcharged or undercharged when you think the series pack is fully charged. When, let's say, the center cell is fully charged, the charger stops charging it. Same for the other cells. You can also get a DC to DC Converter which will take the battery pack's 12.6V Full charge (4.2V each) down the safe discharge 9.6V (3.2V each) as input and supply a constant 12V output, so battery pack drainage does not change your 12V input to those 12V input devices. This may require a larger project box, but it should be worth the rebuild.
@@100vg The output voltage of the AC wall charger is 12.6 volts. There is a board inside the battery pack, but I have no idea how good it is. I'm only drawing around 50-60 milliamps so I'll never overheat it.
@@electronicsNmore I was talking about Balanced Charging for all 3 cells and a DC to DC Converter as described would supply a Constant Voltage out. A Full Charge of 12.6V will never be seen by the circuit because of Voltage Drop once Power is applied. 12.0V may be the best you'll see, but a DC to DC Converter's Voltage out will be constant until a certain low needs-to-be-charged Voltage from the battery is reached. The Balanced Charger circuitry may determine the recharge Voltage and stop the battery pack from working.
Some of them have an adjustable Voltage out and some have a set Voltage Out spec, which you have to select to meet the circuit's needs. And there are various types, with some of them much smaller and made to be soldered onto a PCB, but their Amps capability is smaller, too, but certainly capable of 50-60 mA.
A Balanced Charger for three 18650s in Series has 4 wires, one for 12.6V (+), one for 0V (-), and two for where each battery in Series touches another in between. This configuration allows each individual cell to be charged to 4.2V and then stop charging, like an 4-bay 18650 charger does, and the schematic that comes with the Balanced Charger shows where each color-coded wire goes. If your battery pack has 4 wires going into it, then it has balanced charging, but it was hard to see how many wires there are in your video, but I didn't pause the video and click Full Screen.
Each module is of a fair size and height, and that's why I said a larger project box may be required, but the lower Amperage DC to DC Converters may suit your needs. It may be worth looking into.
I bet that you can't fly with that, even in your checked baggage.
Just say, "I'm helping the airlines by monitoring radiation levels at high altitudes!", just be sure not to be salivating on side of mouth at the time.
🤣. Funny, looks like an IED
Surprisingly I know people have flown with the SBM20 based devices which look even more suspect. The key is you need to turn it on and show the security guys it's just a geiger counter and working OK. Send it through their X-ray machine and it will scream from all that radiation.