Pocket Geiger Counter - Type 5   (Sparkfun SPX-14185) sensitive radiation sensor, detecting Gamma & Beta radiation

The PocketGeiger-Type5 from Radiation Watch is a highly sensitive radiation sensor designed for the embedded systems market. Capable of detecting Gamma and Beta radiation, it has a simple pulsed output that can be used with any microcontroller. The Pocket Geiger has an onboard DC boost circuit, so the board can be supplied with a friendly 3V to 9V. Using only 30mW (10mA @ 3V), it is very low power. Radiation Watch has a handful of documents and example Arduino code to get you up and running. They have also written a Windows example program written in C# (source included!) to output graphs to a computer using an Arduino as the reader. Additionally, the counter comes with an optional enclosure and 3.5mm cable that allow you to connect the counter to some mobile phones (may not be compatible with phones sold in the EU).

Sensor:

• Radiation Sensor Datatsheet X100-7 SMD
• FirstSensor X100-7 (company site)

Measurement Range:

• 0.05uSv/h～10mSv/h (Cs-137)
• 0.01cpm～300Kcpm

Required Measurement Time: 2min

Product Includes:

• Type5 Geiger counter board with copper EM shielding
• Brass plates (attach to block beta particles)
• 9V battery holder with On/Off switch
• 16” TRRS cable
• Plastic enclosure
• Extra 3.5mm TRRS jack

Dimensions: 58 x 26 x 11mm

Weight: 7g (board only)

Documents:

• Interface Specification and Pinout
• Example Arduino Sketch
• Schematic
• Connecting to an Arduino or a microcontroller
• Windows C# example program with source
• Certification and testing by the Dutch Metrology Institute
• There is a considerable amount of information at the Radiation Watch website.
• For more information about beta particle blocking read up on ‘beta particle absorption coefficient’.
• The Nuclear Radiation Dose Survival and Exposure Converter Calculator is great site to see how different exposure situations will affect a human.
• And there’s always XKCD’s Radiation Dose Chart