DRSB-88 Geiger Counter on a Smoke Detector Source

This is my DRSB-88 geiger counter on the source of a smoke detector. If you didn't know, smoke detectors contain an Americium 241 source. It isn't dangerous, but it produces nice clicks on a geiger counter.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• radiation
• radioactive
• nuclear
• geiger
• counter
• smoke
• detector
• fire
• chernobyl
• atomic

[dojomojomofo]

Smoke detector sources are actually very active. I can pick them up from a foot away, behind a bunch of clutter, with my DSRB-01. I have 2 DSRB-01 and 2 DSRB-88s and the 88s seem totally useless - on a radium watch dial, the 01s make a crunching sound and flash "WARNING" but the 88s don't change at all.

[lowcostvideos]

@dojomojomofo I know what's going on my Chrismas list.

[blackriverbridge]

wow u r getting background not the americium from the smoke detector u probably too the wrong part out of it

[lowcostvideos]

No, background only results in a couple counts per minute. The meter is designed for higher levels of radiation.

[CassetteMaster]

I'd like to see the big yellow one operate.

[lowcostvideos]

He he. If the needle on that one ever moves, you are already in danger.

But I did test it with an x-ray machine once and the needle went to 0.5r/hr!

[Isosphere]

Smoke detectors mainly emit alphas, which do not penetrate the DRSB casing. Just a little gamma.

Not a good demo, actually, you missed the point.

[Ex0th3rm1c]

Just so you know americium, that radioactive source you have there, release mainly alpha radiation. Of course there is some gamma as well, but your DRSB-88 isn't picking up a lot of the radiation that source is giving off.

[107Ryebread]

What's with the 717? It couldn't detect anything anyways, short of a atomic blast or meltdown.

[mashersmasher]

why do you have a survey meter there? i don't think it can detect radiation sources that low

[scrfce123]

Americium has an alpha decay mode. Alpha radiation can be very dangerous - If a particle is ingested, it will bounce around in the body whilst constantly ionising tissue. Not good.

[bradyiack]

hello, can you please tell me where you bought this from? i cannot find it anywhere. and i really want to buy one.

[NoBuyForYou]

Beta is also present in low doses with AM-241

[kestrel452]

His geiger counter is designed to detect only gamma rays. I saw his other video and its quite obvious that this is the case. With the beta shield closed on my CD V-700 and Ludlum Model 3 i get just about the same number of clicks from a smoke detector source. Americium's main radiation is alpha, but it also emits a small amount of gamma rays which is creating the clicks here in the video.