Cheap Home Made Geiger Counter Using a Disposable Camera Flash Unit

Visit www.MadScientistHut.com/wordpress for details. In this video I demonstrate using a surplus russian SBM20 Geiger tube (from Ebay) powered from a hacked disposable camera flash unit. The output is then coupled to a oneshot pulse stretcher and audio amplifier. This whole setup costs less than 30 dollars to make.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Geiger
• counter
• Surplus
• russian
• geiger
• tube
• disposable
• camera
• high
• voltage
• supply
• sbm20
• cheap
• gieger
• radiation
• detection
• radioactive
• detector
• make

[jaggernutox]

ok if u want to have a little project building a Geiger counter OK but if u really need one they cost like 5-40 $

[madscientisthut]

@jaggernutox Wow where do you find a $5.00 to $40.00 Geiger counter?????!!!!!!! Last time I looked you could not find a broken one for that cheap.

[26tesla]

схема есть?

[madscientisthut]

@26tesla I have a schematic diagram on my website mad scientist hut, Look in the blog section Geiger counter. To see a large image of the schematic you will have to click on the picture, wait until the next page loads, then click the image one more time it is some weird wordpress issue.

[sxcHideki]

what i don´t understand ist why you didn´t flip the diode and have a positiv HV to ground. or is it just my camera board producing negative voltage to ground. or is it not working otherwise o.O if i use a 10K poti with my camera and 2AAA batteries, i get still 600 to 700V out of it, something is not right :D did you rewire the coils or any other modifications, and how did you connect the audio circuit to your tube. would be nice if you answer my questions.

[madscientisthut]

@sxcHideki I did not reverse the rectifier simply because the circuit worked and need no other modification. The potentiometer should change the voltage output by adjusting it, so maybe something is wrong with your board. I did not re-wire any of the coils, look at the schematic on the madscientisthut dot com/wordpress/category/geiger-­counter/ there you will find schematics, pictures and descriptions on what was done for audio and powers suppy

[jaggernutox]

@madscientisthut just look it up on eBay and u shod find something :)

[sxcHideki]

@madscientisthut thanks for the reply, yes i know, it changes the output voltage, but in my board it varies from like 620V to 850V or something, with 1,5V input it works fine. anyway, im glad for your site and the great projects you have there, but i probably going to use a different design for the HV power supply. cheers.

[faffaflunkie]

WARNING-those photo flash units have very large capacitors and are extremely dangerous. If you don't know what you are doing leave them alone.

[madscientisthut]

It is also a do it yourself circuit the schematic can be found on the Mad Scientist Hut website on the blog under Geiger counter