Gamma-Spec this, bitch...

IDENTIFY RADIOACTIVE SAMPLES WITH THIS DIY GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETER
6 Comments by: Robin Kearey
May 3, 2022
A square PCB with a Raspberry Pi Pico mounted in the middle
If you're a radiation enthusiast, chances are you've got a Geiger counter lying around somewhere. While Geiger counters are useful to detect the amount of radiation present, and with a few tricks can also distinguish between the three types of radiation (alpha, beta and gamma), they are of limited use in identifying radioactive materials. For that you need a different instrument called a gamma-ray spectrometer.

Spectrometers are usually expensive and complex instruments aimed at radiation professionals. But it doesn't have to be that way: physics enthusiast [NuclearPhoenix] has designed a hand-held gamma spectrometer that's easy to assemble and should fit in a hobbyist budget. It outputs spectral plots that you can compare with reference data to identify specific elements.

A PCB with a sensor wrapped in black tape
The scintillator and sensor are wrapped in black tape to block out ambient light.
The heart of the device is a scintillation crystal such as thallium-doped sodium iodide which converts incoming gamma rays into visible light. The resulting flashes are detected by a silicon photomultiplier whose output is amplified and processed before being digitized by a Raspberry Pi Pico's ADC. The Pico calculates the pulses' spectrum and generates a plot that can be stored on its on-board flash or downloaded to a computer.

[NuclearPhoenix] wrote a convenient program to help analyze the output data and made all design files open-source. The hardest part to find will be the scintillation crystal, but they do pop up on auction sites like eBay now and then. We've featured an Arduino-based gamma spectrometer before; if you've always wanted to roll your own scintillators, you can do that too.

A program that analyzes and plots gamma ray spectra

HarveyH55 wrote:
https://hackaday.com/2022/05/03/identify-radioactive-samples-with-this-diy-gamma-ray-spectrometer/

I just read the article, but didn't click onto the actual project. I know I don't have the parts, and some would be tough to source right now (thanks Joe), not mention a little pricey if you can find what you want, Seems interesting, on the cheap though.

IDENTIFY RADIOACTIVE SAMPLES WITH THIS DIY GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETER
6 Comments by: Robin Kearey
May 3, 2022
A square PCB with a Raspberry Pi Pico mounted in the middle
If you're a radiation enthusiast, chances are you've got a Geiger counter lying around somewhere. While Geiger counters are useful to detect the amount of radiation present, and with a few tricks can also distinguish between the three types of radiation (alpha, beta and gamma), they are of limited use in identifying radioactive materials. For that you need a different instrument called a gamma-ray spectrometer.

Spectrometers are usually expensive and complex instruments aimed at radiation professionals. But it doesn't have to be that way: physics enthusiast [NuclearPhoenix] has designed a hand-held gamma spectrometer that's easy to assemble and should fit in a hobbyist budget. It outputs spectral plots that you can compare with reference data to identify specific elements.

A PCB with a sensor wrapped in black tape
The scintillator and sensor are wrapped in black tape to block out ambient light.
The heart of the device is a scintillation crystal such as thallium-doped sodium iodide which converts incoming gamma rays into visible light. The resulting flashes are detected by a silicon photomultiplier whose output is amplified and processed before being digitized by a Raspberry Pi Pico's ADC. The Pico calculates the pulses' spectrum and generates a plot that can be stored on its on-board flash or downloaded to a computer.

[NuclearPhoenix] wrote a convenient program to help analyze the output data and made all design files open-source. The hardest part to find will be the scintillation crystal, but they do pop up on auction sites like eBay now and then. We've featured an Arduino-based gamma spectrometer before; if you've always wanted to roll your own scintillators, you can do that too.

A program that analyzes and plots gamma ray spectra

HarveyH55 wrote:Gamma-Spec this, bitch...

IBdaMann wrote:

HarveyH55 wrote:Gamma-Spec this, bitch...

squeal over wrote:See? You just needed a little more motivation.

squeal over wrote:THIS one is nice.

squeal over wrote:You clearly put in more time and effort for this one, and that is appreciated.

squeal over wrote:This tribute is accepted with our full approval.