BetterGeiger

7 ms·

1.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
For staying safe you want high max range and energy-compensated dose response. No ultra cheap devices offer that, mine is the closest thing on the low end of price, but consider me biased... If anyone finds something to contradict that feel
2.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
Yes exactly, often a small energy compensated GM tube that is not very sensitive but can handle very high radiation levels is included in the same device as a pro detector with a fancy scintillator.
3.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
Oh I didn't realize that worked with home assistant. It's a little different than a Geiger tube, that device uses a PIN diode and reacts to radiation interactions with the diode itself. Accuracy isn't great for dose but proba
4.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
I really want to make one to sell but too many other projects. The last time I saw them for sale was through the UKRAA but they seem to be out of stock for a while. You might be able to cobble one together with ebay stuff and online guides
5.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
I am not aware of anything that can connect to home assistant like that. It is definitely missing from the market and something I would like to make eventually, but too many other projects to finish first.
6.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
I am not certain but this tube looks like an M4011 which typically measures up to 1 mSv/hr for a reference Cs-137 source. Pretty low maximum level, not suitable for emergencies.
7.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
tl;dr not useful. To make a long story short, max range is very important and these cheap tubes saturate easily, and they don't give energy-corrected dose rate. They also cannot do gamma spec (isotope identification), but that is not n
8.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
No worries, I hope you can get some rest :)
9.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
I gave a more detailed comment already, but price/performance is not a simple two axis thing. No consumer grade gamma spec device measures high dose rate which is needed for emergency use. Depending on the intended use case something l
10.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
Practically every radon measuring device on the market does it the way I described because of the reasons I described.
11.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
If you want to actually measure radon concentration quantitatively what you are describing is not the way. Typically devices simply measure alpha count rates coming from air, radon diffuses very effectively and no filtering or extra flow is
12.
by BetterGeiger 1y ago
Cool project! My business is Better Geiger (www.bettergeiger.com), I design and sell radiation detectors. I just hope people keep in mind the capabilities and limitations of those simple Geiger tubes. Radon was mentioned on the project webs
13.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
Fantastic! Let me know if you have any questions... and be sure to find a current 12 year old kid to plant the seed of interest in radiation. :)
14.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
You are right max range is important for some applications, and most cheap Geiger counters saturate very easily (that two tube device you mentioned being a notable exception). Even still it is not great to refer to them as dosimeters becaus
15.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
It is a myth that radon collects in "low points", concentrations are low and it diffuses as the molecules bounce around. However, as you said radon is entering into those areas primarily, which means it will naturally be higher in
16.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
I'm sorry to say that some of the sensor design details, including material and geometry, are not shared. That was a critical optimization process during the design phase (tricky balancing act between cost and performance) and I want t
17.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
haha, yes... unfortunately they emit such an extremely tiny amount you can't measure it with ordinary means, I tried: https://twitter.com/BetterGeiger/status/1523769482602196992
18.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
Thank you! Most people don't need one (and hopefully it stays that way) but I still think it's a fun and educational device. If nothing else it's a conversation piece. :)
19.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
You are right, the commenter implied that.
20.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
Yes, and even if you have a high-end alpha detector, ingested radioactive material cannot be detected externally if it's only emitting alpha. One would need to take a blood sample or something like that and do more complicated tests.
21.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
Beta particles are basically energetic electrons flying around, yes, but for a Geiger counter to detect them they have to be quite energetic in order to penetrate the Geiger tube itself (detection occurs essentially inside the tube, in th
22.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
Thanks :D
23.
by BetterGeiger 3y ago
I think the core of the explanation given is correct but some of the adjacent details need adjustment. The important part is: "Clothes dryers are very effective at making statically charged surfaces. (Dryer sheets help.) So when radon
24.
by BetterGeiger 4y ago
I think they have already done that. I doubt a large percentage of people will both see the request and follow through with it.
25.
by BetterGeiger 4y ago
Here's how I would approach it... Based on a given detector geometry you can imagine it has a detection efficiency as a function of distance from the detector. Now you can imagine the source traveling in a straight line such that it pa
26.
by BetterGeiger 4y ago
Unfortunately not yet. Right now I am struggling to keep up with demand but when I have some more units on hand I'll probably try to set up Amazon fulfillment in some countries in Europe.
27.
by BetterGeiger 4y ago
I really don't follow this narrative. Yes it's hot and remote and it's a 1400 km road. All of those things are clear. It's still very easy to put sensitive detectors inside a vehicle and drive along the road. These are u
28.
by BetterGeiger 4y ago
Do you think animals can only move a meter per minute!?? First of all, this part is not necessarily common knowledge but serious health effects does not mean incapacitated, and in the case of radiation it usually means effects that come on
29.
by BetterGeiger 4y ago
Yes, I recommend mine ;) ... the "Better Geiger S-1" In the budget price range (~$150 and under) my detector, which uses a solid scintillator, and a traditional Geiger tube based device are really the only options worth considerin
30.
by BetterGeiger 4y ago
Radiation detection is my specialty. This source is Cs-137, few hundred mCi. It's easy to detect within a few seconds at distances of a few tens of meters or more with professional detection equipment if there is direct line of sight.

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