Do-It-Yourself Geiger Mueller Smart Detector Jeffery Xiao, Kai Schiefer, James Seekamp, Issa El-Amir, Weronika Myslak, Kimberlee Kearfott Radiological Health Engineering Laboratory Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Abstract Both the Health Physics Society and American Nuclear Society have longstanding programs providing continuing educational workshops, lesson plans, posters, newsletters, and other educational materials for K-12 science teachers. These materials are designed to promote science literacy relating to radiation, but also serve the purpose of interesting students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers. Experimental kits with radiation detectors are available for loan to teachers, but expense precludes these becoming permanent part of the curriculum. Another professional outreach program to students involves the functional restoration of 1960s-1970s era fallout shelter detectors, typically through the replacement of a capacitor with a shelf life limited to only a couple decades. The distribution of such detectors, while both functional and of nostalgic interest, does little to promote careers in the radiation sciences as exciting ones involving impressive state-of-the-art equipment and cutting edge technology. Student experience with measuring ambient radiation with such antique detectors is also typically a limited one restricted to a single device available during the class period. To overcome these shortcomings, an affordable do-it-yourself radiation detector was designed that students would construct for themselves and be able to keep afterwards. The system is built around Geiger-Muller tubes salvaged from surplus fallout shelter detectors, thus avoiding the expense of the basic detector component. Basic circuit elements will be provided to the students who solder them to a supplied printed circuit board. The radiation detection system is controlled by a Raspberry Pi computer while voltage is increased to the necessary levels with an Arduino micro-controller. A smartphone, communicating using Bluetooth to the Raspberry Pi, will eventually serve as the display. An appropriate application will be created to allow collection of both GPS data and radiation measurements for creating radiation maps. A case, incorporating the detector, cellphone and electronics, will be 3D printed by the students. At the end of the exercise, students will have their own working radiation detection, and will have accumulated experience with practical radiation measurements, Raspberry Pi computers, Arduino micro- controllers, circuit design, 3D printing, and mapping. Current Circuit Parts List Purchased Prototype Design Current Design Current Circuit Diagram Current PBC Board Design Intermediate Design First Prototype Future Assembly Design Future Material Testing Future Work • Complete and test circuit board • Design and 3D print an ergonomic box • Prepare materials for high school students • Create software for wireless cellphone communication and data storage • Design a mobile surveillance robotic platform • Explore use of a drone (flying) platform • Extend design to spectroscopic scintillators Quantity Item Details 1 Rapberry Pi 3 With 32 GB SD card 18 wires Not needed with PCB board 3 Breadboards To be replaced with PCB board 1 Geiger Meuller Tube Victoreen CDV700 1 Capacitor 330pF 2 Capacitor 10nF 1 High Speed Diode UF4007 2 Inductor 15 mH 1 Transistor STX0560 1 Transistor 2N4401 3 Resistor 1.5K 1 High Voltage Regulator 5V Regulator 1 Battery Pack 9V 1 Battery Terminal 9V 1 Microcontroller Mini Arduino Pro 9 Batteries AA Acknowledgement: This work was funded in part by the Consortium for Verification Technology under the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration, award number DE-NA0002534.

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Page 1: Do-It-Yourself Geiger Mueller Smart Detectorcvt.engin.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/173/2017/11/Poster0… · Do-It-Yourself Geiger Mueller Smart Detector Jeffery Xiao, Kai Schiefer,

Do-It-Yourself Geiger Mueller Smart DetectorJeffery Xiao, Kai Schiefer, James Seekamp, Issa El-Amir, Weronika Myslak, Kimberlee Kearfott

Radiological Health Engineering LaboratoryDepartment of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

AbstractBoththeHealthPhysicsSocietyandAmericanNuclearSocietyhavelongstandingprogramsprovidingcontinuingeducationalworkshops,lessonplans,posters,newsletters,andothereducationalmaterialsforK-12scienceteachers.Thesematerialsaredesignedtopromotescienceliteracyrelatingtoradiation,butalsoservethepurposeofinterestingstudentsinscience,technology,engineeringandmath(STEM)careers.Experimentalkitswithradiationdetectorsareavailableforloantoteachers,butexpenseprecludesthesebecomingpermanentpartofthecurriculum.Anotherprofessionaloutreachprogramtostudentsinvolvesthefunctionalrestorationof1960s-1970serafalloutshelterdetectors,typicallythroughthereplacementofacapacitorwithashelflifelimitedtoonlyacoupledecades.Thedistributionofsuchdetectors,whilebothfunctionalandofnostalgicinterest,doeslittletopromotecareersintheradiationsciencesasexcitingonesinvolvingimpressivestate-of-the-artequipmentandcuttingedgetechnology.Studentexperiencewithmeasuringambientradiationwithsuchantiquedetectorsisalsotypicallyalimitedonerestrictedtoasingledeviceavailableduringtheclassperiod.Toovercometheseshortcomings,anaffordabledo-it-yourselfradiationdetectorwasdesignedthatstudentswouldconstructforthemselvesandbeabletokeepafterwards.ThesystemisbuiltaroundGeiger-Mullertubessalvagedfromsurplusfalloutshelterdetectors,thusavoidingtheexpenseofthebasicdetectorcomponent.Basiccircuitelementswillbeprovidedtothestudentswhosolderthemtoasuppliedprintedcircuitboard.TheradiationdetectionsystemiscontrolledbyaRaspberryPicomputerwhilevoltageisincreasedtothenecessarylevelswithanArduinomicro-controller.Asmartphone,communicatingusingBluetoothtotheRaspberryPi,willeventuallyserveasthedisplay.AnappropriateapplicationwillbecreatedtoallowcollectionofbothGPSdataandradiationmeasurementsforcreatingradiationmaps.Acase,incorporatingthedetector,cellphoneandelectronics,willbe3Dprintedbythestudents.Attheendoftheexercise,studentswillhavetheirownworkingradiationdetection,andwillhaveaccumulatedexperiencewithpracticalradiationmeasurements,RaspberryPicomputers,Arduinomicro-controllers,circuitdesign,3Dprinting,andmapping.

CurrentCircuitPartsList

PurchasedPrototypeDesign

CurrentDesign

CurrentCircuitDiagram CurrentPBCBoardDesign

IntermediateDesignFirstPrototype

FutureAssemblyDesignFutureMaterialTesting

FutureWork• Completeandtestcircuitboard• Designand3Dprintanergonomicbox• Preparematerialsforhighschoolstudents• Createsoftwareforwirelesscellphone

communicationanddatastorage• Designamobilesurveillancerobotic

platform• Exploreuseofadrone(flying)platform• Extenddesigntospectroscopicscintillators

Quantity Item Details1 Rapberry Pi3 With32GB SDcard18 wires NotneededwithPCBboard3 Breadboards TobereplacedwithPCBboard1 GeigerMeuller Tube Victoreen CDV7001 Capacitor 330pF2 Capacitor 10nF1 HighSpeedDiode UF40072 Inductor 15mH1 Transistor STX05601 Transistor 2N44013 Resistor 1.5K1 HighVoltageRegulator 5VRegulator1 BatteryPack 9V1 BatteryTerminal 9V1 Microcontroller MiniArduinoPro9 Batteries AA

Acknowledgement:ThisworkwasfundedinpartbytheConsortiumforVerificationTechnologyundertheDepartmentofEnergyNationalNuclearSecurityAdministration,awardnumberDE-NA0002534.