Suggestions for a good source of radiation to check the functionality

[Shigeru Kawaguchi]

Hello!

Is there any suggestion for a good source of radiation? I assembled my bGeigieNano Kit, and it ticks. But there is no way to know that it is actually sensing and measuring the nuclear radiation without some source of radiation. Are there any that are within a normal household reach?

Thanks.

[Jerry Isdale]

(couple posts off list are included in thread below)

The newer ADT detector might just be better shielded.

There was that kid from NJ? that built a nuclear reactor using old smoke detectors, etc.

Jerry Isdale

isd...@gmail.com

On Jul 7, 2013, at 10:22 AM, Shigeru Kawaguchi <shigeru....@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Jerry!

I got myself wrong, I was thinking of a CO detector in stead of a smoke detector. No wonder it did not workout.

However, ADT smoke detector was not useful, I guess they use different detection principle. I found the old smoke detector in house and it gave off around 100CPM when close by.

Thanks.

Shigeru Kawaguchi

On Jul 7, 2013, at 16:11 , Jerry Isdale <isd...@gmail.com> wrote:

Granite Counter Tops

Smoke Detectors

Jerry Isdale

isd...@gmail.com

[Pieter Franken]

Hi Shigeru,

Many choices:

Fiesta ware (vintage stuff) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiesta_(dinnerware)#Radioactive_Glazes

Smoke detectors have Am - pure alpha

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Geiger-Counter-Test-Source-1-Generic-THORIUM-Lantern-Mantle-1100-2100-CPM-/321126348628

Background radiation at 12km (while flying)

You can also get proper sources from many online shops. E.g. http://www.unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_5

Pieter

[Shigeru Kawaguchi]

Hi Pieter,

ADT smoke detectors in my house did not seem to give off any alpha particles (good shielding?), the reading did not change on bGeigie. Then, I tried a lantern mantle from Aladdin kerosine lamp, but no reading change, I guess it does not contain thorium. So I am concerned that if my bGeigie is seriously sick.

But I accidentally found an old smoke detector that is not used for years, and this one was leaky so bGeigie read about 100CPM. Now I can say that my bGeigie is healthy and is doing its job.

Thanks for your suggestions.

[Pieter Franken]

Hi Shigeru,

Great to know all is working fine!

Alpha rays gets stopped by a thin layer of paper. Inside a smoke detector it sits in a protective plastic case and the source is mounted in a metal base. You will have to carefully dismantle it to expose the source - once done you will measure much more. 

I don;t know about your mantle, but hope it's still under warranty ;-)

Pieter

[Evaldo Gardenal]

If you have a Granite surface, try moving your device over it and you
might find a hot spot or two.

--
Evaldo Gardenal

[Pieter Franken]

Yes, that's a good one -- best is to take the nano out of the case. A slab of granite should go up to 0.2-0.3uSv/h.

And of course there are bananas and brazil nuts (which will have very modest levels, so you may have to average over a longer window using the iPhone app)

Pieter

[Pieter Franken]

And then there's the fluorscope:

http://gizmodo.com/the-insane-cancer-machines-that-used-to-live-in-shoe-st-789073694

From the link to the article on health effects it talks about an effective dose rate of around 6Sv/h which is pretty lethal. 

If you ever find one (I don't hope so), be aware that the nano can only handle upto 1mSv/h dose rates.

Pieter

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 7:09:15 AM UTC+9, Pieter Franken wrote:

Yes, that's a good one -- best is to take the nano out of the case. A slab of granite should go up to 0.2-0.3uSv/h.

And of course there are bananas and brazil nuts (which will have very modest levels, so you may have to average over a longer window using the iPhone app)

Pieter

 
On Jul 9, 2013, at 7:02 AM, Evaldo Gardenal wrote:

> If you have a Granite surface, try moving your device over it and you
> might find a hot spot or two.
>
> On Mon, Jul 8, 2013 at 10:22 PM, Shigeru Kawaguchi

[Yohanan Weininger]

On Tuesday, July 16, 2013 6:59:42 AM UTC+3, Pieter Franken wrote:

And then there's the fluorscope:

...If you ever find one (I don't hope so), be aware that the nano can only handle upto 1mSv/h dose rates

And how about "Trousse Lumineuse au RADIUM" (an "luminescent kit of radium", c.1904, on an antique collector's shelf)?  A little report with 3 photos, how my new Nano scored on a hot artifact.

As I missed my tram, I stopped by an antique collector's studio. When I showed-off my new Safecast gadget hanging from my bag, the collector turned and took from shelf a historical radium kit. "The original case is dusty but the contents are in mint condition." See photos. Embossed on the cover in French:  "Societe Centrale de Produits Chimiques / Trousse Lumineuse /  au Radium / de M. P. Boulay".  See the photo of the Nano outside of its Pelican case which I held about 15 cm from the open radium set -- only as long as it took to take photo. So the measure 64.6 uSv/h is not accurate as the numbers were jumping up. I didn’t wait to see what max readings might be. I didn’t photo it in the dark. And I didn’t film Nano's alarm bells and whistles.

A geiger counter is a handy tool, even in the hands of a newbie yet to learn the gadget's operation or even units of measure  The antique collector understood that the artifact was best deposed of properly. Too hot even for a science museum.  Two days latter the antiques collector said that he contacted the Ministry of Environment hazardous material hotline, they came and took it, he didn’t ask what they measured. "Knowledge is power, but ignorance is bliss."

 

Indeed, it's an historical antique with online references. There's a  mention of item name (on p.31) among lab clothing and instruments for the new "study of induced radioactivity" at an annual meeting of the French Physical Society on  8-9 Apr 1904 (p.25)  in the proceedings "Séances de la Société française de physique"

http://www.archive.org/stream/sancesdelasocit08physgoog/sancesdelasocit08physgoog_djvu.txt

One moral of story: to be aware of environmental hazards, their competent disposal (where possible) and how to contact the local official (competent) disposal service. Here the contact page is http://www.sviva.gov.il/English/ResourcesandServices/PublicInquiries/Pages/EnvironmentalCenter.aspx

BTW  I already had the Nano tested at a geiger kits service which helped with the build of my Nano kit. There inside its case the Nano measured 1.2 uS/h on top of a Fiesta glazed pottery piece. Alongside the Fiesta it read 0.7 uS/h as seen in photo..  (His geiger service has a static counter online to COSM  see https://xively.com/feeds/122314 )  

I needed to write here  feedback on the Nano build and questions about the other Nano "docs be added".

  

Okay.  Pieter's data  is added to the Nano specifications list  https://github.com/Safecast/bGeigieNanoKit/wiki/_pages

The Nano's max measure range  is about 1mSv/h dose rates (which is 1000uSv/h?)

 

[Kalin KOZHUHAROV (Safecast)]

On Fri, Jul 19, 2013 at 12:27 AM, Yohanan Weininger <yoha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> As I missed my tram, I stopped by an antique collector's studio. When I
> showed-off my new Safecast gadget hanging from my bag, the collector turned
> and took from shelf a historical radium kit. "The original case is dusty but
> the contents are in mint condition." See photos. Embossed on the cover in
> French: "Societe Centrale de Produits Chimiques / Trousse Lumineuse / au
> Radium / de M. P. Boulay". See the photo of the Nano outside of its Pelican
> case which I held about 15 cm from the open radium set -- only as long as it
> took to take photo. So the measure 64.6 uSv/h is not accurate as the numbers
> were jumping up. I didn’t wait to see what max readings might be. I didn’t
> photo it in the dark. And I didn’t film Nano's alarm bells and whistles.
>
> A geiger counter is a handy tool, even in the hands of a newbie yet to learn
> the gadget's operation or even units of measure The antique collector
> understood that the artifact was best deposed of properly. Too hot even for
> a science museum. Two days latter the antiques collector said that he
> contacted the Ministry of Environment hazardous material hotline, they came
> and took it, he didn’t ask what they measured. "Knowledge is power, but
> ignorance is bliss."
>

Oh no... Too bad, these kits are history and not very common.
Yes, they do present health hazard if you don't keep them properly,
but probably the ORAU museum would have loved to have them..

Kalin.