Worth mention that the AM-241 source used here in this video, is mostly an alpha emitter. This tube can't detect alpha particles (if interested, look at the "MST-17" tube with an alpha window). But AM-241 is also emitting (very low intensity) gamma radiation. And it's the tiny amount of gamma radiation the counter detects in the video. Great video, and thanks for the code.
@@joshuapeters2764 Not without modification of the power supply. While a common geiger tube like this requires about 400V (+/- some volts perhaps), the MST-17 need 1600V to operate. Some more info here: madexp.com/2017/12/10/mst17-mct17-mica-window-geiger-tube/
@@CuriousScientist Hi, thank you for the answer. Do you know if there is any others similar softwares available online? On Amazon/Ebay they sent you an audio cable with the instrument that can be connected to a computer or any recording system but they don't tell what kind of software can be used for....
Thank you for the positive feedback, I really appreciate it! I am glad that the video was useful. If you have any further questions regarding the project, just let me know.
So why do you divide CPM by 4 first and only then by 151? On banggood page there is a link to some kind of manual and it states there that conversion is CPM/151!?
Hi! Because we don't measure a whole minute to give the counts per _minute_ (cpm). What I do, is I only integrate for 15 seconds (1/4th of a minute) and calculate the CPM from that value. So, the factor of 4 comes from that part. If you set your integrating time to one minute, you can get rid of these conversions, but then, you get updated values only at every minute. The background radiation is not expected to fluctuate drastically, and I also calculate a running average, so I am fine with the 15 s integration time, instead of a minute or more. Please don't forget to subscribe, if you haven't done it already! Have a great day!
@@CuriousScientist cpm = counts * multiplier; // uSv =( (cpm / 4.0) / 151.0); so 60 000/15000 = 4 -> cpm= x * 4; and then next you do opposite (CPM/4)/ 151 Shouldn't it be (4*CPM)/151 as your cpm reading is 1/4th of minute?
@@oneofusall Ah, now I see, thank you for pointing out the mistake! I added a line to the description and updated the source code on PasteBin. The formula should be uSV = CPM/151. Before this line (line 92), the CPM is already converted to represent the real CPM, so it is simpy just CPM/151. Or alternatively uSv = (4*COUNTS)/151.
The video explains everything, great work. Also, I am just wondering if you know where I can find the board's Gaber file. I thought this is an open-source board but can't find it anywhere online. Thx
Hi! Thanks! I bought the board from Aliexpress and I don't know if it has any design files available. But the internet must be full of similar circuits.
Your video is very nice. Actually I have a Geiger board like that, and want to connect it to an anrduino. There is just um point that was not clear for me. In what pin of Geiger board you connected the arduino to have the counts??
@@CuriousScientist Thanks for your very fast answer. I actully saw it but did not realize that you speak that. The signal is the VIN pin of the Geiger board?
@@CuriousScientist Ah ok. Thanks! Is there a possibility of wiring a LND 712 to this kit? I am looking for a geiger tube that detects alpha particles rather than Beta and Gamma rays.
This I honestly don't know. If it is also just a GM tube with similar characteristics, then I assume that you can just use the terminals. But I have no experience or knowledge with other tubes. At least with this module.
Hi! Please check the source code for the Arduino on PasteBin (see the description). The source code has all the wiring. Which is maybe not super obvious from the code is the pin which brings the signal from the GM board to the Arduino. It is an attachinterrupt() pin, so it is connected to the pin 0.
Hi, I'm not an expert, however I replicated this Geiger counter, the problem is that the display only works if I send the "s" start signal from the PC, while if I use it with a battery it stops at the wording "Serial.println("GM Tube - Send 's' to start..."). How can I solve the problem? Thank you
Hi! Remove the parts of the code that make it wait for the "s" character from the serial port. Basically, just remove that if() condition. Don't forget about the curly brackets.
Great video thanks for sharing. I wonder one thing. this GM tube working >300 volt. how is it increase this voltage from 5 volt? via capacitors? how? thank you.
Hi and thanks! As far as I know, it is done by a transformer with a lot of turns on the secondary of the coil. But, I don't know how it is exactly done on this specific circuit, but most probably as I described above. I have never checked the schematics in such detail.
Really cool! I have been wanting to get one of these geiger counters for a while. Can you tell me what PC software you are using and is it available? Thanks for the Nokia code. I am just starting Arduino but i do have one of those monitors. I would need the computer software also. Thanks for this video!
Hi! Thank you! The PC software is my own software that I developed in MS Visual Studio in C# language. It is not publicly available. However, I will make a tutorial in the near future where I explain how to write a basic code for the Arduino and for the PC to communicate with each other and plot the received numbers on a graph.
I have the same Geiger counter and am currently connecting it to the Arduino Uno. In your program, the CPM updates every 15 seconds. Since this is multiplied by 4, the CPM values are all divisible by four. Is there a way to program it so that an exact cpm (every whole number) appears every 10 seconds? I have read that this is possible with a moving average, but I have no idea how to program it. Can you help me? I have almost no experience with Arduino.
It is relatively easy to implement moving average. The time base could be anything. I published the code and carefully explained it. If you still cannot modify it for your needs, you can hire me for doing it.
Thank you for your video. I'm going to build one using your great instructional video and the information on you web page. Have a great day and be well.
Hallo, ich habe das nachgebaut und dabei das Nokia 5110 Display zerstört. Jetzt habe ich gelesen, dass das Nokia Display 5110 Pegelwandler von 5 Volt >3,3 Volt benötigt weil es die 5 Volt vom Arduino (Logikpegel) an den Dateneingängen nicht verträgt. Können Sie das bestätigen?
Hi! The display exists in various formats. Some of them tolerate 5 V, and some of them don't. Always refer to the specifications of the display you purchase. To be on the safe side, just use a level shifter. It is cheap. (P.S. the language of the channel is English, if you want help, use English)
Hi, I don't know wiring of the lcd. In datasheet default pins are 3,4,5,6,7 for this lcd yours are diffrent. Can you answer which pins of arduino you used to appropriate pins on lcd
Hi! These are the connections I used: SCE 7, RESET 6, DC 5, DIN 4, SCLK 3. I soldered VCC and BL together on the panel and it is connected to 3.3 V. GND is obviously GND.
Oh, now I understand. That's not part of the software. If you have noticed, I only shared the Arduino code. The software I made to visualize the incoming data is not publicly accessible.
You're welcome! It is always worth to check the description of the videos. Many creators have a huge list of links and other resources in their video descriptions. I also follow the same practice.
Ah, then I asked the question in the wrong way. Let me rephrase. Do you have the library *correctly* installed? Did you install from the library manager or from a zip file?
@@DENTAL_MEAT Try reinstalling the library, maybe you have an obsolete version or something. Make sure it ends up in your Arduino/libraries folder. Also, try to install the library from a .zip file.
You need something to drive the LCD which is in this case the Arduino. Something must capture the signal from the GM board and send it to the LCD. So you need the Arduino.
hi, mine is not working, i used the code from your website, it shows a bunch of random numbers, even when the geiger counter is off, do you know what is happening? update: i solve the problem, the ground of the geiger counter was not conneted to the arduino, hehe, thank your for the video, i changed some things in your code so i could use an OLED display, and works perfectly
Thanks! This was among my earlier codes so I didn't put too much effort into formatting it. You can format the code freely as you wish. Arduino IDE also has an autoformat option.
@@CuriousScientist Thank you. I have this thing for years no in a cupboard and and just bought an ESP32 with wifi and try to upload the values in a database to make some statistics stuff. Thanks for your great video!
I am glad that I could help! Sending the data to a cloud sounds cool! Only thing is that check if the tube is sensitive to daylight. I read it on some forums that the tube picks up false radiation due to the effect of daylight. Not all of them are "faulty" but some are.
@@CuriousScientist Thanks for responding. I'll consider getting one for arduino projects, I like the idea of being able to build my own geiger counter, and write my own software for it!
Hi, I am from Germany (bad English) and I bought this counter. I use it without a programme, I almost need the signals from the Board. The problem is, the light near the on/off switch doesn’t work on my counter. It worked only a few minutes. Is this a sign that the Geiger counter will get unfunctional? Actually, the counting light works, but is the not working LED near the switch a problem ?
Hi! Your English is pretty good, don't worry. It is definitely strange that the light does not work. If the rest of the functions work on the board, then it is probably not a big issue. But it would worth investigating why that LED is not working while the rest of the board does to avoid further deterioration of the board.
That tube cant detect alpha what you are detecting with anericium is not from americium americium 241 decays to neptunium 237 its pure gamma radiation what it detects alpha needs a special probe :D
Thank you for the clarification! Yes you're right. The detector is not directly picking up the alpha radiation, but one of the side products of the decay, a gamma particle. To detect the effects of the alpha (i.e. ionized air) _directly_, one way would be a so-called spark counter. It is somewhat similar to a GM tube, but the mesh-wire is not surrounded by a protective gas to suppress the avalanche. In this video, I just wanted to use the Am-241, because this was the only source of radiation which is easy to access.
Four_Digital:1:10: fatal error: PCD8544.h: No such file or directory #include ^~~~~~~~~~~ compilation terminated. exit status 1 PCD8544.h: No such file or directory I installed pcd8544 libery
@@CuriousScientist i fixed installing old ver. but I have still trouble with wire LCD works with exemple script but I m not sure with your/On video its not clear and I cant find on you website
The PCD8544 has its own wiring, it is really easy to Google it how it is connected. The interrupt pin is in the code. That is the pin which accepts the pulses from the GM counter.
Hi, sorry to bother you, I added 3 LEDs, one green, one yellow and one red to turn on and flash when the uSv are less than 1 (green), yellow when they are >1 and
Worth mention that the AM-241 source used here in this video, is mostly an alpha emitter. This tube can't detect alpha particles (if interested, look at the "MST-17" tube with an alpha window). But AM-241 is also emitting (very low intensity) gamma radiation. And it's the tiny amount of gamma radiation the counter detects in the video. Great video, and thanks for the code.
Thanks for the valuable content! You are absolutely right about the radiation. We see the gamma here.
Would the MST-17 work with this ardunio unit?
@@joshuapeters2764 Not without modification of the power supply. While a common geiger tube like this requires about 400V (+/- some volts perhaps), the MST-17 need 1600V to operate. Some more info here: madexp.com/2017/12/10/mst17-mct17-mica-window-geiger-tube/
Hi, can you please tell me what kind of sofware recording (his name) it's that you have used at this point? 20:30 I can't find it online....
Hi! I haven't named the software yet. It is my own development, and I have never published it online, so that's why you can not find it anywhere.
@@CuriousScientist Hi, thank you for the answer. Do you know if there is any others similar softwares available online? On Amazon/Ebay they sent you an audio cable with the instrument that can be connected to a computer or any recording system but they don't tell what kind of software can be used for....
I never searched, so I don't know. But actually very soon I will start selling a very similar software. Stay tuned!
@@CuriousScientist Thank you!👍
Have you started selling the software..
I really love this video, helped me a lot with my own model build :D
Thank you for the positive feedback, I really appreciate it! I am glad that the video was useful. If you have any further questions regarding the project, just let me know.
So why do you divide CPM by 4 first and only then by 151? On banggood page there is a link to some kind of manual and it states there that conversion is CPM/151!?
Hi! Because we don't measure a whole minute to give the counts per _minute_ (cpm). What I do, is I only integrate for 15 seconds (1/4th of a minute) and calculate the CPM from that value. So, the factor of 4 comes from that part. If you set your integrating time to one minute, you can get rid of these conversions, but then, you get updated values only at every minute.
The background radiation is not expected to fluctuate drastically, and I also calculate a running average, so I am fine with the 15 s integration time, instead of a minute or more.
Please don't forget to subscribe, if you haven't done it already! Have a great day!
@@CuriousScientist cpm = counts * multiplier; // uSv =( (cpm / 4.0) / 151.0); so 60 000/15000 = 4 -> cpm= x * 4; and then next you do opposite (CPM/4)/ 151 Shouldn't it be (4*CPM)/151 as your cpm reading is 1/4th of minute?
@@oneofusall Ah, now I see, thank you for pointing out the mistake! I added a line to the description and updated the source code on PasteBin.
The formula should be uSV = CPM/151. Before this line (line 92), the CPM is already converted to represent the real CPM, so it is simpy just CPM/151. Or alternatively uSv = (4*COUNTS)/151.
The video explains everything, great work. Also, I am just wondering if you know where I can find the board's Gaber file. I thought this is an open-source board but can't find it anywhere online. Thx
Hi! Thanks! I bought the board from Aliexpress and I don't know if it has any design files available. But the internet must be full of similar circuits.
Your video is very nice. Actually I have a Geiger board like that, and want to connect it to an anrduino. There is just um point that was not clear for me. In what pin of Geiger board you connected the arduino to have the counts??
Hi and thanks! I think you haven't watched the video. I say it at 4:45.
@@CuriousScientist Thanks for your very fast answer. I actully saw it but did not realize that you speak that. The signal is the VIN pin of the Geiger board?
I tryed using the VIN, it works nicelly. Thanks
Glad to hear that you figured it out!
Thanks a lot. Great video.
I want to know what do you use for radiation. I mean radiation source, what is that? from where I can get one.
You are welcome! All the info is in the video and the description. Check both.
Great video! Where can I find the circuit board you used in the video to detect the radiation? I can't find it on your website.
Hi! Unfortunately, I could not find affiliate link for it, so I did not put it on my page. Just search for "DIY Geiger counter kit" on Aliexpress.
@@CuriousScientist Ah ok. Thanks! Is there a possibility of wiring a LND 712 to this kit? I am looking for a geiger tube that detects alpha particles rather than Beta and Gamma rays.
This I honestly don't know. If it is also just a GM tube with similar characteristics, then I assume that you can just use the terminals. But I have no experience or knowledge with other tubes. At least with this module.
@@CuriousScientist Ok. Thanks for the reply!
I love this video, how did you wire everything up? (for someone who doesn't have any Arduino experience)
Hi! Please check the source code for the Arduino on PasteBin (see the description). The source code has all the wiring.
Which is maybe not super obvious from the code is the pin which brings the signal from the GM board to the Arduino. It is an attachinterrupt() pin, so it is connected to the pin 0.
Hi, I'm not an expert, however I replicated this Geiger counter, the problem is that the display only works if I send the "s" start signal from the PC, while if I use it with a battery it stops at the wording "Serial.println("GM Tube - Send 's' to start..."). How can I solve the problem? Thank you
Hi! Remove the parts of the code that make it wait for the "s" character from the serial port. Basically, just remove that if() condition. Don't forget about the curly brackets.
@@CuriousScientist Thank you solved!
You solved it, I just guided you! 😎 Cheers!
Great video thanks for sharing. I wonder one thing.
this GM tube working >300 volt. how is it increase this voltage from 5 volt? via capacitors? how?
thank you.
Hi and thanks! As far as I know, it is done by a transformer with a lot of turns on the secondary of the coil. But, I don't know how it is exactly done on this specific circuit, but most probably as I described above. I have never checked the schematics in such detail.
Really cool! I have been wanting to get one of these geiger counters for a while. Can you tell me what PC software you are using and is it available? Thanks for the Nokia code. I am just starting Arduino but i do have one of those monitors. I would need the computer software also. Thanks for this video!
Hi! Thank you! The PC software is my own software that I developed in MS Visual Studio in C# language. It is not publicly available. However, I will make a tutorial in the near future where I explain how to write a basic code for the Arduino and for the PC to communicate with each other and plot the received numbers on a graph.
@@CuriousScientist OK...great! Thank you.
I have the same Geiger counter and am currently connecting it to the Arduino Uno. In your program, the CPM updates every 15 seconds. Since this is multiplied by 4, the CPM values are all divisible by four. Is there a way to program it so that an exact cpm (every whole number) appears every 10 seconds? I have read that this is possible with a moving average, but I have no idea how to program it. Can you help me? I have almost no experience with Arduino.
It is relatively easy to implement moving average. The time base could be anything. I published the code and carefully explained it. If you still cannot modify it for your needs, you can hire me for doing it.
Thank you for your video. I'm going to build one using your great instructional video and the information on you web page. Have a great day and be well.
Thank you for the kind words! I am glad that you found my video useful. I wish you a nice day too!
Hallo, ich habe das nachgebaut und dabei das Nokia 5110 Display zerstört. Jetzt habe ich gelesen, dass das Nokia Display 5110 Pegelwandler von 5 Volt >3,3 Volt benötigt weil es die 5 Volt vom Arduino (Logikpegel) an den Dateneingängen nicht verträgt. Können Sie das bestätigen?
Hi! The display exists in various formats. Some of them tolerate 5 V, and some of them don't. Always refer to the specifications of the display you purchase. To be on the safe side, just use a level shifter. It is cheap.
(P.S. the language of the channel is English, if you want help, use English)
Hello my friend and thank you for the video, please i wanna know if we can use this detector with ESP8266?
Hi! You can use any Arduino-compatible microcontroller, but you might need slight changes in the code.
@@CuriousScientist thank you so much!
Hi, I don't know wiring of the lcd. In datasheet default pins are 3,4,5,6,7 for this lcd yours are diffrent. Can you answer which pins of arduino you used to
appropriate pins on lcd
Hi! These are the connections I used: SCE 7, RESET 6, DC 5, DIN 4, SCLK 3. I soldered VCC and BL together on the panel and it is connected to 3.3 V. GND is obviously GND.
@@CuriousScientist thank you very much, now I can do it too!
You are welcome! I hope you'll enjoy it, have fun!
Hi, thanks for project. ı cannat open Geiger-Muller Recorder interface (software demonstration). Plese help me
Hi! What do you mean by the "recorder interface"?
@@CuriousScientist I uploaded the code with Arduino. LCD also reads data. But I couldn't open the Geiger Müller recorder program.
Oh, now I understand. That's not part of the software. If you have noticed, I only shared the Arduino code. The software I made to visualize the incoming data is not publicly accessible.
where did you get the radiation sauce? I need to calibrate my counter.
I provided a link in the description for it.
@@CuriousScientist thank you. I didn't see the "more" button^^
You're welcome! It is always worth to check the description of the videos. Many creators have a huge list of links and other resources in their video descriptions. I also follow the same practice.
Tried uploading and I’m getting error on line (21) PCD8544 does not name a type. “static PCD8544 lcd;”. Any help? 😅
Do you have the library installed?
@@CuriousScientist library is installed.
Ah, then I asked the question in the wrong way. Let me rephrase. Do you have the library *correctly* installed? Did you install from the library manager or from a zip file?
@@CuriousScientist oof no, just from the library manager tab in sketch..
@@DENTAL_MEAT Try reinstalling the library, maybe you have an obsolete version or something. Make sure it ends up in your Arduino/libraries folder. Also, try to install the library from a .zip file.
Now with the code am I able to run just the lcd and Arduino off of the board without computer?
Sure. That's the original/default mode. The computer connection is just a fancy addition.
@@CuriousScientist am I able to program the lcd and just run the lcd off the Geiger board minus the Arduino??
You need something to drive the LCD which is in this case the Arduino. Something must capture the signal from the GM board and send it to the LCD. So you need the Arduino.
hi, mine is not working, i used the code from your website, it shows a bunch of random numbers, even when the geiger counter is off, do you know what is happening?
update: i solve the problem, the ground of the geiger counter was not conneted to the arduino, hehe, thank your for the video, i changed some things in your code so i could use an OLED display, and works perfectly
It is great to hear that the issue was not my code. Have fun using it! Cheers!
Do you need Arduino to setup it?
No, you don't. You can use the circuit as a standalone device. In that case, you'll only have the clicking sound and the flickering LED as feedback.
@@CuriousScientist Thank you very much! Nice video!
Thanks!
nice video, i got around 20 cpm and 0.15 uSv in my room :D. why so much space in your code and try to use tab when intending
Thanks! This was among my earlier codes so I didn't put too much effort into formatting it. You can format the code freely as you wish. Arduino IDE also has an autoformat option.
Is there a way to disable the "speaker"?
Hi! Yes, just remove the J1 jumper.
@@CuriousScientist Thank you. I have this thing for years no in a cupboard and and just bought an ESP32 with wifi and try to upload the values in a database to make some statistics stuff. Thanks for your great video!
I am glad that I could help! Sending the data to a cloud sounds cool! Only thing is that check if the tube is sensitive to daylight. I read it on some forums that the tube picks up false radiation due to the effect of daylight. Not all of them are "faulty" but some are.
@@CuriousScientist I will check this. I have GMC-300E geiger counter as well and the values are comparable. But it is in the middle of the night. :)
how do i make it work in pi?
I don't know, I don't work with Pi.
What is the maximum micro Sv. it can measure ?
Unfortunately I don't know, but you should search for the M4011 GM tube on Google and you could find this info.
What particles can it detect?
Ionizing radiation. Mainly gamma and beta.
@@CuriousScientist Thanks for responding. I'll consider getting one for arduino projects, I like the idea of being able to build my own geiger counter, and write my own software for it!
It's a very fun circuit to play with. You will enjoy it!
Hi, I am from Germany (bad English) and I bought this counter. I use it without a programme, I almost need the signals from the Board. The problem is, the light near the on/off switch doesn’t work on my counter. It worked only a few minutes. Is this a sign that the Geiger counter will get unfunctional? Actually, the counting light works, but is the not working LED near the switch a problem ?
Hi! Your English is pretty good, don't worry. It is definitely strange that the light does not work. If the rest of the functions work on the board, then it is probably not a big issue. But it would worth investigating why that LED is not working while the rest of the board does to avoid further deterioration of the board.
That tube cant detect alpha what you are detecting with anericium is not from americium americium 241 decays to neptunium 237 its pure gamma radiation what it detects alpha needs a special probe :D
Perfect video
Thank you for the clarification! Yes you're right. The detector is not directly picking up the alpha radiation, but one of the side products of the decay, a gamma particle.
To detect the effects of the alpha (i.e. ionized air) _directly_, one way would be a so-called spark counter. It is somewhat similar to a GM tube, but the mesh-wire is not surrounded by a protective gas to suppress the avalanche.
In this video, I just wanted to use the Am-241, because this was the only source of radiation which is easy to access.
Werry intresting, I have a same one
Thanks! I hope you have fun with this circuit. I really like to work with it.
My bet is you are Hungarian. Am I right? ;)
He's swedish
акцент никуда не спрячешь))
Thank you!
Four_Digital:1:10: fatal error: PCD8544.h: No such file or directory
#include
^~~~~~~~~~~
compilation terminated.
exit status 1
PCD8544.h: No such file or directory
I installed pcd8544 libery
Well, the error code says the opposite. Make sure it is installed in the libraries folder and that the IDE sees it.
@@CuriousScientist also I can't find the wiring in the script
Watch the video carefully and check my website.
@@CuriousScientist i fixed installing old ver. but I have still trouble with wire LCD works with exemple script but I m not sure with your/On video its not clear and I cant find on you website
The PCD8544 has its own wiring, it is really easy to Google it how it is connected. The interrupt pin is in the code. That is the pin which accepts the pulses from the GM counter.
Hi, sorry to bother you, I added 3 LEDs, one green, one yellow and one red to turn on and flash when the uSv are less than 1 (green), yellow when they are >1 and
Hi! You just need to turn on the corresponding LED when a certain threshold value is met. It can be done with simple if() conditions.
@@CuriousScientist yes i tried but it doesn't work. What data should i take from the sketch avgUSV? or uSv? or what?
Well, it is up to you if you want the most recent reading or the rolling average to be used as a threshold. I cannot guess what you want, sorry.
@@CuriousScientist ok thanks