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Detecting radiation shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg and, with creations like this one by maker Llub888, it doesn’t have to. With the help of a Raspberry Pi Zero W, Llub888 has managed to create a working Geiger counter using just around $50 worth of parts.
The system is comprised of three main components: the Pi Zero W, a 2x16 LCD display, and a Geiger sensor board known as the RadiationD-v.1.1 Cajoe. The Geiger sensor board features a Geiger tube and sends data in real-time to the Pi. The information is relayed to the LCD display, providing a readout of currently detected radiation levels.
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The Raspberry Pi is running Raspberry Pi OS and using a Python script to process the data from the Geiger board for the LCD display. Llub888 recommends exploring the source code from the Geiger counter we covered last year for anyone interested in making their own.
To get a closer look at this project and how it goes together, check out the original thread shared to Reddit by Llub888.
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Can't help wondering why? If you work somewhere where you need to know about radiation levels, you're not going to be using a homemade Geiger counter. Added to which, how would you even know if it is working properly?
Definitely a fun project, but if you need something to use in the field the tube detectors by GQ are basically the same price, they are also smaller and more durable.
