Pin diode as a Geiger counter

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Will Caruana
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Pin diode as a Geiger counter

Post by Will Caruana »

Has anyone else seen this seen or tried this out. This site http://opengeiger.de/index_en.html goes into great detail about how to use a cheap pin diode as a Geiger counter. I plan on building one when I have a free minute or two.

This also is not a new idea it was brought up once before in 2004 rather briefly.
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=5488&p=36751
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Richard Hull
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Re: Pin diode as a Geiger counter

Post by Richard Hull »

Pin diode radiation detectors are not very effective and have been around for years; toys at best. I have seen an app for palm pilot phones that uses the camera imaging chip as a detector and it was interesting due to the number of sensors, but still pretty much a toy. All of these are strictly gamma/x-ray only. Most such after thought electronics are fine in a largish photon field, but just aren't as sensitive as a good 2-inch pancake detector on a good GM counter which detects all three of the main pesky radiations at a very good level.

Gamma and x-rays are best actually measured with a larger ion chamber instrument

Richard Hull
Progress may have been a good thing once, but it just went on too long. - Yogi Berra
Fusion is the energy of the future....and it always will be
The more complex the idea put forward by the poor amateur, the more likely it will never see embodiment
John Futter
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Re: Pin diode as a Geiger counter

Post by John Futter »

Will
Pin diode detectors do work but as silicon is a light element they do not have much stopping power, so they are good for 5 -30keV x-rays /gammas but as the energy of the rays goes up the detector function goes down and almost useless at 100keV energy level or above
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