I was curious as to what effects different types of ionizing radiation would have on transistor die so I cut open two TO3 packages to test first hand. Even if the these die will not be sensitive enough to use as ionizing radiation detectors, they are still interesting to study and to experiment with; including to determine at what level/strength of EMP will cause them to fail.
| Generating radiation to test sensing circuits to use in my wearable ionizing radiation detector is not without some issues. The two ways that I know to solve problems are to either throw as much money at it until arriving at a solution or figure out other ways to solve the problem that don’t cost a lot of money. Option one has never been much of an option. |
| The high voltage feedthrough is one such obstacle in the process of cobbling together a vacuum system. The Kurt Lesker Company engineers and manufactures high-quality vacuum accessories. Their feedthroughs rated for 13 A at 12kv and made from Molybdenum start at $590. |
An $11 Champion spark plug should work for my application. |
| When researching my solution I came across the interesting image below. One thing I have learned over the years is that I am far more likely to receive the information that I need from knowledgeable sources if it sounds like I know something about what it is that I am asking after. |
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| Just as a postscript, one would think that Ford Motor Company would know about spark plugs. This story suggests otherwise. |
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| Please take a moment to read the letter prepared by Alfredo Figueroa and support the effort to preserve Native American sacred sites by signing our petition and linking to this post. |
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| “Attached you will find our opposition letter sent to Frank McMinemen, the BLM project manager of the proposed Blythe Solar Power Project. As we all know, the California Energy Commission has already approved the project and is on the verge of approving the McCoy project which is just north of the Blythe solar. They are both in the sacred McCoy Valley which is where the Kokopilli/Cicimitll/ El Tosco and over 50 other sacred sites are located.There is no way that any of these sites can be mitigated and that is why it is important for all the people that are concerned in maintaining a harmonious equilibrium that Mother Earth has provided for us since time immemorial be aware of the situation.Please distribute this widely to your contacts, especially to your Senators, Congressmen, and President Obama.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.” Alfredo Acosta Figueroa (lacunadeaztlan@aol.com) |
Terrific lecture on the brilliant Sir William Crookes!
I applaud the recent decision from the Department of Defense to release the Electromagnetic Spectrum. That freedom serves the best interests of intrinsic physical reality which humanity and the universe depends upon. The capture and detention must have certainly been mythic in scale and scope and should be turned into a Hollywood film (Raiders of the Lost Ark). Could it be that the electromagnetic spectrum was stuffed into Pandora’s mythical box like some peripatetic west wind? Regardless of the black ops technology, I rejoice in the knowledge that the Electromagnetic Spectrum has been released. You should too.
SYNOPSIS
My project has shifted from creating an audio-visual experience using real-time visualization of subatomic particles to that of constructing an open-sourced, wearable radiation detector.
Since the 2010 meltdown of Japanese nuclear reactors, a tide of radiation has been inexorably drifting toward the western shore of the North American continent. The government of Japan has responded to world-wide concern by criminalizing media coverage of clean-up efforts at the crippled nuclear reactors of Fukushima.
In keeping with its own actions criminalizing the 2010 media coverage of BP’s Gulf oil spill ($40,000 fines), the Obama administration has voiced support of Japan’s new laws – and by extending the scope of existing anti-terrorism and secrecy acts.
There are currently 435 operable civil nuclear power reactors around the world, with a further 71 under construction. Out of those existing there are 104 nuclear reactors operating in 31 states around the United States. The number of operational/non-operational military nuclear reactors, for the United States or other nations, is not known.
The total number of disposal/dump sites (ocean and/or on land) for radioactive waste is not known. Banned by international treaties in 1993, ocean dumping of radioactive waste (liquid and solid) continues off the coasts of Somalia due to the “lack of a functioning government.”
Accidents happen; events occur. There is a current and growing need to be able to detect the presence of abnormal levels of radiation in our food and water as well as the volumes through which we travel, work and live.
DESCRIPTION
Existing radiation detectors are often expensive and vary both in accuracy and credibility.
It is my intention to design and fabricate an accessible, affordable, and reliable device based upon sound physics and available materials. The published design will allow the construction of a device which will have repeatable results using readily available parts. The plans, drawings, block diagram, and printed wiring board artwork will be available through the web.
Multiple detectors would result in increased sensitivity.
RESEARCH
I continue to be mentored by Professor Eric Rosenthal and have consulted with physicists Marco Kaloften (advisor to Arnie Gundersen, Fairewinds.org) and Manuel Rotenberg (Professor Emeritus, UCSD).
The detection of radiation began in 1903 through an accident. While the initial discovery occurred using a microscope, a compact transportable device was soon made called a spinthariscope. Sir William Crookes named his device after the Greek word for scintillation (σπινθηρισμού).
The spinthariscope consisted of a point source of radioactive material in proximity to a scintillation screen, enclosed in a tube, and was capped with a magnifying lens. ( As a side note, I had one of these as a child. Looking through that lens lifted the lid on an unseen world and provided me with some of my first moments of awe and wonder.)
Until 1908 radioactivity was quantified by counting the number of flashes which would appear on the scintillation screen. Hans Geiger (then working for Ernest Rutherford) developed what was known as the Geiger tube and was sensitive only to Alpha particles. In 1928 Geiger and Walther Müller improved on the original design and were able to detect all types of ionizing radiation (“Geiger-Muller tube”).
Radiation detection equipment using the Geiger-Müller tube abounds on eBay. Sensitive contemporary detection apparatus for various types of radiation exists the world over. It is also priced accordingly.
Basic physics has not changed. What has changed since since the design of the Geiger-Müller tube is our access to different types of readily available and reliable technology; particularly those in electronics and materials.
In the 1970s I invented a wearable LED pin and eventually created a line of jewelry which was featured in Mademoiselle, Interview, ID Design, and sold world-wide. My prior experience in creating wearable electronic accessories includes the original MykroDot and a more complicated, larger object remembered as an Audiotron. Designing a wearable radiation detector is within the scope of my abilities; especially with the guidance of my thesis advisor, Professor Eric Rosenthal.
We look forward to encouraging a spirit of discovery, curiosity, and adventure in the minds of some, and the production of a device which will remain useful for years to come.
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