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k68 Hiro Ci180g Lnd712 Man
k68 Hiro Ci180g Lnd712 Man
by Atomic.dave Atomic.Dave@yahoo.com
This is a one of a kind custom hand-made Geiger Counter built by Atomic.Dave. It is based on a kit designed by John
Giametti (username: Brohogan) I have been building his DIY Geiger counters for over two years having built and sold
around 60 of them. Much of the information for this kit is available at the developers website. This is more of a kit for someone who knows a little bit about electronics but doesnt have the time or patience to build it, or would rather someone else
do all the dirty work. Having been built by me, of course there may be some imperfections, although as minimal as possible. This particular one is a culmination of its predecessors. It is certainly one of my more advanced kits having more options then all accept the Cadillac, and I will do my best to explain how to use it. Once you have used it a couple times, it
will be a piece of cake.
OPERATION
Four Triple Pole switches- ALL OFF IN CENTER POSITION.
UP
MIDDLE
DOWN
SELECT
ALARM
SCALER
POWER
ON/PC
OFF
CHARGE
LIGHT
ON/ON
OFF
ON/OFF
ALARM
ON/ON
OFF
ON/OFF
SOUND
TONE
OFF
CLICK
NULL
TONE
RESET
A. SELECT switch does 2 thing. When you first power on the unit, you will see:
Atomic.Dave K68
HIRO+plus V10.1
This customized first welcome window can easily be changed if you want, by doing a little programming in Arduino.
Refer to the DIY site for directions at the SOFTWARE section. But the default is now set to my name, Kit 65, and the second line is the Geiger Counter name, and the version of software that the AT328 chip is running V10.1.
The second window will show on first line the current uSv to CPM conversion rate. This is dependent upon the postition of the metal toggle switch just across from the BNC connector. Toggle up for the CI-180G probe (300), and toggle
down for the LND 712 probe (100). Always toggle with the unit off, then power back on.
I have preset this for your two probes, but later if you wanted to add another probe, you could change this rate with
Arduino, or with the Sony wireless remote control which I will explain later. The second line refers to the current voltage
that your system is running at. This is a 5 volt system. The 3000mAh 3.7v lipo battery is boosted to 5v with a pololu
booster. Everytime you start up your GC (geiger counter) it will show you this so you will always know your current voltage.
The third window will show this:
Alarm Set ?
Now at 200 CPM
At this point, you can hit the Select button to incrementally change the Alarm threshold number. Once you stop hitting
the button and wait, it will be set to the current number shown on the screen and will stay there until you change it either
again restarting and waiting for this part, or by using the included remote control to change it. You can also choose from
units of measurement such as CPM or uSv/h for the Alarm. It also acts like a stopwatch starter for th scaler mode. It has
two preset times of 1 minute averaging and 10 minute. You can change this with the remote, or the sketch when connected
to pc. Much easier with ther remote obviously.
B. POWER switch controls the power and charging of the unit. Up turns on the unit, Middle turns if off, and Down is for
when you charge the unit. When the unit is charging, the RED LED on the lower left side will remain constant RED while
charging, and when charging is complete, it will turn off. If you wish to power the unit with the USB in, and bypass the batteries for extended periods. Switch in middle position, and flip up switch on top right of unit next to the mini USB port.
C. LIGHT switch controls the Event LED (BLUE) and the LCD Backlight. Up turns ON both, Middle turns OFF both, and
Down turns the LED on, and the Backlight off.
E. ALARM switch controls the Alarm LED and Piezo. Up for both on, Middle for both off, and Down for LED only on. This
makes for a silent visual alarm.
D. SOUND switch controls the Event speaker. Up for tone mode, Middle mutes both, Down for Standard Click Mode. More
on Tone Mode later.
F. NULL this is a new switch and works only when in Tone mode for the event speaker. When you are scanning in Tone
mode, you can push this to reset the sensing to zero. More on this later.
LEDS
Right away, you will hear the clicking of the speaker as your GM tube picks up radiation events. There are three LEDs
below the LCD. The Left one is GREEN and is a system status light which comes on when starting up, and when sending
data back and forth to your PC. If the green light ever freezes up, just restart the GC, and it will reset itself.
The middle is BLUE which is for radiation events and coincides with the clicking speaker which can be muted with the
mute switch. The Right one is RED for the Alarm which will only light up when a set alarm threshold is reached. It can be
turned on or off. The speaker for the alarm is located below the grilled port just below the LCD display.
OTHER SWITCHES, BUTTONS, PORTS, DIALS
NEW- Added 2 new switches to the side left and right of the unit. The left side one is used to turn on and off the
internal IR for the remote control (located just above the display inside). LEAVE THIS OFF WHEN NOT USING THE
REMOTE TO PROGRAM THE UNIT. If you leave it on, the IR has a tendancy to pick up signals from other remote
controls and will cause the unit to not function properly. The right side switch is used to power the unit with the
USB cable plugged in. This must be DOWN when charging the unit. Flip this up to turn it on. Down when not powering the unit with the USB. When powering the unit for long periods with the USB, please flip the main POWER
switch to the middle OFF position. There is a toggle switch across from the BNC connector. This is a uSv/hr to
CPM conversion ratio. It works in accordance to what probe you are using. Always turn off the unit before switching this or swapping probes. In the UP position, the ratio is 300 (the CI-180G conversion rate) and in the DOWN
position the ration becomes 100 (for the LND 712 probe conversion rate).
A. Starting on the left side top of the GC is the LCD contrast dial. As the LCD is used, it might get to a point for you to
readjust the contrast for it. Not a big deal, while the backlight is on, gently take a small screwdriver and turn it to the left or
right until it appears to have the best contrast.
B. Below the contrast pot on the same side is the output multi-port used for Geiger Bot (with the included G-Bot
cable), and for Geiger Graph and RAD OSX (with the optional USB/FTDI cable) Just plug in the Geiger Bot cable into this
with the 3 conductor plug, and the 4 conductor into your iphone or ipad. Or plug the optional 3.5mm to USB cable into the
port, and into a USB on your mac or PC, then follow instructions to run those programs. It also serves as an mono audio
output for silent listening with headphones, or with the included 3 conductor to 3 conductor M-M audio cable, you can run
sound based data logging software.
C. On the right side of the GC is the Mini USB FTDI output/input for programming in Arduino. This also is used to
charge the internal Lithium Ion battery (with the power switch in the bottome position.) Or it can be used to power the GC
for extended periods, however when you power it this way, I would advise to turn off the LCD backlight. But its ok to turn it
on once in a while, but I wouldnt leave it on for extended periods. When uploading any new changes to the program
sketch, you will need to have this switch in the up position white it is plugged into your pc with the USB cable.
REMOTE CONTROL SYSTEM: ONLY TURN ON IR WHEN PROGRAMMING SYSTEM. TURN OFF AFTER.
This is the second system I have built with a wireless remote control. It adds some conveniences such as the ability
to adjust certain things on the GC without the need to plug into your PC or mac. It is already setup to work. All you have to
do is point the remote towards the IR window, and push the power button to start. As soon as you do that these options
will pop up. Use the channel button to move thru each option, and use the volume buttons to move up or down within those
options. You can also use the number pad to input numbers rather than using the up down of the volume. After you reach
the desired amount you push ENT to enter it into the system. After you are done, hit power again to get out of this mode.
The keys on the Remote Control perform these functions:
On/Off enter or exit the menu system. "DISP PERIOD (MS) is the first prompt you will see.
CH Down moves to the next menu option
CH Up moves to the previous menu option
VOL Up increments the value already set for the current option or toggles an option
VOL Down decrements the value already set for the current option or toggles an option
ENT finalizes the entry in the current menu option if changes were made
When used out of the menu, it acts like the "null" button to reset the tome.
Digits 0-9 for direct entry of values (instead of Volume or Arrows) must use Enter after using digits.
PERIOD enters a decimal point - used when setting the ratio.
MUTING used when out of the menu mutes the speaker when in "tone mode"
RECALL used when out of the menu - switches between the main screen and the scaler screen
Menu Options:
Initially, menu options are set to defaults. Settings made will be stored in EEPROM on the ATmega328, so they will be in
effect when you power back on. Here is a brief description of each menu option:
DISP PERIOD (MS) The number of milliseconds before the display refreshes. 5000 (5 sec.) is a good setting.
(Display counts are based on a "running average" I do not recommend settings of less than 5 seconds.)
LOG PERIOD When to write the CPM, 'dose', and MCU voltage to the serial output. Zero means logging is turned off.
CPM->[DOSE] RATIO Sets that ratio for the type of GM tube used. Note this ratio will depend on the dose unit being displayed - see DISPLAY UNIT. Use the DEC PNT or AV/TV key to set a decimal point.
ALARM THRESHOLD When the CPM or DOSE units is greater than this value the alarm is triggered. Unlike the button,
any value may be entered.
DOSE UNIT Use the arrow keys to select the name of the unit for the dose value - "uSv/h", "uR/h" or "mR/h".
ALARM UNIT Sets whether the alarm is based off of CPM or the DOSE unit. Use the arrow keys to select.
SCALER PER (MIN) Sets the period for the second scaler.
BARGRAPH MAX CPM Sets the CPM that will give a full scale reading on the bar graph. This also affects tone mode
TONE SENSITIVITY Determines how sensitive the tone is to changing activity. Low numbers are more sensitive.
USE RADLOGGER? When "Yes" serial output is compatible with Radiation Logger application - see Android / PC BT
Graphing page.
REG. VOLTAGE Displays the voltage powering the MCU (Vcc). To a large degree, this represents the state of the battery.
Note that each menu setting has a minimum and a maximum setting. Entries that are out of bounds will revert to the minimum or maximum.
DISPLAY BAR GRAPH:
The display has a new bar graph style with placeholders and is much more responsive. It now updates 20 times per second. The tone is also updated at this rate when used.
Auto-precision - decimals are dropped from the displayed dose rate as it gets larger.
Beginning with v10.1 the LOG PERIOD can now be set to intervals of less than 1 minute. Valid settings are OFF, 2s, 3s,
4s, 5s, 6s, 10s, 12s, 15s, 20s, 30s, and 1 minute intervals up to 720 minutes.
"Tube Select" is still supported where grounding I/O pin 9 will use an alternate ratio for CPM to Dose unit. The CPM>DOSE RATIO in the menu will set and save which ever ratio is selected at the time it's used. This allows setting of both
the primary and alternate ratios.
The current state of the the mute button and the scaler mode are saved in EEPROM and the Geiger kit will come up in
those states the next time it's powered on.
A "reset all" #define can be set. When uploaded the EEPROM is reset to all the default values. This may be useful if the
EEPROM contains invalid data from a previous release.
Another #define can put the counter in a test mode. 360 CPM is simulated. Interrupts are not producing the count so it
can be affected if tone mode is on.
Major restructuring of the code base including use of tabs and memory saving techniques.
ABOUT DOSE UNITS:
The menu allows you select the name of the dose unit that appears on the display. However, to be clear, there is no
built in conversion between them. Instead the CPM->[DOSE] RATIO is adjusted depending on the name of the DOSE
UNIT selected. For example, 175.43 is the default set for the SBM-20 with uSv as the dose unit. Suppose you pick "mR"
as the dose unit name, and want to measure in milirems. ("mR" more correctly abbreviates as milliroentgens but is used to
save display space.) The rem is defined as .01 seivert. Therefore, to use the same ratio that was designed for the tube,
you would multiply that ratio by 10. You would enter a CPM->[DOSE] RATIO as 175.43 x 10 or 1754.3. Likewise if you
wanted microrems ("uR") you would divide the ratio by 10 and enter 17.54.
If you do want to use roentgens (used in older instruments) this source states that they are .96 rem in soft tissue. So
the CPM->[DOSE] RATIO for actual mR would be 175.43 x 10 x .96 or 1684.1. (for uR it would be 16.84)
PLEASE REFER TO THE DIY GEIGER COUNTER DEVELOPERS WEBSITE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
http://www.sites.google.com/site/diygeigercounter/
Select options
Adjust Conversion
factor to your tube:
123 for LND712
175 for SBM-20
360 for LND7317
Select I/O Settings
Ultrafast Rates ON
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Recommended Working Voltage:
Initial Voltage:
Plateau Length:
Plateau Slope:
Interelectrode Capacitance:
Load Resistance:
Working Temperature Range:
Length:
Diameter:
ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Recommended Anode Resistor (Meg Ohm):
Maximum Starting Voltage (Volts)
Recommended Operating Voltage (Volts)
Operating Voltage Range (Volts)
Maximum Plateau Slope (%/100 Volts)
Minimum Dead Time (Micro Sec)
Gamma Sensitivity Co60 (Cps/Mr/Hr)
Tube Capacitance (Pf)
Weight (Grams)
Maximum Background Shielded
50mm Pb + 3mm Al (Cpm)
360 - 420V
290 - 330V
100V
0.1% / 1V
10pF
5 - 10 MOhms
-500 +700
100mm
18mm
10
325
500
450 - 650
6
90
18
3
8
10
SELECT
POWER
LIGHT
ALARM
SOUND
NULL
ALARM
SCALER
ON/PC
OFF
CHARGE
ON/ON
OFF
ON/OFF
ON/ON
OFF
ON/OFF
TONE
OFF
CLICK
TONE
RESET
HIRO+plus
PROBE
atomic.dave
RADIATION DETECTOR
LIPO
LIP
CHA
CHARGER
In
O
ut
Out
LIPO
LCD Diode
Voltage
V
oltage Limiter
Band to left
5V Up/Do
wn
Up/Down
BOOST
270 OHM
RESISTOR
RESISTOR
EX
EXTT
INT
GM
GMTT &
C
onversion
Conversion
R
ate SELEC
Rate
SELECTT
TToggle
oggle
o
SSwitch
witch
300 OHM
RESISTOR
RESISTOR
INT
3.5mm
Socket
Socket
+
_
OPEN
OPEN
ST
TATTUS
STATUS
LED
680 OHM
RESISTOR
RESISTOR
SPEAKER
TONE
OFF
CLICK
O
56K OHM
ap
Cap
RESISSTOR .1 uF C
RESISTOR
.1 uFF Cap
Cap
SOUND
MUL
LTTI-SOFTWARE
A
MULTI-SOFTWARE
OUTPUT PORT
OUTPUT
1K OHM
RESISTOR
RESISTOR
ALARM
PIEZO
PIEZO
OPEN
BRD Pin 15
EXT
EXT
LED/SND
ON/ON
OFF
ON/OFF
AL
ARM
ALARM
LED
LED/BKL
LT
LED/BKLT
ON/ON
OFF
ON/OFF
EEVENT
VEN
NT
LED
LEED
S
Red LED POS
PWR/CHG
P
O
ON/PC
O
OFF
C
CHARGE
OPEN
BRD Pin 15
5
ALARM
Threshold
TTimer
imer
LCD Jump L
S
Red LED POS
ALARM
LCD Jump R
LIGHT
OPEN
PPOWER
5V Boost IN
FTDI 5V
SELECT
Piezo Jum
mp B
Jump
Piezo Jum
mp A
Jump
Board Pin
n 12
F
1
TONE
Reset
NULL
BRD FTDI 5V
7
6
5
4
3
2
8
9
10
11
12
13
ON/PC
OFF
CHARGE
ALARM
SCALER
ON/ON
OFF
ON/OFF
PROBE
HIR
+plus
HIRO+plus
ALARM
LIGHT
ON/ON
OFF
ON/OFF
NULL
TONE
RESET
FTDI
O
OFF
O
ON
HV
Adjustment
Adjustment
Pot
Pot Under
Battery
Battery Panel
Panel
HV Check
Points
Points Under
Battery
Battery Panel
Panel
RADIATION DETECTOR
TONE
OFF
CLICK
SOUND
atom
dav
atomic.dave
POWER
SEL
LECT
SELECT
14
15
16
17
18
19
L R
USB
Power
Power