I have yet to experience the bite of the radioactive spider.
Occasionally there is some cool debris that washes ashore from Japan, and after their nuclear meltdown, and with all of the aging nuclear waste disposal in the pacific islands, I wanted a device to determine if whatever I’ve found was something I shouldn’t bring home. But mostly it is just a toy.
@Aloha Nah, it wont mess with it imo. I am a certified industrial radiographer and the intensity and kind of radiation you need to be concerned about doesn’t care about that wood being there.
I have a little [Geiger counter](CARESHINE Smart Geiger Radiation Counter nuclear Gamma, X-ray Detector for iOS Android https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015W2HU5I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_rN2vFbX898K2Q) dongle-type device that plugs into my iPhone. I got it when we had one of our cats treated with radioactive iodine (for hyperthyroidism). When she first came home from the treatment we had all kinds of rules to follow (segregation from other cats and us, special treatment of the poop, etc), and it was fun to watch the readings decrease from day to day. They were never at a dangerous level anyway.
You can also use it to check the radioactive level in some ceramics (like the old Fiesta stuff).
lol… flashback. I had to have two radiation scans in '87, one after breathing radioactive air, and another with a radioactive “dope” injection.
I had to wear a big yellow with red text plaque around my neck while they transported me back to the hospital I was at, and for the rest of that day so the nurses wouldn’t hang around me.
Very interesting. Obvious arduino parts there. I’m wondering if it’s possible to build your own with off the shelf arduino parts now. I have about a dozen different arduinos, lcd, other stuff I could use. Just need the actual detector piece.
For the price, it’s definitely worth having. I got one after reading the Nuclear Accidents book and realizing that a friend and I had just gone poking around scrapyards for interesting old electronics… not going to do that again without bringing my Geiger counter along.
P. S. Please tell me you peeled that plastic off the screen by now. It is making me crazy!
We all learned in school how to make a radioactive gauge using a coffee can, some string, aluminum foil and powdered dry wall (gypsum).
Was a limited usage item though. All it told you was if it was safe to exit the bomb shelter yet.
Adults worrying about their kids learning things like this probably made the 58 pandemic easier to manage.
