The Ultimate Radiation Detector?

[@Muonium1]

I'm so consistently impressed by the rigor and thoroughness of the investigations here. Certainly no one else has demonstrated the x-ray induced scintillation of gagg, or examined its fluorescence spectrum before, and yes I'd definitely like to see more on the other scintillator's behavior. I'm disappointed by their decision to truncate the output at 20KeV but I suppose there is some understandable reason for it. If I can make a suggestion about our robot overlord, perhaps he can be gotten a little coked up at his next visit to the brothel pink LED emporium and his TTS synthesizer speed increased by, say 25%?

[@project-326]

I will pass on your idea to my overlord, not sure he will mind the chemical enhancement.

[@antonkristensen6665]

Are you joking about no one havibg measured xrays with GaGG?

[@Muonium1]

@@antonkristensen6665 I didn't say no one's measured it. I said no one's demonstrated its x-ray induced fluorescence on video as seen here, because they haven't.

[@antonkristensen6665]

@Muonium1 Are you sure? GAGG is a decently old detector technology so I'm quite sure that dosimetrological facilities have studied GAGG's response to XRAY sources in depth.

[@Muonium1]

@@antonkristensen6665 I'm sure they have. They haven't recorded it on a yt video.

[@drglipglop]

Another excellent video. Thanks!

[@szabuowski8677]

I don't get the complaints regarding the design. The fact that it looks like a glucose meter or something of that sorts is actually an advantage - you can take it out in public, read the display, freely navigate the menu with the buttons and you will not be bothered by some nosy random bystander, security guy, a passenger a seat next to you or a flight attendant, etc. Also, this form factor is amazingly convenient - it fits any pocket. Secondly, the comparison to Gamma Scout is IMHO wrong - we all know that the design language of the GS is the least of their problems (not that it is not a problem at all). If something works well why change it? So there is an opportunity to break it? Or am I the only Radiacode user that is actually happy with the current design?

[@gblargg]

Agreed, I really like the design, and think they didn't change it because it didn't need changing. It's so small you can put it on a stick to scan, as shown in the video. He comments on the design in an earlier video at 12:08 "DON'T buy a Geiger counter, until you see this..."

[@testboga5991]

I couldn't care less about the design. Looks fine to me

[@RVtHart]

I agree with sza that the design is fine. It’s the device specs and accompanying software that ☢️counts☢️.

[@unfies]

I appreciate the same form factor between products. But I hope the company doesn’t limit product ability to fit within existing form factor tho. Thats a trade off that’s rough (unless certification of a design is big $ - which I doubt)

[@uwezimmermann5427]

Thanks!

[@project-326]

Thank you very much for the contribution to the camera fund!

[@j.apekop9429]

The activator in this scintillator is Ce3+, so the correct notation is GAGG:Ce. These materials are similar to LED luminescent materials where also Ce doped garnets are used, in particular YAG: Ce, LuAG:Ce and YAGG:Ce. Ce activated garnets can be excitated by UV (~350 nm) and Blue light (~450 nm). Both excitation and emission of Ce3+ are influenced by the garnet lattice, smaller Octahedral Ion Y --> Lu, both blue light excitation and emission shifts to lower wavelengths. Substitution on the tetrahedral site Al --> Ga is opposite larger ion will shift to lower wavelengths. Scintilators are optimized for there light output with X-ray or gamma radiation, leading to GdGaAl-garnets, this materials are not very suitable for LED application since thermal quenching is the main problem. The question remains is a single crystal used in this detector or is a polycrystalline dense sintered material used.

[@Spyfoxls]

Really good video! It reassured me in the purchase i did on black friday. I got the normal 103 since i didn't see the added benefit for the added cost. I've been following your channel for a while and i really appreciate your thorough testing! Keep up the good work!

[@project-326]

thanks!

[@gaborlaszlonagy7730]

The letter "u" appears twice, first at 27:10, second time around 32:29. The discount code is with a single "u" :) Thanks for the great video :)

[@project-326]

ooops, sorry about that!

[@radoslawnawrocki9]

The discount codes given during the lecture and in the summary are different uu/u. Great test, thank you very much.

[@JewelsoftheTrade]

Another excellent video, and a different approach to the Radiacode product review than other KZbinrs have taken. I will be watching this at least two more times. Thank you for doing what you do!!

[@project-326]

Much appreciated!

[@AppliedCryogenics]

Definitely interested in a scintillation crystal video. ...and a tritium video. This channel rocks!

[@BlakeDebassiri]

The best and most objective review channel i have ever seen in you tube. Many thanks. I purchased a Radiocode 102 and very happy of the device. I look forward to see a video reviewing alpha radiation and detectors. i think they will need probes and probably expensive too as i saw couple of devices but they were very costly. is there a less expensive device to be able to detect alpha.

[@anon_226]

The peak at the beginning of the spectrum around 38 keV is most likely X-ray fluorescence of lanthanum-138 in very small quantities present in GAGG crystals. That's the model we're using. There are other models out there, but they have worse resolution. But the peak at 350 keV is a mystery to me, I am trying to figure it out, but so far I have not been able to find any information or compare it. About the small peak with polyethylene between the horns of X-ray fluorescence - most likely this is the response from the reaction of slow neutrons with the crystal.

[@bjornegan6421]

If I could ask, what are the current upper limits for 102, 103, and 103g, and realistically, what is the estimated upper limit of the 103g with the potential firmware upgrade?

[@michaelkaliski7651]

I have the 102 model and it is certainly good enough for casual or hobby users. Smoke detectors with an Americium detector show up as very active sources if you want a handy test source around the home. Radium coated watch hands and faces are probably the most active sources commonly available and give a very complex pattern of decay products. Hunting locally, I found increased background levels close by a high voltage power transformer. Whether this is due to x-ray radiation generated by extremely high voltages or contamination of the cooling oil is still under investigation. Being in a highly frequented public place it is difficult to take discrete readings! While the 103 and 103G models are improvements over earlier models, I would suggest that any of the models will prove to be suitable for a hobbyist and give years of satisfactory performance. The case design is brilliantly discrete and the phone software outstanding. All of the devices need practice and experience to get the best out of them. I agree totally with the conclusions in this video.

[@project-326]

Thanks for the great comment. Another factor that you should not discount is the high amount of EMI that will be in and around such a power transformer. The analog circuitry of the SiPM is REALLY sensitive to electrical noise. If you find that you just get a general increase in background but can't localize it, then this might be the reason...

[@hoggif]

I have 102 too and totally agree. It is sensitive enough to measure easily what part of bed I sleep in (within reasonable time) and to identify that it is due to K-40 in sweat. I have seen lots of uranium decay chains all around, radon decay chain products in a poorly ventilated cellar etc. Mobile app is very good and allows identifying source on spot in case I happen to have 102 with me and run into something. Great for hobby use, easy to carry with (tiny) and battery lasts very long time. For anything very serious, lot more resolution and smaller FWHM would be needed and for very low count measurement nothing beats a much bigger crystal.

[@The-One-and-Only100]

​@hoggif really I've never tried that how did you due the experiment to detect radiation from where you slept (multiple hour long recording of the bed or did you take off the sheets and place the radiacode in the bundle, also how long after waking up immediately or whenever)

[@hoggif]

@@The-One-and-Only100 It doesn't take that much time. Try it out and see. It works whenever, potassium in sheets/bed will not vaporize away. If you want good reliability you measure more. If you put several hours in it, you can do that with a geiger counter too. With radiacode you get so much higher count rate you'll not need ours to notice a clear diference. It may depend on how much banana you eat or how old your pillow and cushioning is. A curious mind just tests everything that comes to mind.

[@whiskeystraw]

Can you move the oil to a lower background level to measure. U May want to see a doctor about your K-40 production! Wow LoL.

[@Farben-X]

Very good in depth review Anyway regarding neutron problem: The very strange fact I noticed is that the little bump at 30-40kev (33:53) appears only when moderating and is higher with respect to the other peak that instead decreases in energy. Also this small peak is certainly not fluorescence of cerium, it is in such a low concentration that is undetectable probably even by normal xrf. In my opinion, this might be the only possible proof of neutron detection, even if I wouldn't bet a lot on this fact. Another proof of this is the fact that when the source is turned into nonemitting, the small bump does not appear at all. For more about this argument see the article:Investigation into the potential of GAGG:Ce as a neutron detector. Taggart et al The other high energy peaks are hard to identify but are probably unrelated to neutron, regarding the peak at 340keV at 33:03, it might be due to the decay of Pa233whichch originates from the decay of Np237 which is the main decay product from Am241 so maybe your source of Am241 is visible from where it is stored by this high energy gamma photon? in the end it is not good to detect neutron reliably, also usually neutron detector use pulse shape discrimination in order to distinguish them from gamma rays. In the end, i don't think I would pay 250€ more for a marginal increase in resolution and the inability to detect xray, that might be a problem for someone interested in doing experiments in the low energy region.

[@TheUserbob123]

As soon as I saw the selfie stick in the video I got excited, but no go on the website. I was hopefully that I could use the discount code to grab one, but at least I know they have produced one. The 103G is expensive but I still love it, despite being fairly ignorant to all the tests I can do with it. I still can't get over the fact that because of your channel I purchased it, and then discovered that the idiots in my local government put radioactive waste in the roadways I commute on. Funny how small beginnings can grow into paths never before thought about.

[@captainf1027]

GREAT REVIEW, AND HUMOROUS AT TIMES

[@antonkristensen6665]

I'm currently writing a thesis on detecting neutrons using (plastic) scintillators. It doesn't surprise me if you didn't see anything. Consider using a material that gets activated (Li6 or B9 if I remember), and then use the neutron stimulated gamma emissions from those isotopes to indirectly detect neutrons. That way you can characterize your neutron source setup, and from there try to detect neutrons directly with GAGG (might be easier to see recoil nuclei from fast neutrons than some random signal from thermal neutrons. Anyways, nice set of scintillators you have there! If you have a decently fast oscilloscope then I can make a quick design of a simple SiPM board so you can have your own detector. JLCPCB has MicroFJ SiPMs for like 20€ a piece so it isn't even THAT expensive. Use PTFE tape for wrapping.

[@project-326]

Thanks for the feedback, very interesting. I have been looking at SiPMs anyway, mostly the Chinese JoinBon products, but I will certainly take a look at the OnSemi versions you suggest. I'm still not sure about the small peak at 34 KeV. This only happened when moderation was present, even without any change in the geometry of the experiment... With the second experiment, ie the un-moderated situation, there really isn't anything much to consider. I have also considered Carbon Boride as a possible moderation media, but not sure of the advantages over HDPE.

[@project-326]

do you have a link for the JLCPCB that you mentioned?

[@antonkristensen6665]

@@project-326 Did you do any simulations or calculations to check that your amount of moderation is correct? If you have too much moderation then you block all neutrons, and if you have too little then they will still be fast.

[@rickt.1870]

When I first got my 103G, I was playing around with it at work, and leaving it on in my pocket at various hospitals. We were in an ED when an X-ray tech on the far side of the ED took two X-rays. The Radiacode alarmed, and it kept alarming because it was in continuous mode. I had to fumble around with it for a while before I got it to shut up. This resulted in a discussion later with my crew as to whether just stepping outside of the room when an X-ray is taken is sufficient.

[@migsvensurfing6310]

Nice units. Imo the design is very much spot on what I prefer except I would like the battery to be user replaceable.

[@paulobrios]

For sure an analysis of different crystal sensors would be great! And if I could help in something, like neutron measurements, I do have one RADIACODE 102 and access to a self shilded cycotron, that means plenty of neutrons available for measure.

[@project-326]

that sounds like a really interesting idea, please tell me more...

[@PatrickOnEngineering]

That’s a great comparison! Looks like 103G has performance similar to Raysid although, 1 cm3 GAGG vs 5 cm3 CSI(Ti) still may make a difference, especially in higher energy levels. GAGG photo response to radiation seems to be quite high and rapid.

[@maxbartoshik]

Raysid should be around 4x more sensitive (or more) due to detector volume (if you buy version with the same resolution). So “similar performance” sounds a bit strange.

[@PatrickOnEngineering]

@ GAGG has different response characteristics than CsI(Ti), clearly it responds better. There probably has been done measurements to compare performance of those products, I’m just a hobbyist that gives an opinion, based on some my tests.

[@maxbartoshik]

@@PatrickOnEngineering GaGG it is up to 30-50% more sensitive than CsI of the same dimensions at high energies (> 1 MeV). You will clearly see gain on Co-60, for instance. But on normal background it will have gain of around 15% on the total cps for the whole spectrum (due to shape of the spectrum). + usually sensitivity of crystals increases faster than volume, if volume is 5x - gain in high energy band will be more than 5x. I’ve heard that GaGG is specific material, it is hard to create useful crystal of high volume (it absorbs own light). I’ve also heard thar resolution of crystal itself could reach 5.5%. Not clear why 103G has only 7.5 However, with 1 cm3 of CsI it could have 6.5%, probably MCA is not perfect.

[@PatrickOnEngineering]

@@maxbartoshik interesting! I’m now getting a bigger scintilator with 65 cm3 of NaI(Tl) with hardware compatible with Theremino Software. I’ll compare RC 103 with this one and can potentially play around with GaGG although it’s expensive. I guess that’s why RC has a lower grade (and still small) crystal.

[@AKAtheA]

@@maxbartoshik the GAGG crystal has almost 50% greater density, why is it strange for it to perform similarly, esp. at higher energy levels?

[@pew3561]

So my best guess for the 340keV peak would be Np237 peak from Am241 alpha decay, it's one of the only radionuclei that could match it in your environnement. it also match Am241 HPGE spectroscopies.

[@NewtoRah]

It may just be the relative strength of our Am-241 source, but I've definitely found that the common rule of thumb of a piece of paper or a few cm of air for shielding isn't enough to actually stop the Alpha particles completely. I've been able to detect from several inches, and through paper (although definitely greatly reduced. The Kapton tape is probably more than enough to attenuate the alpha before hitting beryllium though, since you were already expecting very few neutrons, if you were able to detect them at all.

[@project-326]

We did a video on alpha spectroscopy that you might find interesting. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4fUpaijiqmUhZo

[@nefariumxxx]

Try some cardstock paper. Thickness of a business card. Normal paper is not quite thick enough.

[@juslitor]

i have had my 102 placed about 40 cm away from a smoke detector Am-241 source that had its steel plate housing in place, on a 6 day integration and with subtraction of the background, the twin peaks from the am-241 were visible.

[@robozstarrr8930]

hi there, another fine vdo. seems every time i have saved enough $$ to purchase the 10X. a newer version is just around the corner! [ purchase link not working ]... Cheers

[@PeterMarchl]

Thank you for this highly informative video! I do have the 102 and the 103 and between them there's about the same quality difference as in the 102 to 103g. I've been gnawing on this subject of selling the two and buying one 103 G but I do not think the improvement is worth the hassle and the money. 7.5% resolution isn't so much better in the end. So, thank you for helping me not spend more money! I would expect a lesser drift over time, some less recalibration needs and a longer lifetime? Maybe? The lack of xray detection is a bummer for me. The whole matter of bremsstrahlung, xray and moderation is a quite interesting subject to me so please keep us informed about this 340 kev peak and it's origins! I do envy your collection of sources... Is there a way to get in contact outside the comments? I'd like to ask about the Chinese device, maybe you could get on the producers nerve and press for necessary software development action😁?

[@project-326]

I already get on their nerves a LOT!!! In the channel page description, click "more", the channel email address is there behind a bot shield. I had to kill the last channel email address because I published it in the comments and it got sucked up by spam/scam bots.

[@TylerRheaume]

I have a 103G and love it. All Radiacode are stupid sensitive though.

[@project-326]

for a pocket device, they are awesome!

[@gblargg]

It would be great if they had a "theramin" mode that adjusted a tone's pitch based on radiation level.

[@TylerRheaume]

@ yeah 102

[@kenibnanak5554]

Current cost on their website, (US) $555.00 Their (not as accurate?) 102 model costs (US) $275.00. There is a mid price 103 model also. The units do not seem to be waterproof. Radioactive Drew did a video about the difference between the 102 and 103 models. The company is located in Cyprus.

[@project-326]

all true and very fair, if you don't mind me saying so. But, except about the accuracy, basically all gamma ray spectrometers are as accurate as their calibration (assuming that they have energy compensation). Sensitivity and accuracy are separate issues. I have 2 x RC102's and their are my mainstay spectrometers, I love the product to bits, when they sent me a new unit for review, I was over the moon, but just because now more of my family can have access to one of these cool devices (the kids love them). Gotta share the love and share the learning. You are also 100% correct about the location, this is a former Russian company that up'd-sticks and moved their whole team to Cyprus, there is also an implied message in that statement too. Anyway, thanks for the feedback!

[@kenibnanak5554]

@@project-326 Agreement Accuracy was the wrong word. Lack of detail in screen resolution is more accurate. I personally prefer ruggidized units that can take a little water and mildly rough handling. I started on a calibrated Victoreen CD 715 and loved that it didn't mind a little rain. It only reads Alpha and Beta of course, but it also survives (so far) bouncing (it is somewhat braced) around in my car''s trunk when I go look at rocks. Forty years later I have a KC761A (soon to get their B model probabl, but they may have an even better model inside the next yeary) and I truly like that I don't have to baby it too much.

[@project-326]

@@kenibnanak5554 The761 B model is a LOT better on resolution than the older one. It also works down to 9 KeV, which is a major improvement.

[@DonnyHooterHoot]

I have the first model, now I wish they did trade-ins! Cool viddy!

[@project-326]

I know that feeling so well!

[@leandroebner1405]

There are several people willing to take your RC101 in exchange of a partial refund :)

[@DonnyHooterHoot]

@@leandroebner1405 Thank you! But after watching several videos on the 101, 102, 103 and now 103G I will stay with my original model. Who knows maybe it will be collectible someday? Probably not (sigh). Peace!

[@leandroebner1405]

​@@DonnyHooterHootit's still a very very good instrument! Good enough for almost everything!

[@juslitor]

@@DonnyHooterHoot As i understand it, the scintillator crystal slowly deteriorates with time, be it in use or not.

[@DonnyHooterHoot]

Get some 2% thoriated tungsten welding rods. They make the 101 go nuts.

[@project-326]

nice, mine are much lower concentration so the "negative ion" pendant is a better source for us.

[@rickdurham264]

@@project-326 You wouldn't happen to have a link for these "negative ion" pendants would you?? I'm curious!

[@juslitor]

An alternative for those costly welding rods is old gas light mantles. You usually get at least 0.2 microsieverts per mantle, more if you burn them and compact the ashes. . Mantles from before the middle of the 80´s contain thorium with a very high certainty.

[@jonathanwienke512]

​@rickdurham264 they banned them a couple years ago in the US and Canada. Idiots were selling "personal massagers" packed full of ThO2 powder on Amazon...

[@samoime1955]

great review and the real question could be if 103G does provide justified detection improvement over 103? The comparison should be how fast can each of them automatically detect isotopes? At this case it has been tested on pure isotopes, where energy resolution does not add much to detection, but may be more significant in the mixture of isotopes, where energy peaks may be close. the second compare to 103 may be additional step. The KC761-b shows that the resolution may even be better on high purity CsI(Tl) then GAGG, that also gives advantage in better detection of x-rays and higher count rate on lower energy isotopes. So to the conclusion it appears that it was a nice try to make additional product in the same housing. If they applied to large size sensor like common standard of CsI(Tl) of 25.4 x 10 mm or 25.4 x 25.4 mm that requires larger housing. Design of this device is actually very attractive, as it is small size, nice fit. NaI(Tl) may be also used for better resolution over CsI(Tl) but is know to be more hygroscopic and fragile, so is less desired for out of the lab application.

[@MokeMoky]

Hello, I am very interested in buying a radiation detector for some time now, and for the first time in my life I have the occasion to do so. Now, I have a little problem : I need to choose between two devices, the radiacode, or the radiascan 701a. These two, how far I know, are excellent products, but with some pros and cons, and I'm actualli struggling to make a decision. Here is the problem : -The radiacode can detect Hard beta and gamma radiation, have a detector shaped in a cube, which make the precision better (no matter in which position you put it, it will always detect the same level of radiation), can do spectroscopy, is very comfortable and tiny, and can connect to PC and phone. -The radiascan is more expensive, and hard to find (the product itself as the reviews about it), but can detect Alpha radiations, you can also choose which type of radiation you want to detect with the adjustable cover, and in a video, I saw a man talking about a spectroscopy in which he detected Rn and other unstable elements. Now the thing is : I always wanted a device that can give me a good precision for the reading of dose rate, so even that the Radiacode is very good quality, spectroscopy is not the thing I prioritize the most. I find people saying this can crush geiger counter very exagerated, because it can maybe identify which type of isotope is sending ionizing radiation, even alpha emmiters, it cannot show me the exacts counts in Sv or other units (Alpha particles interact lot more with matter, this is why they count more in Sieverts). I found on Yt people saying that the radiacode can detect gamma rays emmited by some Alpha emmiters because they send both at the same time, but like before, the alpha detection is still missing, so while you could have something like 300-400 Sv, the Radiacode will show 80-120 at point blank. So yes, some have pros and cons, and the only thing that bother me is the fact that Radiacode cannot detect Alpha particles, but better gamma. If someone could give me the precise characteristics of the two about the range of detection in KeV for each particles (especially gamma rays) or help me in some manner to make a choice, I would be gratefull because I am stuck and don't know what to choose. Btw Project 326, I think it would be great if you could make a review for the radiascan and then compare it with the radiacode, because for now, I didn't seen lot of comparisons about the two. Thank you for everyone who reply.

[@86laowhy]

Haha, your channel is much bigger than mine and endlessly more interesting. Subbed!

[@project-326]

size isn't everything mate, its what you do with it!

[@alxRo]

Very nice video Sir thanks!!!!

[@project-326]

So nice of you

[@afctin]

thanks for the information and the video. Sincerely, Antonio❤

[@alxRo]

Also sci hub very very useful thank you so much Sir!!!!

[@project-326]

Most welcome

[@jafinch78]

DIY Integrating Sphere from a canon ball mold or other? I also forgot to mention for the spectrophotometer, doing a polarization range sweep for more info maybe? Was a plan maybe using a HD actuator and some mechanism to mount and rotate for the sweep. COTS device parts thoughts?

[@jafinch78]

Reminded me there is some old huge RadScout or something like that. Wondering what the specs are of that compared to the little 103G or related smaller packaged?

[@hullinstruments]

A few people have shown good and professional DIY integrating spheres on youtube. But my favorite is the one done on les's lab channel

[@jafinch78]

@@hullinstruments Yeah, I second that.

[@OnlyTruthLove]

I noticed that when testing different radioactive material, people place it right next to the tool. Do the tools have very limited reach? When preparing for nuclear war, you would want a tool to be able to pick up radioactive material at a distance, correct? Like at least to be able to gage the imminent surroundings?

[@project-326]

It's not the tools, the radiation falls off with an inverse square law, so actually it the radiation that has a short range effect.

[@OnlyTruthLove]

@project-326 I like many dont understand radiation. Your channel is extremely educating. So if nuclear war happens, assuming you are not harmed by the explosion itself, as I understand it, the fallout will be dangerous. Imagine fallout being like a dust cloud. Im assuming its harmful if you breath it in? But lets say its no longer in the air. There will be lots of it on the ground. If walking through it, your feet would be the only ones exposed to the radiation correct? When they talk about limiting exposure to radiation of 200, do they mean at one location like feet or full body exposure? If you have time, and a desire, maybe make a video on this? I jave seen a few videos but most are made by those who never came into contact with radiation. A lot of it is hypothetical. Now that tentions are rising, it might be a popular video for your channel. You would know better. Just an idea. Im obviously biased by my desire to learn about nuclear war survival. Both US and Russia are talking about it like it is survivable/winnable. Makes me think its possible.

[@project-326]

@@OnlyTruthLove you know, I have been getting a lot of pressure to make exactly THAT video. I have kept away from it for 2 reasons. Firstly, it would require a long video and almost of of the visual content would be animated graphics, and that is very time consuming for me to make (I'm really not good at creating those kinds of visuals). The second reason is that there is often a lot of haters that get riled up when someone tries to bust some myths. Back to your question of fall out, the shorter term products are really, really active and you will detect it from many yards away. For example, that little Cs-137 capsule that got lost in Australia last year, a simple Geiger counter would see something above background even from 30 yards away. My "tame" sample of Cs-137 is really very tiny in comparison (the actual material inside the test disc) and so needs to be measured from very close in.

[@OnlyTruthLove]

@project-326 I 100% understand. Just thought Id throw in the idea) You have phenomenal videos! Ignore the haters. Really)

[@anon_226]

Greetings! For more effective registration of neutrons it is necessary to apply the source directly to the device, and around it to place polyethylene and the more the better. The behavior of neutrons is a bit inconsistent with the world picture after the experiments with gamma radiation).

[@project-326]

Thanks for the comment, the second part of the experiment had exactly that situation, however the the concept of lots of moderation and 'close to the detector' are not necessarily compatible. :-)

[@anon_226]

@@project-326 for the sake of registering a couple of tens of neutrons per second with another detector, I used 6 5-liter tanks of water, the count rate increased more than 2 times from the boron-10 reaction.

[@anonymousscientist3838]

Loved your video ! 'm really confused between Radiacode 103 and 103G. I want Radiacode for rock hunting and finding radioactive things at antique shops. What will you recommend sir ?

[@project-326]

if you can afford it without it hurting, get the G model if you want an easier time to identify what you are pointing it at. Frankly they are all good products and I still use my 102 all the time...

[@anonymousscientist3838]

@@project-326 Got my answer 😊

[@anonymousscientist3838]

@@project-326 Finally purchased Radiacode 103. Customs duty in India is a lot! And Radiacode 103 costed me $530 after paying for customs!

[@recursr1892]

@project-326 As usual, brilliant content again! I see many parallel to visual spectrography, but X-rays havesome additional complexity due alpha, beta particles and decays, and a lot more security measurements needed. I had checked for GAGG crystals before, and found them simple to understand (a flash counter), but expensive to buy. What I really don't understand- this little device has something similar to a diffraction grating or prism inside, so it can split the incoming x-rays by the KiloElectronVolt it get's hit, right? But that is not the GAGG crystal- that's just used as flash generator that a photodiode can count- so what's doing the spectroscopy part here? And KeV is not a frequency dimension, right? It's a density/energy dimension ? But probably that's somehow related? I have a bit problems of changing my mindset from nanometers (what you use for light frequencies) towards KiloElectronVolts- I have not seen any vacuum tube when you opened the device, so I wonder where the magic happens to get this KeV measured and kept apart. Also, would be interested to learn once about your security setup to keep this radiating stuff safely at home. Like you, I was not able to measure even strong fluorescence in the visible range with little garden's spectroscope. I was wondering, if I could somehow concentrate this light, to make it easier to measure- I would need an reflective, hollow ball, with only a little hole so that the fluorescent light could only escape there. And a 2nd hole to get some external excitation source into that ball.

[@DonnyHooterHoot]

Very cool video, as usual! If RadiaCode people see this I would like to say, that as an amateur, home user, I think my 101 is quite good for what I do with it. I used to pay top dollar to be "cutting edge". What makes this model cost so much more? The GAGG crystal? Or just the popularity of it? Peace and gamma rays!

[@project-326]

I didn't mention it in the video, but I did take a look at the relative prices for GAGG verses CsI, and there is a major difference. I know that they buy their scintillation crystals here in CN. The GAGG crystal is going to be 3 to 5 times the price of CsI, apparently its much harder to process due to the hardness. Clearly, there is more 'chemistry' in the mix too. As far as I can tell, the 103G is just a crystal swap from the standard 103.

[@anon_226]

We are happy to do our best for you! The man from RadiaCode has seen you)

[@TerryLawrence001]

I like that the Radiacode looks like a glucose meter. It reminds me to cut down on the sugar. I love my 103!

[@project-326]

Just kidding about that, but can't have a video review without some criticisms...

[@TerryLawrence001]

@@project-326 I agree. If you didn't slip in a negative, the review would sound biased. :-)))

[@charlesspringer4709]

For neutrons maybe use water to thermalize the neutrons and look for the gamma from the binding energy of deuterium.

[@project-326]

Hi and thanks for the comment. standard "light water" is a pretty terrible moderator, it needs a much greater thickness (or whatever dimension you want to consider) than something like HDPE to achieve the same of moderation. Boron Nitride is one other moderator that I have considered...

[@charlesspringer4709]

@@project-326 Yes, the HDPE is good. We used about 30cm of it in the port of a "neutron howitzer". The plutonium/beryllium source was in the center of a barrel of paraffin. Anyway, at least you know the energy you are expecting when it comes to binding energy of the deuteron. Do you know what the solid state "photomultiplier" is? A large area diode with a high bias voltage?

[@barnowl6807]

Your neutron yield will be almost non existent from your source. The way to get yield is to mix VERY finely powdered (atomized) materials and compress them under very high pressure. (Not recommended at home!) The atoms must be closely in contact in order to produce neutrons effectively. Another good gamma test source is thoriated tungsten welding rods from any welding supply shop.

[@project-326]

I have some thoriated welding rods but they don't give anything like the count rate of the 'negative ion' pendant I have.

[@Erki312]

Thought now for black Friday I can get it even cheaper thanks to your discount code, but behold, the prices showed in the video ( 37:39 ) are no longer available, but all prices have been increased 😢

[@offroadbaddude1]

Hi my english friend from china!!! I hope you've been well! This is not exactly related to this video but i was wondering , are you hosting the "controllerstech" chanel Too?

[@project-326]

nope, never heard of that channel, I will take a look...

[@project-326]

an interesting business model, review and then sell the products... Not really my kind of thing, this is just a hobby channel.

[@CaoticoFanegasO_o]

I have a friend who works at a hospital and isn't sure about nuclear radiation safety on their setup. I'm pretty sure it's okay, but which device do you think would be better for her to carry around, to ensure radiation safety on a consumer product budget on that environment?

[@project-326]

Please forgive me if I am somewhat non-committal on this particular issue, this is a thorny topic! Normally, in most countries, there are very strict limits on emissions from Radiography equipment, typically the testing and monitoring systems take up as much of the budget as the x-ray generation equipment. That said, I don't know what country you are discussing here. From my own perspective, being based in China, I have recently tried to test any leakage from CT equipment. My 10 year old daughter recently needed a CT scan, which is a fairly long duration, high energy measurement. She wanted to take the RC102 with her. From just outside of the shielded chamber that she received her scan within, there was zero detection of anything above the background level. What I mean by this is that normally radiography departments have pretty strict limits and fairly robust monitoring. From the perspective of the medical equipment industry, there is a strong desire to keep exposure limits a strict as possible, because all that monitoring equipment, calibration equipment (and even calibration equipment for the calibration equipment) is supplied by them. Stricter limits means that they sell more equipment and the radiography equipment itself can be more expensive as a result. Dental x-ray equipment is a different story, this is a much less regulated market. Normally there are limits on the x-ray photon energy level, typically equipment in this category rarely exceeds 80 kVp, so the photons are far less penetrating. That said, carrying a small personal dosimeter is probably not a terrible idea either, if only for extra peace of mind (I would).

[@jonathanwienke512]

​@@project-326I recently had a CT scan of my head/neck, and wore a 103 in a case on my belt with the alarms silenced. There were 3 spikes of radiation, all of which maxed out the dose rate (1mSv/hr) even though the 103 wasn't actually in the direct path of the scan. I didn't have the opportunity to test what the exposure was across the room or anything like that. The techs running the machine retreated to another room and closed the door. 🤷‍♂️

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

Huge thanks for stiring up my inner nerd system. I still have to play more with the little garden to justify a new acquisition. One question remains: Naomi Wu claims rather unverified benefits for her cheap uv light. What are your comments for her claims?

[@project-326]

I have seen these excimer lamps here in China for some time now, they are not new and Ms Wu seems to have just gone to a factory that already makes these products to get her own branded one made. I have not really been through this properly, but perhaps I should. The 'eye-safe' claim might be true, its a very narrow line, so the total energy contained in UV is far less than for more wide-band UV sources. That said, if the total energy is less, I would assume it is going to be a lot less disruptive to the DNA of microbes as well. Might be worth an experiment to check these claims at some point...

[@ZoeyR86]

The 320kv is the acrylic adhesive from the kapton tape

[@project-326]

Sorry, I don't understand, via what mechanism is it creating a gamma ray line?

[@norbertdapunt5092]

Awesome Absolutely.

[@project-326]

Thank you kindly!

[@hielkovisser4753]

Hi just a question here, I like al your videos very much, the loads of know how in them is magnificent. Ok nouw my question as you know there is a lot of tension in the world right now. How to deal with the nuclear consequences after a attack with an atom bomb?? could make a video about that (without the experiment I guess)

[@project-326]

Arthur would love to do the experiment! I have been thinking about a video on "busting radiation myths" and thought it might be good subject to touch on. Let's see, I have a full pipeline at the moment and my day job is really busy too.

[@GamingAmbienceLive]

I HAVE A VIDEO IDEA So, I was actually going to buy a GAGG crystal to try this, but you have a huge one, plus you have others to try this with. Recently there was a news article that Chinese scientists made a "nuclear battery that converts alpha particles from nuclear waste into electricity using photovoltaics" but I was surprised when you burst the crystal with x-rays you couldn't see it with your eyes, but maybe that's the idea that it would be enough for the silicon, and maybe when exposed to americium it would light up more? Just keep in mind GAGG phosphoresces for a period of time, but could you run an experiment with all your Americium, your crystals, and a calculator solar cell to see if it would make a low energy battery? there are some IoT devices and chips with ultra-low consumption on MOUSER, but i think just measuring useful voltage, like something enough to run a cheap casio watch would be more than enough. And about the Radiacode 103G, congrats on finally getting your hands on one, was hoping you'd talk more about its lack of low energy detection, do you think it's something they can unlock instead of truncating or is this the reality of GAGG crystals? Also, how important is it to have low energy, lets say you get some berries from japan or ukraine, would the lack of low energy spectrum mean that it won't detect something? I guess my question is, in practice, what would it not be able to detect, obviously x-rays is one such thing so if you are an X-Ray technologist at a hospital this thing is useless, anything else? I messaged the developers on reddit regarding innovation and got ignored, I am overall fine with the size shape, it's very well designed, but it could use an update, the screen could be replaced with a colored 300ppi e-ink display for example to show more info, the area for the screen could also be increased, onboard GPS would be nice, I think it's a bit inefficient having to have your phone connected the entire time, an on board RTC or TCXO, maybe preloaded library to autodetect element instead of just showing the graph. Redditors just downvoted me and argued my idea would increase the price, but i mean its already $555 which is a bit too much.

[@Nuclear_Legacy]

Most of the cost of the instrument is the crystal - the Gagg HR is very expensive

[@骁吴-u7t]

If you need a stand-alone unit, look at the KC761B about the same price, close to the same resolution, and a built-in nuclide library on this unit. It's just more complicated to operate.

[@GamingAmbienceLive]

@@骁吴-u7t too big

[@project-326]

an interesting idea about a solar cell based power source from a scintillation crystal. Not sure that it is practical, the emissions would be so faint that a solar cell would not be able to produce any current. The Chinese battery you mentioned is using a beta source (betavolt), I wanted to try this but the structure of the semiconductors needed are very special, it's not as simple as a basic PN junction. Robert Murry-Smith did a BS video on making one - but he kind of didn't realize it was supposed to be using a beta source and so he tried with alpha from some Am-241 from a smoke detector and a power transistor cut open. Complete bullshit. Basically, he just allowed a little bit of light leakage which caused a small amount of photovoltaic effect to occur and measured a few millivolts from that. It is literally impossible for the alpha particles to have penetrated the transistor die to reach the PN junction and even if they did, it would not generate the effect. The guy knows full-well it didn't work but still passed it off are real science. He seems to do that a lot in his videos...

[@GamingAmbienceLive]

@@project-326 see what you can do, i heard that naked transistors can work but not sure if its practical, i think i watched the same video, i know people have made solar batteries using tritium vials which is even stupider and got some power out of it, scintillation crystal and calculator cell, need a good efficient type of solar cell that activates with low light, like a calculator

[@hubler11]

I am looking to upgrade from my GQ GMC 320 I want to take accurate measurements which model should I get? Thx Btw really entertaining video keep up the good work ❤

[@project-326]

I have never tested any of the GMC models, they seem quite pricey, especially when imported to China, where currently I live.

[@hubler11]

@ oh sorry I want to upgrade to a RadiaCode sorry for the unclear question

[@fyvb7735]

other peaks, arose due to the bremsstrahlung radiation from the lead house. From the inside it should be covered with copper

[@project-326]

Thanks for the feedback, which peaks are you referring to?

[@transmitterguy478]

Very cool video.

[@maxbartoshik]

Why have you got such a big difference on Cs count rate? Ra and Th were pretty close

[@project-326]

It seems that the GAGG crystal is more sensitive in the mid to high energy regions of the spectrum and the majority of the Ra-226 and Th-232 strong lines are in the sub-500 KeV range. At least that's my take on this, please feel free to suggest some other possibilities...

[@maxbartoshik]

@@project-326 according to LSRM software model the difference in sensitivity is: 1) 0.05-0.5 MeV: 10% gain 2) 0.5-1 MeV: 50% gain 3) 1-2 MeV: 72% gain 4) 2-3 MeV: 78% gain 5) 0.05-3 MeV: 21% gain

[@project-326]

@@maxbartoshik Thanks, that is great information. It does kind of bear out the results that I got. Those ratios might be correct but the absolute sensitivity that you need to multiply through depends upon a lot of factors controlled by the manufacturing of each crystal, even of the same basic type. For example, if comparing a lower quality CsI with the same size of a higher quality GAGG crystal, those ratios might be multiplied by 2 or 3.

[@maxbartoshik]

@@project-326 I don’t think so. This software calculates probability of “full interaction” (not sure term is correct, when all energy is absorbed by crystal material). It doesn’t even depend on detector resolution (otherwise activity measurement would be a much more complicated thing). As for Cs spectrum, not all counts go to peak, probably half of them is in compton part. Background was around 15 cps, GaGG reached around 30, or 15 above. In the best possible case CsI should give around +10, but due to compton presence on the spectrum, gagg gain should be less than 50%. I watched that part once again and think that probably 102 just didn’t have enough time to adjust value on the screen. I bet with more time 102 would show around 25 cps in the same geometry.

[@project-326]

@@maxbartoshik Thanks for the feedback. Your point is entirely valid, however that does not discount the absolute quality of the crystal manufacturing processes, playing a part. There is a considerable difference in the sensitivity in different quality of CsI crystals but the data your are working from only assumes one particular case, which might not even be achievable for a given manufacturing process. The RadiaCode guys told me that they had tested many different variants of GAGG crystal before selecting the current one that is used in the 103G. A good example might be the testing that people have done on the Raysid and the RC102. The Raysid crystal has 5 times the volume of the RC102 and uses the same basic technology (ie CsI) but does not achieve 5x the count rate, even allowing for measurement geometry. BTW, I ran the Cs-137 measurement for about an hour. Now I have some lead blocks, I might make a shielded measurement of Cs137 to see what I get. Thanks!

[@KD0CAC]

Your link seems to be broken ? Thanks

[@project-326]

which one?

[@KD0CAC]

@@project-326 The one to RadioCode ? Thanks

[@project-326]

@@KD0CAC I'm following up with them right now, thanks for the info.

[@allRadioactive]

Great video but I’m sticking with my RAYSID

[@project-326]

on the face of it, the Raysid is a nice device, we have been trying to get one to test for quite a while now, but it seems that these are hand made by the creator himself, so supply is always difficult. On the face of it, a 5cm3 scintillation crystal might sound like it is 5x more sensitive that a 1cm3 crystal, but there are other factors in the manufacturing of the crystals that also effect sensitivity. My beloved Measall KV761B has 2.54 cm3 of CsI and does achieve about the same ratio in raw sensitivity over the RC102 in many test I have done. It is one of the reasons I would really like to run a full test of the Raysid and put it next to my other spectrometers in a 1:1 test to see the true picture. I'm pretty sure many of our viewers would also like to see that too.

[@alxRo]

Sir i am thinking to buy radiacode will i have discount if i say the coupon you said??? Thanks in advance!

[@project-326]

yes, the discount code will allow you to get the discount.

[@alxRo]

@@project-326 thanks you very much Sir and we expect to see future videos like this so nice !!!!

[@alxRo]

​@@project-326sorry for the disturbance Sir i wrote partial code 4 project 326 and says "invalid code"

[@alxRo]

​@@project-326i put the code and says "invalid code"

[@billstrehl9822]

@@project-326 thanks for the review and the discount code. Took advantage of it and bought the 103 today. Tried to find a video on the selfie stick homemade hold, but couldn’t find it.

[@Cornz38]

But does it CLICK????

[@project-326]

yup, it clicks!

[@questionablebackyardmeows]

Does it have EMP shielding? I'd have no interest in a radioactivity detection device that couldn't survive an EMP and would be useless if a nuke went off somewhere

[@RMX7777]

Just store it in a metal container.

[@TheEmpressPalpatine]

Very cool but way too complicated. You'd have to take classes to learn how to use it. Years ago I had a simpler Geiger counter. It was old but still worked. When radiation was present, it clicked. When more radiation was present, it clicked more. I like the idea of knowing what kind of radiation. Perhaps there is a a device with the simplicity of the old type but maybe flashes a word naming the kind of radiation. I'd want something where you would test out a living area prospect, like the apartment and neighborhood before signing a lease. There are places where people have gotten mysteriously ill because of something that was there years before.

[@giomas3728]

God bless the radiacode

[@johnwald1714]

Are w3 so sure it's not just a marketing scam with crippled firmware? Many companies use the same hardware and it's just the firmware you are paying for. Fluke was known to do this with their thermal cameras. And there was a substantial price difference.

[@project-326]

It's a fundamentally different scintillation crystal, the 102 and 103 use Cesium Iodide and this one is GAGG...

[@SirWerner..]

Funny pronouncing of german word "Bremsstrahlung" what says "brake radiation", not knowing if that makes sense in radiation topic. Tx, for review, still thinking about purchasing Radiocode just for fun.

[@alxRo]

Sir i saw a video with the best and most expensive american spectrometer Radeye PRD it can reach up to 6.000€ used from military!!! i just saw a comparison video and radiacode does it better!! Just type radiacode vs radeye PRD here in youtube thanks!!

[@jiannisky]

Discount code not valid

[@project-326]

OK, thanks for the feedback. I will get onto them and find out what is happening.

[@project-326]

I got a response from the RC team, they say it is a mistake and is working again now. They also said "If the customer tries again, I will ensure they receive a few complimentary accessories."

[@jiannisky]

@ great! Thank u

[@theromanian8194]

Great video, can you recommend a book to get started into this sort of stuff without dieing of cancer xd?

[@lmwlmw4468]

Nice.

[@project-326]

Thanks!

[@Carlos_GS]

Awesome review as usual! thank you :)

[@project-326]

My pleasure!

[@D43vil]

I'd buy a tshirt that says Nuclear Assembly

[@project-326]

If this channel ever has merch, it's the first thing on my list, well right after "detritus and misc parts from failed experiments" (I have a lot of that spare).

[@vladi_g]

$ 525?! I won't even watch this video, so as not to upset myself...

[@project-326]

then just close your eyes for the scary parts. As a young kid, I was scarred shitless of the Daleks in Dr Who and would watch from behind the sofa so I could hide when they came on screen, that might work for you too... Hopefully the discount can help numb your viewing 'anxiety'. I think the company is offering an additional 5% for black Friday, so that will be a total saving of 15% with the discount coupon in the video.

[@vladi_g]

@@project-326 :)

[@Adiki3]

Ultimate? For low lvl radiation detector RaysID beat its due to 5 times larger crystal .

[@Nuclear_Legacy]

The raysid has a bunch of flaws and is homemade by one person. There's not even an ios app. It has a body made on a 3D printer - what is there to talk about.

[@project-326]

I agree that it is a home made device, so the manufacturing process that can be expected from mass produced device will not be as good, but I feel duty bound to point out that the "little garden" optical spectrometer is also a product of a 'cottage industry' and manages to get great results. Personally I would love to test the Raysid device and put all of our spectrometers side-by-side with it to get a 1:1 comparison. Sadly, the creator has not yet been able to spare one for us to test (I have reached out a couple of times). So, yes I can see both side of this discussion, but until I can test this device myself it is hard to take side int his. Would be great to do a video on the Measall KC761A/B RC102/3G and the Raysid side by side, a sort of 'spectrometer run-off'.

[@DreStyle]

no not the voice ...

[@Dextermorga]

Thanks god you got rid of that another guy. I like this format a loooot more. Thank you 😊😊😊

[@juslitor]

the thing that irks me the most with the 102 is how the calibration drifts. If i have the device in a pocket and take it along hiking, it will lose its calibration within a week.

[@Nuclear_Legacy]

Calibration should be in place, you probably need to contact tech support

[@project-326]

The issue with scintillation crystals is that they are very temperature sensitive, the smaller they are, like in the RadiaCode products, they have less thermal mass. Perhaps this is the issue? I have noticed on the two RC102 devices that I have, that the temperature displayed is usually different by a couple of degrees. If the temperature sensor on the older models is less accurate, it will effect the temperature compensation...

[@anon_226]

@@project-326 The problem is related to the capsule design, it needs some time to stabilize the position of the crystal and feu and to distribute the gel inside. We could glue the crystals, but this would increase the price and reduce the number of devices.

[@juslitor]

​@@anon_226 The gel is used as optical coupler between the crystal and intensifier ?

[@anon_226]

@@juslitorYes, between the crystal and the photodetector, probably a translation error.

[@TheOpticalFreak]

But when you produce neutrons you are creating different isotopes inside your gamma spectrometer!! You are contaminating your counter by radiating it with neutrons! You can not just detected neutrons with a gamma spectrometer!!

[@project-326]

you are correct but it is a question of scale. Based upon the Am-241 activity, the efficiency of the beryllium neutron conversion rate, the geometry of the experiment, the probability of an interaction in the 1cm3 crystal, we are talking about 2 neutrons giving intersections per minute. Of those interactions, there is a very low chance that one will cause a transmutation, most will result in a gamma ray emission. Given the number of atoms in 1cm3 of GAGG, I could run this experiments for several thousand years and it would still not give a noticeable chance in the performance of the device. Actually there are a lot of experiments that have detected neutrons with RadiaCode products, here is one such video from a good friend of mine. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJW0ZHVmd56pfJI

[@thexfile.]

The 102 is better.

[@NoosaHeads]

It costs about US$500, with the discount. Very expensive. The robot AI voice is awful - it gives the whole presentation an air of unbelievability.

[@royb.1441]

Then buy the 102?...If you truly need the capabilities of the 103, then I doubt you would say it's expensive.

[@_droid]

Industrial designer? It's a Russian product. They hide that fact through a shell company in Cyprus but the devices are made in Moscow.

[@Nuclear_Legacy]

Radiacode is made in Cyprus and partly funded by the EU, this would not be possible if the product was linked to russia.

[@project-326]

Their team is in Cyprus and have been for several years. Their banking is also in the EU, which should be evident from the fact that you can pay in either Euros or US dollars. Main components are sourced from China and final assembly/testing is in Cyprus.

[@anon_226]

@@Nuclear_Legacy RadiaCode-102/103/103G devices are manufactured in Cyprus, we even filmed a video from the production and put it on KZbin.

[@rotors_taker_0h]

I think you should stop curse youtube algorithm and stroke it couple times a-la @PrintShootRepeat

[@project-326]

I'm not convinced the YT algo is that smart... But maybe you are right!

[@rotors_taker_0h]

@@project-326 if you end up creating PSR style/level bangers it will be a win for community anyway 😂

[@project-326]

@@rotors_taker_0h PSR?

[@rotors_taker_0h]

@@project-326 yeah, the same channel I mentioned in the first comment, it's his short name

[@rotors_taker_0h]

Check out his satirical music videos and video intros :)

[@SartorUA]

This device is good, but it made in russia. For the money earned from wars and terror acrions in other countries

[@anonymousscientist3838]

Company is based in Cyprus

[@gblargg]

Like the USA? Probably better to not engage in this.

[@Nuclear_Legacy]

Radiacode is made in Cyprus and partly funded by the EU, this would not be possible if the product was linked to russia.

[@anon_226]

RadiaCode-102/103/103G devices are manufactured in Cyprus, we even filmed a video from the production and put it on KZbin.

[@911Hammer]

Thanks!

[@911Hammer]

Another great video! Thanks and keep up the excellent work. I always get excited to see another pop up on the feed.

[@project-326]

My sincerest gratitude!

[@Igor-hg3pn]

Thanks!

[@project-326]

Thank you very much, I hope you will be able to join in with the discussions I will be opening soon on what types of videos to make next...