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uRADMonitor â€“ Online remote radiation monitoring station

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radhoo

Sun Nov 11 2012, 01:17PM

Registered Member #1938 Joined: Sun Jan 25 2009, 12:44PM
Location: Romania
Posts: 701

Another update:

SERVER:
- added new graphs: pressure (bmp085) and temperature 3 (bmp085)
CLIENT:
- dht11 sensor replaced with dht22
- bmp085 sensor added
- new sensor PCB board
- new sensor board sun shield
- additional code for the new sensor and i2c bus connectivity
- atmega168 replaced with atmega328p

Moving from the mega168 to 328p was smooth, with no issues. A little problem is with the previous Humidity data, recorded with DHT-11, that seems to have a different scale than what I am getting from the DHT-22.

Circuit diagram, 3.3.130

The new BMP085 sensor temperature data:

And the BMP085 pressure data, in Pascals:

radhoo

Fri Nov 30 2012, 08:22AM

Registered Member #1938 Joined: Sun Jan 25 2009, 12:44PM
Location: Romania
Posts: 701

A lot has happened recently, after the impact this device had on local press, I got an invitation to a TV show, where I had the chance to discuss and present details behind the project. Here is a recording of the transmission on TVR3 (national TV), from 16.11.2012:

Wish there was some option to translate this to English automatically.

Proud Mary

Fri Nov 30 2012, 01:36PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Bine fÄƒcut, prietene!

radhoo

Fri Nov 30 2012, 06:18PM

Registered Member #1938 Joined: Sun Jan 25 2009, 12:44PM
Location: Romania
Posts: 701

Proud Mary wrote ...

Bine fÄƒcut, prietene!

thanks :)

Josh Campbell

Fri Nov 30 2012, 11:32PM

Registered Member #5258 Joined: Sun Jun 10 2012, 10:15PM
Location: Missouri - USA
Posts: 119

Wish the t-shirts were in Romanian and the dialog were in english. :)

It would be interesting to have a network of these setup on the highway system. All the data could be pooled and monitored for anomalies.

radhoo

Sat Dec 01 2012, 02:51PM

Registered Member #1938 Joined: Sun Jan 25 2009, 12:44PM
Location: Romania
Posts: 701

2bytes, I'll see how to make this turn into a known open source project, so others can build their own devices. I can take care of centralizing the data, but cannot build all the devices, needed for such a purpose, by myself.

I've split this project thread into two parts - this one discussing the uRadMonitor (Network geiger counter) , and a simpler one featuring my previous builds, with their errors and lessons learned along the time.

Proud Mary

Sat Dec 01 2012, 03:37PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Here are some questions that others must thinking, Radu.

1. I already have a GM counter that I can run continuously from the 230V mains, and a waterproof gamma probe I can mount outside. What more do I need to get the pulse output online? Do I have to be online 24/7?

2. What about the height of the GM probe above the ground? If radioactive particles fall from the sky in rain, smog, dust etc, then a GM probe nearer the ground will detect them more as they accumulate on the ground surface, than will a probe placed high up where the continuing activity of the particles that have fallen to the ground below will be absorbed by the air between. This probe height effect would be strongest with beta emitters (forgetting about alphas, unless the probe is just a few cm above the ground).

3. What about a 'monthly mean for this station'? Without this base line, the trend of a reading from any particular station would be hard to evaluate, unless it was a large effect.

radhoo

Fri Dec 07 2012, 10:06PM

Registered Member #1938 Joined: Sun Jan 25 2009, 12:44PM
Location: Romania
Posts: 701

I'm proud to announce this update, this Project is my second work to be featured on HackAday:

(after my previous capacitive discharge welder cutter tool:

)

The last few days have indicated that rain does raise the dose, because of Radon washout.

Also we're now getting into winter's negative temperatures, so this is the first negative range test for my temperature sensors, except testing them in my fridge, back in October.

Proud Mary, allow me to answer between your lines:

Proud Mary wrote ...
1. I already have a GM counter that I can run continuously from the 230V mains, and a waterproof gamma probe I can mount outside. What more do I need to get the pulse output online? Do I have to be online 24/7?

One would need a network interface of some kind. The simplest approach is to keep a computer connected 24/7, and send the Geiger's counter pulse data to the computer by some means.
This is a very bad idea, considering the waste of power and CPU power done this way.
I suggest the approach I also used in uRadMonitor: - use a microcontroller that does everything: drive the tube, count the pulses, handle a network chip (in my case that was enc28j60). This way we have an extremely low power device that does the job.
The device can either send data online in real time, or store them internally and connect on a given time basis, to upload packs of data. My approach was to have the device send the data every minute.
Details on the construction, including an Atmega328 microcontroller and the enc28j60 can be found here (long thread):

Proud Mary wrote ...
2. What about the height of the GM probe above the ground? If radioactive particles fall from the sky in rain, smog, dust etc, then a GM probe nearer the ground will detect them more as they accumulate on the ground surface, than will a probe placed high up where the continuing activity of the particles that have fallen to the ground below will be absorbed by the air between. This probe height effect would be strongest with beta emitters (forgetting about alphas, unless the probe is just a few cm above the ground).

True! My setup places the device at about 6 meters above the ground. It is not safe to have this device placed closer than that because of the human factor. I might be able to place a lid under the counter, to act as the ground's surface and concentrate the various radioactive particles, fallen from the sky. Nevertheless it is still interesting to see the background value of the current setup - the way it is now - somewhat similar to the way people get exposed - we never lay on the ground, but we constantly move, being bombarded by whatever the atmosphere contains.

Proud Mary wrote ...
3. What about a 'monthly mean for this station'? Without this base line, the trend of a reading from any particular station would be hard to evaluate, unless it was a large effect.

A very good suggestion, I have plans to improve the graphs , but didn't have the time for this work yet.

Proud Mary

Fri Dec 07 2012, 10:49PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

I'll see what I can do with getting the pulses online with PicoLog or Daqarta when I am not too busy - perhaps I will be able to find time over the Christmas holidays, if I am lucky.

Patrick

Fri Dec 07 2012, 11:41PM

Registered Member #2431 Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639

ive had good operation from the BMP085 device (in my drones), easy to program and use if its on a breakout board.

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