Page 1 of 2

Output pulse and data wire.

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 12:13 pm
by atomic.dave
Hello I want to hook up a data cable so I can plug into my iPhone mic to run Geiger Bot. I assume that the pulse output is for that reason right? So how would I wire those three prongs to a 3mm headset jack? Or will that not work?

Re: Output pulse and data wire.

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 12:52 pm
by mightyohm
I'm not familiar with Geiger Bot - what is it?

I didn't have any specific purpose for the PULSE output in mind when I designed it - I just thought it might be useful for experimenters. It would be a good idea to determine the safe input voltage range for the iPhone mic input before hooking it up, to avoid blowing up your expensive phone. :D Do you know if the Geiger Bot program expects an active high or active low signal, what pulse length, and what voltage?

Re: Output pulse and data wire.

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 2:05 pm
by atomic.dave
Geiger bot is an iPhone and iPad app. Very powerful and free. You might wanna Check it out. It can work with the external mike and line in mike inputs to bring data counts in to figure cpm etc... Also has pachube link up to bring data online. I'm Not sure of the specs of what you ask. I can look it up and get back to you. I just finished assembling your kit. I like it. However i am looking for a dif case as I want one more enclosed and portable. Doing a couple mods to it. I'm an assembler looking to build low cost kits to sell online to Japan.

Another kit I made has data output and plugs into iPhone to log data. this is my 4th kit so far and plan to do many more as soon as I figure out the best combo of options cost and portability. I am also a member of Geiger counter enthusiasts user grouP. Im also Trying to figure out a way to make a low cost data pulse counter LCD display to hook up to the gc.

Re: Output pulse and data wire.

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 8:45 am
by atomic.dave
can you tell me how much voltage/amp, etc is coming out of the pulse? Tried reading it with a meter, but I am not too versed in that type of stuff. I am a great assembler though...

Here's Geiger Bot homepage: (might be good to plug them as it would make your GC more mobile)
https://sites.google.com/site/geigerbot/

Here's Geiger Bot tech info page: I copied a part that I think is what you need to know, but Im not sure.
https://sites.google.com/site/geigerbot/tech-info

- 1.2: Delay = 23 to 46ms
- (42 RMS Windows (×実効値測定間隔))
- 1.3: Delay = 10ms
- (14 RMS Windows (×実効値測定間隔))
- [DEFAULT]
- Recommend 5ms at high count rates
- (7 RMS Windows (×実効値測定間隔))

- Low volume threshold (音量しきい値) value: very sensitive, easy to set off
- High volume threshold (音量しきい値) value: takes high volume to reach, less sensitive
- Recommendations:
- High count rate: 8000
- General use: 10000
- [DEFAULT]
- Graph #2 shows current RMS power (実効値電力) (x1000 scale)
- Set refresh rate (画面リフレッシュ) high temporarily to best visualize this
- NOTE: high count rates have reduced volume per click:

Re: Output pulse and data wire.

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 9:12 pm
by mightyohm
The pulse output is normally low (0V) and will go high (3V, depends on battery voltage) for about 100us every time the geiger tube fires.

I will check out the Geiger Bot page and see what it would take to get it working with the kit. Thanks for alerting me to it - this is the first I have heard of an iPhone app for monitoring geiger counters. :D

Re: Output pulse and data wire.

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:04 am
by atomic.dave
Hey Jeff have you played with this yet. I tried my best to create a plug that would work with the Geigerbot and iPhone but was unsuccessful. If you could figure that out I would build more if your kits and put it in a full enclisure with a phone jack hookup for the iPhone.

Re: Output pulse and data wire.

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:53 pm
by mightyohm
Atomic Dave,

No, I have not had time to play with Geiger Bot. I've been very busy fulfilling orders over the past 2 weeks and that has left little time for anything else. I do plan on playing with this eventually but it might take me another week or two to get to it.

Re: Output pulse and data wire.

Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 4:02 am
by schmarki
Hi everyone,

First of all, thank you Jeff for the great kit you desiged. I got one from adafruit and it really works well!! I have a radiometric control here (Sr-90) and would like to dig a little bit deeper. For this I would like to have a proper readout (beside the clicks).

Now I found the "geigerbot" app in this threat, and its a great app. It works well with the input over the internal ipad mic but to exclude unwanted noise it might be VERY useful to hook it up to the audio-jack of the ipad directly.

I found in the documentation a audio-hookup scematic here (partly japanese) : http://www.higuchi.com/item/629
As far as I understand the red circled part is of particular intrest and would be easy to make myself. But before I blow my ipad I would like to have some opinions on this...

The guys from geigerbot say about the "optional line input" - found here: https://sites.google.com/site/geigerbot/docs (in order the keep the iphone/pad alive...)

"The points of this schematic are:
- Divide the output voltage (in this case, about 9Vp-p) down to about 0.1V
- Do not decouple the output and iPhone mic input. Let the DC bias on iPhone mic input drop"

Could you calculate wich resistors/capacitors are best to use? Can I use the pulse-port of the Counter, and which is gnd? :?:

Would be great I you find a few minutes...

Cheers
Markus from Berlin/Germany. :D

P.S. Making the Geiger Counter connectable to an iphone/ipad could raise selling numbers... :lol:

Re: Output pulse and data wire.

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 1:46 am
by mightyohm
I'll take a look and see if I can make sense of this.

Re: Output pulse and data wire.

Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2011 2:49 am
by schmarki
Thanxx and Merry Christmas to all of you.
Happy holidays!