Cosmic Rays, mounting angle, pancake detector

  • Sonarflash
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8 years 4 months ago #1579 by Sonarflash
Experiment - Cosmic Ray & Background Data

RM-80 (LND7313-3, 1.75" (44mm) GM pancake detector)
The start time actual was November 12, 2015, 07:50 hours PST, however the MSP interface module memory dump gives data from 00:00 to 23:59 hours. Later I may edit the Excel files, but for now-

Day 1:
Time: 24 hour period
00:00 hours PST, November 12, 2015 to 23:59 hours PST, November 13, 2015

Conditions:
Weather: damp, cold, light wind gusts
Detector horizontal, mica window facing down, detector 10" above ledge/sill of open

window, inside new zip-lock baggie.
Mica window blown clean, SS mesh screen scrubbed and dried.

"Average cpm=31.84236111
"Standard Deviation=5.902568667
"Min cpm=14 cpm 1 count
"Max cpm=55 cpm 1 count
"Average microSv/hr=0.089823304

Day 2:
Time: 24 hour period
00:00 hours PST, November 13, 2015 to 23:59 hours PST, November 14, 2015
Conditions:
Weather: damp, cold, light wind gusts
Detector horizontal, mica window facing up, detector 10" above ledge/sill of open window,

inside clean zip-lock baggie

"Average cpm=31.54444444
"Standard Deviation=5.693781617
"Min cpm=15 cpm 2 counts
"Max cpm=52 cpm 1 count
"Average microSv/hr=0.088982918

Observations: Background CPM level only fractionally lower, still 31 cpm - 32 cpm
Standard deviation 1Sigma 0.3 lower
Weather essentially unchanged

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8 years 4 months ago #1580 by Sonarflash
Here's two photos. Very crude setup. Just a cookie tin and some packing tape to hold detector and baggie in place.
Picture 1 is detector in bag, facing south
Picture 2 is USB-MSP430 interface module and probably a bit of the dedicated Tough Book lap-top.

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8 years 4 months ago - 8 years 4 months ago #1582 by Juzzie
it must be quite challenging to take pictures when you're blind. :blink:
You nearly got your rig in the first shot, I think the bottom of the cookie tin can be seen disappearing off the top of the shot - It's hard to tell. A laptop seems to be the main subject - and the second pic is of someone sitting in a wooden chair near a desk.... :lol:

Owner and operator of "southofhobart" monitoring stations.
Last edit: 8 years 4 months ago by Juzzie.

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8 years 4 months ago #1583 by Sonarflash
I wasn't trying for fancy with setting up this experiment, but here I guess I missed the shot. The other, must be that I picked the wrong IMG file off the SD card. Ah well. Yes, though the Canon sure shot does most of the work, like my iPhone 4s, it still needs to be pointed in the right direction, and at the proper angle.
Here's another shot of the cookie tin. Pic3.jpg. The RM-80 is on top right, likely masked inside the big baggie ... if anything even shows...
If it attaches, Pic4.jpg is the Tough Book on a stand. The upper right of the lap-top is the USB-MSP, taped to the top edge. (I use a lot of tape to keep things in place. Grin)
Attachments:

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8 years 4 months ago - 8 years 4 months ago #1587 by Juzzie
pic3 is displayed and pic4 is attached.There are now 2 pic2s, and both should be deleted else your friend in the wooden chair will become famous :)

Owner and operator of "southofhobart" monitoring stations.
Last edit: 8 years 4 months ago by Juzzie.

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8 years 4 months ago #1588 by Sonarflash
Day 3: 07:50 PST, Rotated from horizontal, face-up, to vertical, on edge, mica window facing south
Time: 24 hour period
00:00 hours PST, November 14, 2015 to 23:59 hours PST, November 15, 2015

Conditions:
Weather: damp, cold, light wind gusts
Detector vertical, facing south, 10" above ledge/sill of open window, inside clean zip-lock baggie.

"Average cpm=29.46180556
"Standard Deviation=8.881581354
"Min cpm=11 cpm 1
"Max cpm=77 cpm 1
"Average microSv/hr=0.083108055

Note: There was a remarkable average increase on Sunday afternoon, from 17:07 PST to 18:07 PST. During this 1 hour period, no radioactive materials were introduced to the immediat room, and the equipment was not moved or altered.
That the period of increase was exactly 1 hour is troubling.
For example--

11.15 17:06 21
11.15 17:07 55
11.15 17:08 68
11.15 17:09 61
11.15 17:10 67****
*continued*
11.15 18:04 57
11.15 18:05 57
11.15 18:06 56
11.15 18:07 51
11.15 18:08 29
11.15 18:09 29

Levels hit 77 cpm around 17:35 PST, which really threw a wrench in the works, increasing the standard deviation.

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