• Aviation Dosimetry in Africa

    10/26/2023 at 22:37 • 0 comments

    The RPiRENA-based active dosimeter

    This particle detector works on the same principles as previously assembled dosimeter prototypes. Here, the detection system draws its power from the 3.3 V and 5 V GPIO (general purpose input output) pins from the connected Raspberry Pi (RPi) zero microcomputer, which is in turn powered via a rechargeable power bank. 

    The instrument draws about 0.4 A of power. 

    Data processing and storage are also performed on the RPi.

    The silicone diodes (SDs) are connected to a reversed bias voltage of 45 V to fullydeplete the 300 lm thick diodes. When ionizing radiation interacts with an SD a short charge pulse is generated due to the separated charges. However, the charge pulse is too small to be sensed directly. 

    Therefore, the pulse is first sent to the amplifier section of the analog electronics.

    Here, a charge-sensitive amplifier (CSA) amplifies the signals before the resulting pulse is shaped (by the pulse-height shaper, PHS), and then it is digitized by a 16-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC). 

    A field programmable gate array (FPGA) is programmed to periodically sample the ADC signals and detect the peak voltage (i.e. the pulse height). 

    Since the pulse height is proportional to the energy deposited, the ADC value is proportional to the energy deposited in the detector after the appropriate calibrations are performed.

  • Make Your Own Power Meter/Logger

    10/26/2023 at 14:44 • 0 comments

    1x LiPo Battery: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dZhZsnd

    1x TP4056 Board: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dX8n0hp

    1x Arduino Pro Mini: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_d62ALdV

    1x INA219 Board: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dUZvYoX

    1x OLED LCD: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dWfFi0n

    1x SD Card PCB: https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_dUy68bd

    1x Switch: http://amzn.to/2gz9ZtW

    eBay:

    1x TP4056 Board: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?...

    1x Arduino Pro Mini: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?...

    1x INA219 Board: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?...

    1x OLED LCD: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?...

    1x SD Card PCB: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?...

    1x Switch: http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?...

    Amazon.de:

    1x LiPo Battery: http://amzn.to/2gM2vXB

    1x TP4056 Board: http://amzn.to/2eUvMNO

    1x Arduino Pro Mini: http://amzn.to/2g6Ujjr

    1x INA219 Board: http://amzn.to/2gM5M9v

    1x OLED LCD: http://amzn.to/2g6Q3Rd

    1x SD Card PCB: http://amzn.to/2gM9Zdf

    Arduino Nano Version

    Now that your circuit is complete, it is time to upload the code. You can download it here. But don't forget to download and include the following libraries before uploading:

    https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_INA219

    https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_SSD1306

    https://github.com/greiman/SdFat

  • Raspberry Pi Powered IOT Garden

    10/26/2023 at 11:38 • 0 comments

    One of the primary objectives of this project was to be able to maintain the well-being of a garden using the power of the Internet of Things (IoT). With the versatility of the present tools and software, our planter is integrated with sensors that monitor the real-time status of the plants. We built a smartphone app that lets one access the data and take needed actions if necessary.

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