It is a time-honored tradition: buy some cheap piece of gear and rewrite the firmware to make it work better. [Gissio] managed to do just that for a cheap FS2011 Geiger counter. Apparently, the firmware will also work with some similar Chinese models, too.
The new firmware boasts an improved UI and multiple measurement units, including Sievert, Rem, and counts per minute or second. You can hold the measurement or compute a dose or average rate. The new firmware also has a host of customizations and can accommodate different tubes.
There are, however, two really key features. First, the new firmware offers about 40% more battery life than the stock version. Second, there is now an onboard nuclear chess game! That way, you can enjoy yourself while you are getting irradiated. There are also a few suggested hardware mods that are optional to improve measurements and increase the buzzer volume, among other things.
If you get a Geiger counter, you might be surprised at what things are slightly radioactive. If you don’t need the microcontroller, you can make a workable counter on the cheap.
“SHALL WE PLAY A GAME?”
-WOPR
i always found it weird that a computer system that had access to nuclear weapons was connected to an unsecured line.
Otherwise the movie can’t happen.
Is the Geiger tube originally fixed like this with two blobs of hot glue?
Wouldn’t surprise me one bit, hot glue blob attachment is fairly common in cheap consumer electronics.
hot glue, zip ties and duct tape – the stuff that holds the world together
Add brown packing tape for Shenzhen’s economy.
I just checked prices locally. This is not a cheap counter. On related note I have (somewhere) a military grade counter that was used in polish tanks. For much less…
From the link, it is about $40.
What is ‘locally’ ?
How much is cheap ?
The military one won’t accept this firmware which was the point of the article, though it might be a better subject for experiment
This model in my country costs an equivalent of 85-135USD. My tank dosimeter/counter with single probe costed me less than 20USD…
And it won’t accept any firmware as it’s purely analog design…
ideal for radioactive @ home
meybe anybody can connect to internet?