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I have one of these HV dc converters and I was wondering if I can use it to supply a small Russian SMB21 Geiger muller tube. What other parts would I need to add not to fry the GM tube? Keep in mind I would also like to add a nice Arduino nano and display and turn it into a simple Geiger counter.

The step up dc dc converter is a EMCO A series A04P

Valentin Virban
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  • Interesting tube. Very small. No mica window, so pretty much gamma-only. 500-600 cps max. From the way you write, I think you still have some learning experiences ahead of you regarding Geiger tubes, quenching, and their operation generally. (You'd have written a little differently, otherwise.) One of my first electronics hobby projects (40 years ago) was to design and build a Geiger counter. So it's a good project to learn from. I contacted the physicist who'd actually designed the tube I decided to use and got an education over time from him. He also sold me the tubes I bought! (Cool, eh?) – jonk Jul 02 '18 at 18:37
  • Thanks for the input! Nice story! I'm trying to find a new hobby and i always wanted a geiger counter! Cheers mate – Valentin Virban Jul 02 '18 at 22:57

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This site is an excellent reference in everything geiger-countery you might ask. There's a nice schematic which shows the complete circuit, including the power supply and the detection parts: MightyOhm geiger counter

In general you just need a Mohm-range resistor to limit the current through the tube, and a few transistors/resistors (the "impulse detection" part).

After that it's just simple arduino code (attach interrupt, etc.)

anrieff
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