Recent Russian-made ultra-compact spectrometers

[mcsomething]

Recently there's been a number of Russian-made spectrometers based on CsI(Tl) scintillators and SiPMs that seem a bit too good to be true if you're used to the usual rather clunky NaI + PMT + MCA setup, I'm talking about devices like the Radiacode-101, Atom Fast, and Radax Obsidian. Has anyone been able to compare these to a more traditional PMT + MCA setup? The RadiaCode in particular has open-source software to drive it and a phone app (!!), but they just seem a bit too good to be true when you're used to the size and complexity of more traditional gear, in particular that something that fits into the palm of your hand can do the same job as an instrument case full of equipment.

Does anyone own one of these, and can compare it to a more traditional setup? Can I leave the Pelican case behind and just carry one of these in my pocket?

[tim.hbn]

Hi mcsomething

I actually once owned a Radex Obsidian which I ordered from Amazon. I had to return it because the spectra it produced were very wierd. I can't explain how but they did not look how they were supposed to look. Also, the software does not allow you to callibrate it.

If you are looking for Russian and ultra-compact, try the following:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224573128107

I have one and it is pretty good for a CsI(Tl) device. YMMV

I have however just ordered a kit from Steven which has a second-hand PMT that is not for sale in his web shop. I will be attaching to it a bespoke LaBr3(Ce) Crystal I purchsed from Ost Photonics. This obviously is not Russian and ultra-compact.

Kind regards

Tim

[mcsomething]

Thanks, I'll avoid the Radex. I wasn't specifically after a Russian one but just noticed that they seemed to be unusually well-represented in that area.

I was mostly drawn to the Radiacode, which allows calibration and is being very actively developed, they've posted updates every few weeks since it was released. They also get lots of positive reviews about good support, but almost all of the reviewers are using it as a super Geiger counter rather than a spectrometer, apart from one comment about checking for Cs137 in food.

[tim.hbn]

HI mcsomething

I don't know all that much about the Radiacode but I think (I might be wrong) that it has the disadvantage that it can only be used with its own software. This is because I don't think it is a "sound card" spectrometer. I know for sure that the Obsidian is not a "sound card" spectrometer. These spectrometers tend to have rather low resolutions and you can't increase the number of channels to any number you want. This is possibly ok if you are not wanting to be all that advanced with your gamma spectroscopy.

Please note that when I use the word "resolution" in this post, I am not using it in the way it is used when talking about FWHM.

The spectrometer in the eBay link I provided to you and the spectrometers that you can get from Steven are "sound card" spectrometers. This means that their resoulution is only limited by the constraints of the audio protocols.

In my own opinion, the best software to use with sound card spectrometers is Becquerel Monitor. It takes a while to master it though. There are two settings in the "Device Configuration" which determine the resolution, "# of Channels" and "Channel Pitch". If you decrease the "Channel Pitch", you will increase the number of channels per keV.

After every time you edit the device "Device Configuration", you will need to remember to click the following symbol to make the edit active:

BM Refresh.jpg (1.31 KiB) Viewed 1440 times

If you go down this route then you will need to learn how to callibrate your spectrometer using Becquerel Monitor's settings.

Kind regards

Tim