The Zeit Geiger Counter

[Paddy]

[EternalOptimist]

did it arc and crack and give a blue flash ? my first missus was a bit like that

[DaveB]

In the dim and distant past I had a temp job with a big electronics co. They had shipped a load of CRT monitors from japan only to find on arrival that the screen alignment was out. The fix was to fiddle with the the electron gun adjustment until it was roughly right and then use self adhesive magnets on the actual tube to square off the picture. The downside was that it had to be done while the thing was switched on and with the case off. One day I put my hand in the wrong place and Kzzzzzzzrt! No idea how many volts or amps were involved but it knocked me on my arse and gave me some nice burns on my finger tips where I touched whatever it was I touched.

[AtW]

It is clicking, at 2600hz!

[alluvial]

Damn.

Blasted thing just gave me a nice belt.

1000V stings a bit you know.

I did that mmmph years ago in college. I built a cosmic ray telescope from a stack of gieger-muller tubes, six across by three high if I remember correctly. Lots of high voltage around and bare wires as well. My safety equipment was a cardboard box over the power supply. One day I was de-soldering a connection on a PCB, I put down the de-solderer that touched a pair of pliers that pushed a screwdriver under the box and touched the power supply terminals. Ouch. Good thing it was only mAs.

[Halo Jones]

Ouch, have a medicinal beer

[Spacecadet]

The Zeit Geiger Counter

A Zeiter Counter?

[suityou01]

Damn.

Blasted thing just gave me a nice belt.

1000V stings a bit you know.

I always said you came across as having had a few volts in your time.

[xoggoth]

Current requirement. That was the problem with old stuff. I made a frequency counter from 7400 thingies and those big red led displays and it cost me three shillings and sixpence a minute to run it.

[MarillionFan]

Be careful! You could mutate into a giant
lizar....

Ah.

[SupremeSpod]

I wouldn't worry about the whistling. I'd be more worried if it started clicking at the same rate

It is clicking, at 2600hz!

[DaveB]

Is whistling away like a good 'un.

I'm sure there must be a less noisy & more efficient way of designing inverters.



Though it does give 1350V, so it appears to be working.

Ish.

I wouldn't worry about the whistling. I'd be more worried if it started clicking at the same rate

[zeitghost]

Is whistling away like a good 'un.

I'm sure there must be a less noisy & more efficient way of designing inverters.



Though it does give 1350V, so it appears to be working.

Ish.

It's using a Generous Electric GM4 geiger tube.

Best before December 1959.



It was originally taking about an amp at 5V to give 1300V.

Then I changed the (10M input resistance) DVM for one of those old pointy needle AvoMeter thingies (20k/Volt on 3kV range: 60M resistance) whereupon the converter went click & sulked.



After faffing about for an hour or so changing stuff, it came back again & lo! now it takes 105mA at 5V to give 1300V.



Apparently it's a Royer converter. Coz it's got an extra inductor in the feed from the rail to the centre tap of the transformer.

And now it doesn't whistle so much either.

Damn.

Blasted thing just gave me a nice belt.

1000V stings a bit you know.

I always said you came across as having had a few volts in your time.

First one for ages.

It was switched off, but the capacitors were still charged up.

Oooo me finger.

Stone me, that stuff is hot.

Keeps yer dinner warm though.