This Geiger Counter Kit, available in the Maker Shed, is one of my favorite kits. I’ve wanted a Geiger Counter for a long time but could never justify spending a couple hundred dollars for a commercial unit. When this one came along I knew I had to have it! The kit is relatively simple; it goes together in an evening and doesn’t have any complicated displays or dials. You simply turn it on and it clicks and the LED blinks in the presence of beta or gamma radiation. It’s small enough to fit in a jacket pocket and it even has a silent mode for checking radiation levels discreetly. One of my favorite things to do with this kit is take it to antique shops to see what’s “hot.” Old dinnerware (especially “Uranium Red” Fiesta), depression glass, and old watch dials are especially fun to check.

At home, you can use the Geiger Counter to see if your granite counter tops set it off (mine do) or if your bananas are radioactive (spoiler alert: not enough that you’ll notice.) A Geiger Counter really is a handy thing to have around. Trust me, you’ll find all kinds of uses for it!

Features

• Detects Beta & Gamma Rays
• Serial logging output for tracking radioactivity over time.
• Mute button
• LED indicator
• “Clicker” speaker
• Pulse output
• ATtiny2313 microcontroller
• SBM-20 Geiger-Muller tube
• (2-AAA alkaline batteries not included.)
• Note: Picture shows kit with optional acrylic enclosure (not included.)

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