Tubes and Parts, and waiting

OK, so now I have on order the Russian Geiger-Müller tubes - two BOI-33 beta/gamma types (SBM-20 equivalents), the dinky SI-19BG alpha tube, and the whopping STS-6 beta/gamma tube. I believe some less sensitive SI-3BG glass beta/gamma tubes are also coming my way. I also have ordered high voltage transistors, a load of 2N3906 PNP transistors, plus various other parts. These will be used in the counters, but will mostly just bulk my stock of general purpose components.

Ive also ordered some sub-miniature 1:1 audio transformers. These will be used in the HV generator circuits, but I also use them in such things as digital mode transceiver interfaces, and other audio projects, so they are always worth having!

Although the current HV generator works, further reading suggests that using the transformer on it as a transformer rather than a dual inductor package, might well be more efficient. This hopefully will also get me to the 'holy grail' of this project - A 400V G-M tube supply from a 1.2V AA NiMH cell!

I now have to await delivery. The 3W IR illuminators to help light dark areas of the trailcams coverage have arrived today - no instructions and no hint as to which terminal is which (other than making the assumption that the one with the most copper attached will be negative!), as also have the BN73-302 pig-nose ferrites to wind the transformers for the Wellbrook Loop clone amplifier.

Of course, once I build a Geiger counter that works, I'll need to prove that its working! The beta-lights in the Clansman equipment might work for this, as perhaps might the dial illumination on my Silva Mk4M compass, but to be on the safe side, I've also ordered a 2% Thoriated Tungsten TIG welding rod!

Thorium Series (courtesy Wikipedia)

Thorium is the most abundant naturally radioactive element on earth. Its long half-life is a touch longer than the age of the known universe, and its slow alpha decay leads to the above decay chain, providing alpha and beta particles to test Geiger counters with! And a Thoriated welding rod is a damn sight safer to handle than old Radium watch dials!