The Zeit Geiger Counter

[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.

[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

[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!

[MarillionFan]

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

Ah.

[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.

[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.

[Spacecadet]

The Zeit Geiger Counter

A Zeiter Counter?

[Halo Jones]

Ouch, have a medicinal beer

[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.

[AtW]

It is clicking, at 2600hz!