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A project log for BetaBoard - Tiny Particle Physics Lab

A Business Card Sized Particle Detector

tim-dj8tkTim - DJ8TK 07/01/2024 at 19:530 Comments

My first revision of this project was just a single PCB. To protect the sensitive detector from electromagnetic radiation I wrapped it in tape: First Black electrical tape to block light and then Aluminum tape to shield it. A hole was left in the aluminum tape as it would also block most of the beta radiation.

First Revision
The shielding in the first revision was done with black and aluminum tape. Not exactly pretty, but it works!

To simplify the assembly process and make it prettier my second revision is made with a stack of four PCBs. The stack of PCBs acts as a fielding cage around the analog section. By painting the edges black and covering the openings with black tape all light can be blocked. Unfortunately this also blocks parts of the nice front side. I'm planning to redesign one of the middle PCBs to put the tape layer below the top to make it look nicer.

PCB overview
All four PCBs required to build the second revision detector. Black silk-screen was chosen to minimise internal reflections and help with keeping the sensors dark. The four PCBs build a shielding can around the analog section when assembled.
Fully assembled
Completely assembled second revision detector.
Size comparison
Size comparison to the size of a standard credit-card size.

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