sparkfun_dosimeter_type5

Pocket Geiger Radiation - Type 5 (Sparkfun)

Overview

This project aims to show the hardware driver that is used to interface with the Type5 Geiger Sensor via APIs of GSDK.

The Type 5 Pocket Geiger Radiation Sensor from Radiation Watch is a highly sensitive radiation sensor designed for the embedded systems market. It is capable of detecting Gamma and Beta radiation. The sensor has a simple pulsed output that can be used with any microcontroller. It is beneficial for detecting the levels of ionizing radiation, used as a medical equipment, and as personal dosimeters. By combining this sensor with Silicon Labs wireless technology, it is possible to send the collected information to a data center or trigger a remote protection system.

Note: These small Geiger sensors feature a measurement range of 0.05uSv/h to 10mSv/h at 0.01cpm to 300Kcpm with a required measurement time of two minutes.

Hardware Required

• A BGM220 Explorer Kit board.

• Pocket Geiger Radiation Sensor - Type 5.

Connections Required

Connect the Pocket Geiger Type 5 board to the BGM220 Explorer Kit through GPIO.

By default, the binding used is as the table below:

Pocket Geiger pin	BGM220 Explorer Kit pin	Standing for
+V	5V	Alimentation pin (DC 3V~9V)
GND	GND	Ground pin
SIG	2	Radiation-detection pulse pin
NS	3	Noise-detection pulse pin

Setup

You can either create a project based on an example project or start with an empty example project.

Create a project based on an example project

1. From the Launcher Home, add the BRD4314A to My Products, click on it, and click on the EXAMPLE PROJECTS & DEMOS tab. Find the example project with filter radiation.

2. Click Create button on the Third Party Hardware Drivers - Pocket Geiger Radiation Sensor - Type 5 (Sparkfun) example. Example project creation dialog pops up -> click Create and Finish and Project should be generated.

3. Build and flash this example to the board.

Start with an empty example project

1. Create an "Empty C Project" for the "BGM220 Explorer Kit Board" using Simplicity Studio v5. Use the default project settings.

2. Copy the file app/example/sparkfun_dosimeter_type5/app.c into the project root folder (overwriting existing file).

3. Install the software components:

   • Open the .slcp file in the project.

   • Select the SOFTWARE COMPONENTS tab.

   • Install the following components:

     • [Services] → [IO Stream] → [IO Stream: USART] → default instance name: vcom
     • [Application] → [Utility] → [Log]
     • [Third Party Hardware Drivers] → [Sensors] → [Pocket Geiger Radiation - Type 5 (Sparkfun)]

4. Install printf float

   • Open Properties of the project.

   • Select C/C++ Build > Settings > Tool Settings >GNU ARM C Linker > General. Check Printf float.

     

5. Build and flash this example to the board.

Note:

• Make sure that the SDK extension already be installed. If not please follow this documentation.

• SDK Extension must be enabled for the project to install Pocket Geiger Radiation - Type 5 (Sparkfun) component.

How It Works

API Overview

sparkfun_type5_config.h: Used to configure the GPIO Pins for the sensor and some specific values for the radiation measurement process. You need to config 2 pins (SIGNAL and NOISE), the period process, history length and the history unit.

sparkfun_type5.h: Containing public APIs of the sensor that will be called by the application.

sparkfun_type5.c: The source file of the driver which contains the implementation of all the public functions that will be used by users.

Testing

The application monitors the Pocket Geiger through interrupts, processes and allows to get back the data using a callback function. Use Putty or other program to read the serial output. The BGM220P uses by default a baudrate of 115200. You should expect a similar output to the one below.

Report Bugs & Get Support

To report bugs in the Application Examples projects, please create a new "Issue" in the "Issues" section of third_party_hw_drivers_extension repo. Please reference the board, project, and source files associated with the bug, and reference line numbers. If you are proposing a fix, also include information on the proposed fix. Since these examples are provided as-is, there is no guarantee that these examples will be updated to fix these issues.

Questions and comments related to these examples should be made by creating a new "Issue" in the "Issues" section of third_party_hw_drivers_extension repo.