Build Instructions for the GK-mini – v2.2 PCB Rev.

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Getting Started
Congratulations! This kit is culmination of the experience gained in making Geiger Kits over the past years. I hope you
enjoy building it as well as using it. Try to take your time, and enjoy the build.

Common Build Problems:

These are the most common problems I've noticed a few builders have had . . .
Wrong part or orientation - follow the build steps closely and refer to the “Notes” and pictures.
Forgotten solder joints - Particularly on headers and sockets after they are tacked in.
Solder dust / flux on board – HV is very easy to short – there is a step on cleaning following assembly.
Too much solder - This can cause shorts between the pad and the ground plane - Read Soldering below.

General tips:
 "Sometimes a few hours of trial and error debugging can save minutes of reading instructions."
Even if you’re experienced, you run the risk of wishing you had considered something beforehand.
 Use the Build Sequence (below). It describes the part orientation and options as you go.
 Use the Assembly Images and schematic (below) to help you.
 Missing parts / extra parts – You are more likely to get an extra part, but if something is missing, let me know.
 Take your time! It takes several hours to build this kit. Solder the right part, the right way, the first time.
Parts are hard to unsolder.

Soldering:
Use a good iron, with a tip that's clean and tinned. Solder the joint so that you have a nice round dot. Do not use too much
solder, and add enough heat for a good flow. The holes are plated through, so don’t worry about getting solder up to the
top of the board.

A “3rd hand” with a piece of solder in one of the alligator clips can be handy when tacking in IC sockets, etc.

Do not use flux pastes – especially in the HV area. Some paste fluxes will leave a residue that is slightly conductive and
hard to remove. Flux pens are generally OK, but cleaning the board afterwards is recommended. Flux residue can cause
wacky problems. It's usually best to simply use rosin core solder.

I do not recommend using lead free solder for the kit. In my experience, it makes parts even harder to unsolder, and more
heat is needed which may damage the pads.

Build sequence and startup:

These steps will take you through building and starting up your kit for the first time. Please follow all of these steps.

Step 1 - Assembling the main board:

Use the table on the next page as your guide to assembling the PCB. Its approach is to build the board by height –
starting with the shortest components. It's easier to work on a board that lays flat and holds the parts in place when you
flip it over to solder.

Note the column in the table labeled "polarized?". A "Y" means that the part must be installed in a particular orientation.
The notes will give you the details on the part's orientation.

While working, refer to the Assembly Images page to double check orientations of parts, etc.
 Build Sequence for the GK-mini v2.2 Geiger Kit
Qty Y
Ref # Value Description Notes polarized? -> N
PCB 1 v2.2 1.57” x 3.15” (~4.0 x 8.0 cm) Orientation: lighter blue ground plane is on the Right N
R1 1 47Ω ▐▐▐ YL,VT, BK Color bands on resistors may be hard to distinguish (i.e. violet almost
N
(all fixed resistors are 1/8W) black) If in doubt, it's best to check with a meter before soldering.
R2 1 1M ▐▐▐ BN,BK,GN N
▐▐▐ YL,VT,GN Note: Anode Resistor – This value good for most tubes. Some tubes may
R3 1 4.7M use other values (i.e. 10MΩ). Check the data sheet for your tube. If you need N
more resistance you can add it right at the tube.
R4 1 1.5K ▐▐▐ BN,GN, RD N
R5 1 100K ▐▐▐ BN,BK,YL N
R6 1 27K ▐▐▐ RD,VT,OR N
R7 1 330Ω ▐▐▐ OR, OR, BN N
R8 1 1k ▐▐▐ BN,BK,RD N
R9 1 150Ω ▐▐▐ BN,GN, BR N
switch 1 push button "Select" button Put a bit of solder on one pad, position switch, reheat, and solder other pad. N
C3 1 330pF #331 ceramic capacitor disk capacitor N
C4 & C5 1 .1uF (100nF) #104 ceramic capacitor small blue capacitors N
LED 1 red 3mm polarity: Small flat on side, or shorter lead, goes right. Y
header 1 6 pin 90° male serial output & program polarity: pins face towards the front of the board. Y
1000V 1A Ultra Fast diode polarity: Bend over the lead on the banded side (cathode) The anode
D1 1 UF4007 (body) goes into larger silkscreen circle, and the cathode goes into the hole Y
below. See pictures below.
ST NPN HV transistor polarity: flat side to left
Q1 1 Y
X13005 Don’t try to push in all the way to PCB.
NPN BJT transistor polarity: flat side to left
Q2, Q3 2 2N4401 Y
Bend the center lead back – don’t try to push in all the way to PCB.
C1, C2 2 .01uF (10nF) #103 HV ceramic cap larger blue capacitors N
header + speaker jumper Put jumper on first - easier on fingers . Mounts near SPKR label. Leave the
1 2 pin male N
jumper jumper on. (see Appendix II later for details)
header + backlight jumper Put jumper on first. Mounts near BKLT label. Leave the jumper on.
1 2 pin male N
jumper Leave the jumper on. (see Appendix II later for details)
"+/-" user power Near bottom right corner. Supplies Vcc and Ground for powering add on
header 1 2 pin female N
devices - you can skip this and just use pads for hardwiring.
header 1 3 pin female IR sensor socket The IR sensor will plug in here later. N
header 2 6 pin female display headers Suggestion: tack in both headers, then solder them in all pins at once. N
display contrast pot After soldering, set the pot fully CCW then back CW about 1/8 turn so you will
LCD Pot R10 1 10K Y
see the display when you first power on.
15Ω speaker for clicks Use the set of vertical pins. polarity: + side down (but not critical) Remove
SPKR 1 PB-1226PEAQ Y
and save label.
5 mm pitch polarity: holes for wires face out.
screw term 2 2 pin Y
Suggestion: If you trim the leads, don't use your precision cutters for this.
15mH 80mA 31.0 ohms Orientation shouldn’t matter but install as pictured
L1 1 15mH N
13R156C
blue 25 turn HV pot polarity: adjusting screw towards edge.
HV Pot R11 1 100K Y
Note: pot is preset for ~400V (~21k wiper to ground)
Step 2 - Assembling the Pro Mini:
Use the steps below to mount the Pro Mini using the headers. Refer to the images to the right and the Assembly Images
as you work.

This step is a bit tricky and should be followed carefully. Otherwise it can result in a misalignment of the pins
between the Pro Mini and the headers. That will make it difficult to plug in the Pro Mini.

The following steps insure that the Pro Mini aligns with the 12 pin headers...

1. Place the two 12 pin female headers into the

holes on the PCB. Then, insert the two12 pin male
headers into the two female headers on the board.
Do not solder yet.

2. Now place the Pro Mini on top the male headers.

The Reset button goes towards the center of the
board. Make sure all pins come up through the
holes. Once the Pro Mini is in place, solder four of
the pins (one in each corner) to keep the Pro Mini
positioned correctly. Be careful not to touch the
soldering iron to components of the Pro Mini.

3. Now carefully flip the PCB Board over while holding

the Pro Mini assembly firmly in place. Then solder
four of the female pins (one in each corner) to
secure the female headers to the PCB. Then solder
the remaining 20 pins to secure the female headers
to the PCB.

4. Now flip the assembly back over and solder the remaining 20 pins that secure the Pro Mini to the male headers.
Again. be careful not to touch the soldering iron to components of the Pro Mini. It is best to bring the soldering iron
in from the sides to solder the connections. Now remove the Pro Mini by carefully pulling it out of the socket you
soldered to the PCB board.
 5. In the next steps you will solder two 2-pin female headers on the board and two 2-pin male headers on the Pro
Mini. The location of one set of these headers depends on the
version of the Pro Mini you have ...

The most common version will have the pads for one 2-pin header
under the 12 pin header, and the other set of pads on the right side.
The image at the right shows these outlined in red.

The other version will have the pads for both 2-pin headers under the
12 pin header. The image at the right shows these outlined in red.

The following steps insure that the Pro Mini aligns with the two 2 pin headers ...

6. Insert two 2 pin male headers into two 2 pin female headers. Then
place the two 2-pin female headers into the holes in the PCB that
correspond to the version of the Pro Mini that you have. (The most
common version is shown at right.)

7. Now carefully insert the Pro Mini into the socket, (Reset button towards the center), while carefully aligning the
four additional pins in the associated holes in the Pro Mini. Make sure that all 4 pins from both 2-pin male headers
come up through the holes in the Pro Mini. This may take a few tries. You may need to tweak the positioning of
the 2-pin headers a bit to get them to come through the holes or even work with one header at a time. Once the
Pro Mini is positioned correctly, solder the four additional pins on the Pro Mini. Again being careful not to touch
the soldering iron to components of the Pro Mini.

8. Now flip the assembly over and solder the remaining 4 pins that
secure the PCB to the female headers.

(Step 2 completed for both versions of the Pro Mini)

Assembly Images:
Completed board: Note - 2 pin headers for both Pro Mini versions have been added.

Pro Mini installed LCD display installed

PCB layout . . .
Step 3 – Inspect and Clean the board:
Have a look at the bottom of the board to make sure all connections are soldered.

It doesn’t take much of a conductor for 500V to get around on. So a clean board is important. At a minimum, brush the
bottom of the main board with an old toothbrush to remove any solder dust when you’re finished soldering.

If you clean the board of excess flux, avoid getting solvent in the speaker hole by replacing the label or holding your finger
over the hole. Some builders use alcohol – the kind from the hardware store is best - and a toothbrush. Be sure to blow off
the water that is created or at least let it dry well before powering up the board. However, there are better solvents like
commercial flux removers. Just be careful not to use something that removes more than the flux! Note: some water
soluble flux pens like the Kester #2331-ZX can leave a conductive film. If you used a flux pen like that, be sure to clean
the areas where it was used.

Step 4 – Add the LCD and IR Sensor:

Add the 4 standoffs using 4 screws on the bottom of the board. Insert the two 6 pin male
headers (with long pins) into the two 2 pin female display headers. Place the display on top.
(Note that this leaves four pads in the center free.) Solder the male headers to the top of the
display.

Plug the IR Sensor into the 3 pin female header under the display. The bulge in the sensor
faces out from the board.

Step 5 - Power up the board:

You have options. Decide on how you will power your Geiger Kit by referring to Appendix I – Powering the Geiger.
Observe polarity.

When powered on, the LED will flash 4 times. You will need to adjust the contrast pot for the LCD (usually almost fully
counter clockwise) before you can read the display.

Step 6 – Connect your GM tube:

If you are using a common tube like the SBM-20, use the supplied clips to wire the tube. You do not need special wires to
connect to the tube. 26AWG stranded wire will work fine. If you will be extending the wires for a "probe" see "The Anode
Resistor, Stray Capacitance, Cable" section on this page.

You can test the HV and the click circuit without a tube connected by quickly shorting the tube wires across a high
resistance. (I just use my finger, but can’t suggest that you do that.)

If you hear clicks congratulations! Now you might look at Appendix III – HV Test and Adjust. However, the HV should
already be adjusted to ~400V which will work with most tubes.

Step 7 – Understanding the features:

See the Geiger Kit - Mini page for a link to the User Guide for your software release. The guide provides information on
how to setup and use various features of the kit, as well as programming the Pro Mini.

Also see Appendix II – Jumpers for a quick explanation of the jumpers and their uses, and Appendix IV – Wiring the
External Controls for a wiring diagram of the switches, buttons, and indicators that you may want to add.

Enjoy the kit!

Appendix I - Powering the Geiger
There are a few ways to power the kit. Using the voltage regulation on the Pro Mini is generally the best and easiest.

Pro Mini Voltage Regulation (generally best):

This is the default method of powering the kit. The input voltage (battery) is routed to voltage regulator on the Pro Mini. This regulator ("LG50" -
MIC5205 or similar) allows for a voltage input between 5V to ~12V at the screw terminals and has a maximum of load of 150 mA. It has very
low dropout of 0.25V.
The batteries should be configured so that they will supply at least 4.75V. Four NiMH work well for this since they can provide ~2000mAH of
power at close to 5V. Four alkaline batteries will work, but they are expensive to maintain. A 9V battery is generally not suggested for continued
use since they only supply ~600mAH. This would only supply about 20 hours of use. However they can be used during testing.
For stationary monitoring, the kit can be powered by a 5V wall wart. Please watch polarity.

Powering with less than 5V - i.e. LiPO Batteries:

A single cell LiPO battery supplies 3.7V so a step-up module must be used to bring this voltage up to 5V. For the ultimate in flexibility, a step up
/ step down voltage regulator can be used. The Pololu #2119 works well for this, and pads are supplied to mount it on the bottom of the board.
The Pololu regulator takes an input of between 2.7V- 11.8V and outputs 5V and 500mA max with a typical efficiency of 90%. The Pololu
regulator may be ordered from Pololu or from the Geiger Kit website along with your kit.

The picture on the left shows the Pololu regulator mounted on the bottom of the
board. One way to mount it is to solder a straight 3 pin male header from the bottom
of the board to the pads labeled VOUT, GND, and VIN. With the GK-mini board
component side down, the Pololu is mounted component side down. See image on
left. Trim the long pins of the header. Make sure the Pololu is orientated and powered
correctly. It does not have reverse voltage protection.

When the Pololu is used, you MUST cut the RAW_JMP jumper on the bottom of
the board! Otherwise the Pololu will get very hot and burn out. Use a sharp
object or file to cut the trace between the two pads of the RAW_JMP.

Powering with the FTDI:

These are generally used when working with the board. Most FTDI cables will supply 5V power to what they are connected to. So when they
are connected to the GK-mini, your kit will power up. It's best not to also power with a battery when using the FTDI cable, but it's usually not the
end of the world if you forget.

Power Consumption:
The current drawn by the kit depends on several factors such as the HV setting, display usage, and CPM. The current measurements below
were taken on this version of the PCB.
 HV = 400V (as shipped), background CPM ~32mA
 HV = 400V, background CPM, with backlight off ~25mA
 HV = maximum, background CPM ~50mA
Appendix II - Jumpers
There are 2 jumpers on the top of the board and 2 solder jumper on the bottom. Normally, jumpers on the top of the board have a jumper block
installed, and the solder jumpers on the bottom are not modified.

Speaker Jumper (normally jumpered)

This jumper simply disconnects the speaker. It's mainly used as a place to connect a speaker on/off switch. See Appendix IV.

Backlight Jumper (normally jumpered)

This jumper disconnects the backlight on the display. This jumper can be used as a place to connect a display on/off switch. Turning off the
backlight will save a bit of power. See Appendix IV.

RAW_JMP (solder jumper on bottom – normally closed)

This jumper is described above in Appendix I. Basically it controls whether the input voltage should be routed through the voltage regulator on
the Pro Mini ("RAW") or applied directly as Vcc from the Pololu regulator. When a Pololu regulator is used, and soldered to the pads supplied,
the RAW_JMP jumper must be cut If not, there will essentially be two sources of Vcc and the Pololu will become very hot and eventually it will
let out its magic smoke.

RL_JMP (solder jumper on bottom – normally open)

Shorting, this jumper bypasses (shorts out) R3 which is the anode (“load”) resistor for the GM tube. Normally this jumper is not shorted. It is
only used if you will be adding the anode resistor directly at the GM tube. With this jumper in, the anode resistor is bypassed, and the HV from
the kit can give you a bit of a bite! Be sure to use an anode resistor either on the board (not shorted) or at the tube. Running a GM tube without
an anode resistor may cause the tube to avalanche and shorten its life.
Appendix III - HV Test & Adjust

This section will show you how to measure, and adjust the HV section of the circuit. If you are happy with the way your kit is working,
you could skip this. You can do a quick test of the HV and click circuit by quickly shorting the tube wires – preferably across a high
resistance. (I use my finger, but can’t suggest that you do that.) If you hear clicks, or the speaker screams, your HV is probably OK.

Measuring the HV:

It's a bit tricky to measure the high voltage. The GM tube needs a lot of voltage but only a tiny amount of current. So the HV circuit only
needs to provide a very tiny current, and that's what it does. This is good because the battery will last longer - and it won’t kill you!
However, it makes measuring the high voltage a bit more complicated.

When measuring voltage, a typical DVM will put a load on the circuit it's measuring - generally about 10MΩ. (My Fluke 77 measures
10.1MΩ or 11.1MΩ depending on the range.) This load is far too much for the tiny amount of current available, and the DVM will read
much lower than the actual voltage. A meter with a 10MΩ input impedance may read 214V when the voltage is closer to 420V. You
need about a gig-ohm (1000MΩ) of input impedance to get accurate values of the HV for Geiger circuits.

One way to increase the input impedance of your DVM is to put large resistors in series with the probe and multiply the reading you get.
Adding 9 10MΩ resistors in series adds 90MΩ. If you want a full gig-ohm of input impedance, it's best to just buy a single 1GΩ resistor
(example). Once you have the resistors added in series with the meter, you have to multiply the reading by some factor. The formula
for this is:
Vactual voltage = Vreading X (Rprobe + Rmeter) / Rmeter

So for example, if you built a 90MΩ “probe” for a typical 10MΩ meter, you’d have 90 + 10 / 10 = 10 so you’d multiply your reading by
10. If you used a 1 GΩ resistor (1000MΩ) with the same meter it would be 1000 + 10 / 10 = 101 so you’d multiply your reading by 101.

What’s the difference between using a 90MΩ vs. a 1000MΩ probe? Here is what I saw:
222V with no probe (10MΩ meter), 358V with a 90MΩ probe, and 460V with a 1000MΩ probe.

Adjusting the HV:

The blue "HV" pot controls the high voltage. It was preset to give you about 400V. This is about right for most tubes. Turning the pot
clockwise will increase the voltage. In general, the kit can produce a max HV of ~860V.

The high voltage can be measured from "+" GM-Tube terminal and actual ground (not the "-" GM-Tube terminal).
Connect your meter to a ground on the board, and if using the 90M ohm probe described above, put it in series with the positive probe
of your meter. Touch the other end to the "+" GM-Tube terminal. It’s OK to measure without the 90M ohm probe you will just get low
readings and maybe a whine from the speaker. If you get something like 140V without the probe - congratulations! That's about 400V
and your HV circuit is working.
Setting the HV:
While the Geiger should work fine with the HV pot set to its default, it may be better for the tube if you don’t apply more voltage than
you need. Each type of GM tube has its own operating voltage range. If you know it you can just set the HV by one of the methods
above.

However sometimes the operating range is not specified, or it may have changed with age, or you simply want to set the HV
“dynamically” and not by a measured HV. This section describes a method that doesn’t depend on being able to measure the actual
HV.

Something to keep in mind is that the HV will tend to sag during high counts. Therefore it is recommended that the voltage be set near
the high end of the tubes range. Doing this will keep the tube running in its operating range during high counts. Otherwise the tube may
"cut out" and you will get few counts.

You can get a better idea about a tube's operating range by looking at its “plateau” as shown below. Within this plateau the tube will
have about the same sensitivity regardless of the voltage. Put another way, once the tube is in its operating range, the HV you run
at is not critical, and has very little effect on accuracy.

So how do you do this? First let’s look at the data sheet for two of the most common tubes. The readings in red are what I actually
measured with my 1000MΩ probe and multiplying by 101. With a 90MΩ probe your readings will be different but the technique will be
the same.

Initial Voltage Recommended

Tube Operating Range
(just get counts) Voltage
SBM-20 spec 260-320 350-475 400
my readings for SBM-20 340 365-510 450 calc.
LND 712 spec 325 (max) 450-650 500
my readings for LND 712 440 475-675 594 calc.

To get the values for your meter do the following:

Using some kind of active source, lower the HV (CCW) until you get no response. (the HV pot is a 25 turn pot). Now slowly increase the
HV (CW) until you just start to get clicks. Record the initial voltage. Now slowly increase the HV again until you are getting a good
response from the source that doesn’t seem to change as you go higher. Record the low end of operating range. By now you will have
an idea how far your readings are from the data sheet.

Notice the operating range for the tube. It’s 125V wide for the SBM-20 (475-350) and 200V wide for the LND 712. If your readings sort
of followed the spec. you can assume about the same range and figure your high end of operating range. Now take about 85-90% of
your operating range as your recommended voltage and set your pot to that. Finally, take two aspirins, and quit messing with it. It’s not
that critical, GM tubes have a wide range of operating voltage.
Appendix IV - Wiring the External Controls:
The diagram below shows how to connect the switches, buttons, etc. that are supported by the current board and
software. Note that the controls you choose to add are up to you.

You can add an alarm piezo (with built in osc.) to your kit (example). Do not exceed 40mA on the alarm pin.

The Select button is already on the board but the diagram below shows how it can be extended to the case. Other buttons
and switches are not supplied with the kit.

The Click/Tone button toggles between these two sounds - see the User Guide for details.

The Null button is used when in Tone Mode to reset the sensitivity.

For a speaker switch:

Simply bring both sides of the Speaker Jumper to your switch.

For a backlight switch:

Simply bring both sides of the Backlight Jumper to your switch.

Appendix V – Schematic

You can download this schematic here