Nuke Kid On The Block

  • Thread starter Watson A.Name - \"Watt Su
  • Start date
W

Watson A.Name - \"Watt Su

Guest
I replaced my smoke detector, since the old one was dated April, 1984.
The new one says that it should be replace in ten years, and has the
date of manuffacture. The old one said no such thing. There has been
discussions here in the past about smoke detectors, and I had thought
that the half life of the Americium was leess, so that after a dozen
years it would become weak, but that's not true, it has a half life of
over 400 years.

So I got on and googled for americium smoke detectors and found out a
lot about them, mainly that the americium was located in the ionization
chamber. The old one looks much like the one at this URL.
http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Elements/095/index.s7.html

I took the lid off the ionization chamber, but put it back on when I
found that it was still spewing alpha particles and gamma rays.

I was thinking about removing the ionization chamber, but from what I've
read, the ionization keeps it turned off, so removing the inoization
source would cause it to go to constant alarm state. The circuit board
has only a single chip, with just a bunch of resistors, a couple caps
and a rectifier. THe chip as a house number on it, so it's probably a
special chip. Pin 3 has been flipped up to contact the chamber, and
some insulating goop has been put around it. A lot of the resistors are
multi megohms. I'm not sure what would be needed to simulate the
ionization chamber.

I was thinking that I might be able to use the piezoelectric tweeter to
make a very loud alarm, for intrusion detection. The old smoke detector
was made by First Alert, not much help. I googled for smoke detector
schematics and came up with only one on Discover Circuits and it was the
photon detector using a PIN diode. Maybe I could put a 10meg resistor
across the chamber contacts to simulate it. Has anyone done this?

I wasnted to read the story about the kid who built his own reactor, but
when I clicked on the link, the URL gave an error, so I googled for
"Nuke Kid On The Block" and the story came up.


--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/electronics/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted. *All* email sent to it
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the
Subject: line with other stuff. alondra101 <at> hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers. Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html
@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@
 
"Watson A.Name - "Watt Sun, the Dark Remover"" <NOSPAM@dslextreme.com> wrote
in message news:10du8sumv35qo39@corp.supernews.com...
I replaced my smoke detector, since the old one was dated April, 1984.
The new one says that it should be replace in ten years, and has the
date of manuffacture. The old one said no such thing. There has been
discussions here in the past about smoke detectors, and I had thought
that the half life of the Americium was leess, so that after a dozen
years it would become weak, but that's not true, it has a half life of
over 400 years.

So I got on and googled for americium smoke detectors and found out a
lot about them, mainly that the americium was located in the ionization
chamber. The old one looks much like the one at this URL.
http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Elements/095/index.s7.html

I took the lid off the ionization chamber, but put it back on when I
found that it was still spewing alpha particles and gamma rays.

I was thinking about removing the ionization chamber, but from what I've
read, the ionization keeps it turned off, so removing the inoization
source would cause it to go to constant alarm state. The circuit board
has only a single chip, with just a bunch of resistors, a couple caps
and a rectifier. THe chip as a house number on it, so it's probably a
special chip. Pin 3 has been flipped up to contact the chamber, and
some insulating goop has been put around it. A lot of the resistors are
multi megohms. I'm not sure what would be needed to simulate the
ionization chamber.

I was thinking that I might be able to use the piezoelectric tweeter to
make a very loud alarm, for intrusion detection. The old smoke detector
was made by First Alert, not much help. I googled for smoke detector
schematics and came up with only one on Discover Circuits and it was the
photon detector using a PIN diode. Maybe I could put a 10meg resistor
across the chamber contacts to simulate it. Has anyone done this?

I wasnted to read the story about the kid who built his own reactor, but
when I clicked on the link, the URL gave an error, so I googled for
"Nuke Kid On The Block" and the story came up.


--
@@F@r@o@m@@O@r@a@n@g@e@@C@o@u@n@t@y@,@@C@a@l@,@@w@h@e@r@e@@
###Got a Question about ELECTRONICS? Check HERE First:###
http://users.pandora.be/educypedia/electronics/databank.htm
My email address is whitelisted. *All* email sent to it
goes directly to the trash unless you add NOSPAM in the
Subject: line with other stuff. alondra101 <at> hotmail.com
Don't be ripped off by the big book dealers. Go to the URL
that will give you a choice and save you money(up to half).
http://www.everybookstore.com You'll be glad you did!
Just when you thought you had all this figured out, the gov't
changed it: http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html
@@t@h@e@@a@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@m@e@e@t@@t@h@e@@E@f@f@l@u@e@n@t@@
When the ionized smoke stuff obstructs / combines with enough of the ionized
stream from the source, the voltage at the cathode changes. The change in
voltage / current gives the alarm, usually a simple op-amp comparator. The
newer detectors are normally optical types that look for particles, similar
voltage dip type comparator. Some of the very oldest of the ionization type
detectors used radium in the chambers. Should you open up one of these, do
not lick the radium, that's bad. I have heard that radium is rather sought
after tho' by the medical community, there may be a market for the stuff if
the quantities were large enough, which isn't likely via smoke detector(s)
..
dave
 
"dave" <alofusblountmaybe@alltel.net> wrote in message
news:ydNDc.3629$G2.3223@fe39.usenetserver.com
Some
of the very oldest of the ionization type detectors used radium in
the chambers. Should you open up one of these, do not lick the
radium, that's bad.
Hypothetically speaking, what if a little kid was to touch the tip of
his finger to the pellet in a detector made about 1975?
 
"Fleetie" <fleetie@fleetie.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:0C_Ec.2681$K%2.1343@newsfe2-win...
Hypothetically speaking, what if a little kid was to touch the tip
of
his finger to the pellet in a detector made about 1975?

"Hypothetically speaking", not a lot.

You'll be fine. 25-odd years later, you'll still here, aren't you?!
My finger's here too. :)
 
Hypothetically speaking, what if a little kid was to touch the tip of
his finger to the pellet in a detector made about 1975?
"Hypothetically speaking", not a lot.

You'll be fine. 25-odd years later, you'll still here, aren't you?!

Erm, I mean, "Hypothetically speaking, someone who did that would be fine,
providing the duration was short."!


Martin
--
M.A.Poyser Tel.: 07967 110890
Manchester, U.K. http://www.fleetie.demon.co.uk
 
In article <Qm_Ec.49436$OB3.10844@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
"Tom Del Rosso" <tdnews01@att.net.invalid> wrote:

"Fleetie" <fleetie@fleetie.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:0C_Ec.2681$K%2.1343@newsfe2-win...
Hypothetically speaking, what if a little kid was to touch the tip
of
his finger to the pellet in a detector made about 1975?

"Hypothetically speaking", not a lot.

You'll be fine. 25-odd years later, you'll still here, aren't you?!

My finger's here too. :)
The worry now is whether your finger is self-aware... Maybe it's not
REALLY *YOUR* finger now at all, but a separate and sinister mind
plotting world domination through digital manipulation?

--
Don Bruder - dakidd@sonic.net - New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004.
I respond to Email as quick as humanly possible. If you Email me and get no
response, see <http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd/main/contact.html> Short
form: I'm trashing EVERYTHING that doesn't contain a password in the subject.
 
"Don Bruder" <dakidd@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:IQ_Ec.19912$Fo4.265678@typhoon.sonic.net...
: In article
<Qm_Ec.49436$OB3.10844@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
: "Tom Del Rosso" <tdnews01@att.net.invalid> wrote:
:
: > "Fleetie" <fleetie@fleetie.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
: > news:0C_Ec.2681$K%2.1343@newsfe2-win...
: > > > Hypothetically speaking, what if a little kid was to
touch the tip
: > of
: > > > his finger to the pellet in a detector made about 1975?
: > >
: > > "Hypothetically speaking", not a lot.
: > >
: > > You'll be fine. 25-odd years later, you'll still here,
aren't you?!
: >
: > My finger's here too. :)
: >
: >
:
: The worry now is whether your finger is self-aware... Maybe
it's not
: REALLY *YOUR* finger now at all, but a separate and sinister
mind
: plotting world domination through digital manipulation?

Good One, Don. Heh Heh!

Bill @ GarberStreet Enterprizez };-)
Web Site - http://garberstreet.netfirms.com
Email - willy46pa @ comcast DOT net
Change DOT to a dot to contact me



---
This email ain't infected, dude!

Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.708 / Virus Database: 464 - Release Date: 6/18/04
 
"Tom Del Rosso" <tdnews01@att.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:yoNEc.47404$OB3.13957@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
"dave" <alofusblountmaybe@alltel.net> wrote in message
news:ydNDc.3629$G2.3223@fe39.usenetserver.com

Some
of the very oldest of the ionization type detectors used radium in
the chambers. Should you open up one of these, do not lick the
radium, that's bad.

Hypothetically speaking, what if a little kid was to touch the tip of
his finger to the pellet in a detector made about 1975?


He'd break out in festering pustules, and die a horrible agonizing death.
 
"Don Bruder" <dakidd@sonic.net> wrote in message
news:IQ_Ec.19912$Fo4.265678@typhoon.sonic.net
The worry now is whether your finger is self-aware... Maybe it's not
REALLY *YOUR* finger now at all, but a separate and sinister mind
plotting world domination through digital manipulation?
And the rest of me is just it's reproductive organ. I can live with
that.

Reminds me of a brilliant observation made by a guy from Portugal in a
science group. Somebody asked what nails evolved for, and he (or
rather his nails) typed an answer from their point of view. They said
they had a population of 120 billion and growing, and they were just
using the rest of the body as a support mechanism.
 
"Rich Grise" <null@example.net> wrote in message news:<9Q0Fc.24650$DT5.16605@nwrddc03.gnilink.net>...
"Tom Del Rosso" <tdnews01@att.net.invalid> wrote in message
news:yoNEc.47404$OB3.13957@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
"dave" <alofusblountmaybe@alltel.net> wrote in message
news:ydNDc.3629$G2.3223@fe39.usenetserver.com

Some
of the very oldest of the ionization type detectors used radium in
the chambers. Should you open up one of these, do not lick the
radium, that's bad.

Hypothetically speaking, what if a little kid was to touch the tip of
his finger to the pellet in a detector made about 1975?


He'd break out in festering pustules, and die a horrible agonizing death.
Worse still Rich, your eyeballs will pop out after about three days.... :)

Harry C.
 

Welcome to EDABoard.com

Sponsor

Back
Top