Author Topic: Soviet smoke detectors - About as hilarious as expected  (Read 790 times)

RevDisk

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 12,633
    • RevDisk.net
Soviet smoke detectors - About as hilarious as expected
« on: February 17, 2017, 01:31:13 PM »

https://carlwillis.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/analysis-of-soviet-smoke-detector-plutonium/

A guy build a PGT n-type coaxial HPGe detector (gamma ray detector, for non-nerds) in his spare bedroom and decided to see what was in Soviet era smoke detectors. Well shielded with lead bricks, always safety first in the home.

Sure enough. Us wussy capitalists use americium-241. Soviets? Well, Americium. And Plutonium. However, the 1 ish mg of plutonium is just reactor grade, not weapons grade.
"Rev, your picture is in my King James Bible, where Paul talks about "inventors of evil."  Yes, I know you'll take that as a compliment."  - Fistful, possibly highest compliment I've ever received.

K Frame

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 44,009
  • I Am Inimical
Re: Soviet smoke detectors - About as hilarious as expected
« Reply #1 on: February 17, 2017, 02:18:18 PM »
So, the 10 year working life of an American smoke detector is bested by the 2,500 year working life of a Soviet smoke detector.

What a glowing recommendation!
Carbon Monoxide, sucking the life out of idiots, 'tards, and fools since man tamed fire.

Firethorn

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5,789
  • Where'd my explosive space modulator go?
Re: Soviet smoke detectors - About as hilarious as expected
« Reply #2 on: February 17, 2017, 02:37:37 PM »
So, the 10 year working life of an American smoke detector is bested by the 2,500 year working life of a Soviet smoke detector.

What a glowing recommendation!


heh.

Thing is, the plutonium they put in has a half life of 12 years, while the americium is 432.  Starting with Pu would therefore only get you another year or so, but be complicated by drastically higher emissions the first few years.

The 10 year lifespan is more due to:
1.  Nobody wanting to clean their smoke detectors.
2.  The risk of other components failing.

At $10-40 per, it's not worth the labor, but you could theoretically have an adjustable smoke detector where, every decade or so, you move it up a sensitivity notch.


KD5NRH

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 10,926
  • I'm too sexy for you people.
Re: Soviet smoke detectors - About as hilarious as expected
« Reply #3 on: February 17, 2017, 03:31:51 PM »
A guy build a PGT n-type coaxial HPGe detector (gamma ray detector, for non-nerds) in his spare bedroom

And nobody's invited him to APS?

AmbulanceDriver

  • Junior Rocketeer
  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 5,922
Re: Soviet smoke detectors - About as hilarious as expected
« Reply #4 on: February 17, 2017, 11:40:04 PM »
And nobody's invited him to APS?

Pretty sure adding one more birdman or RevDisk type would move APS into weapons-grade territory.
Are you a cook, or a RIFLEMAN?  Find out at Appleseed!

http://www.appleseedinfo.org

"For some many people, attempting to process a logical line of thought brings up the blue screen of death." -Blakenzy

AJ Dual

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 16,162
  • Shoe Ballistics Inc.
Re: Soviet smoke detectors - About as hilarious as expected
« Reply #5 on: February 18, 2017, 01:55:15 AM »
Old commercial/industrial grade American smoke detectors have about 80x the Americium of modern ones. And they're on eBay.  :angel:
I promise not to duck.

Angel Eyes

  • Lying dog-faced pony soldier
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 12,257
  • You're not diggin'
Re: Soviet smoke detectors - About as hilarious as expected
« Reply #6 on: February 18, 2017, 02:41:38 AM »
And nobody's invited him to APS?

We haven't invited the radioactive Boy Scout either.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn

Oops.  Too late.
"I make love to men daily, but in the imagination."
                         - Barack Obama