151 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
151 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
# witgit - What In the Gamma Is That?
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witgit is free software gamma ray spectroscopy software
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under development intended to be used
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with low cost and DIY hardware running on a free operating system.
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For educational use only, and probably not even that.
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# Hardware
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It would be swell to support "all" low cost and DIY hardware. These types
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of hardware appear to the operating system as a sound card, which makes
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it "easy", without having to do complicated custom drivers.
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## Libre / Open Source Hardware
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* DIY_particle_detector, open source hardware:
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https://github.com/ozel/DIY_particle_detector/tree/master/hardware/V1.2
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## Proprietary Hardware
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Proprietary hardware that is known to work with other DIY software.
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* Images Scientific Instruments Digital Geiger Counter, various GCA models,
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e.g. GCA-07W-DL.
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https://www.imagesco.com/geiger/digital-geiger-counter-dl.html
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* RH Electronics MPPC SiPM CsI(Tl). Various models, such as
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RH-UNIT-MPPC-8-8-50.
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https://rhelectronics.net/store/mppc-sipm-csi-tl-8x8x50mm-usb-gamma-spectrometer-for-theremino-becqmoni-pra.html
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# Installation
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HOWTO Install. Development is currently done using Debian stable
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(Bullseye/11), which uses Python 3.9.
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## Install Dependencies
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Get system dependency and upgrade Python pip.
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Perhaps do something like this, or
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set up a Python virtual environment.
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```
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sudo apt update
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sudo apt install git python3-pip
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pip install --user --upgrade pip
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```
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## Clone Git Repo
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Get source code with `git`.
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```
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git clone https://spacecruft.org/spacecruft/witgit
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cd witgit/
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pip install --user --upgrade -r requirements.txt
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```
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# Usage
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HOWTO USE.
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The first step is to record a sample. This is similar to just doing an
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audio recording. The next step is to process that file, then visualize,
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then categorize. Along these lines...
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```
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mkdir -p data
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./witgit-rec # Record
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./witgit-proc [filename] # Process
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./witgit-plot [filename] # View Plot
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./witgit-wut [filename] # Categorize
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```
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Files are automatically timestamped and written to the `data/` directory.
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# Upstream
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The code will be built using bits from other free software / open source
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applications.
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## DIY Particle Detector
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The main source is the "DIY Particle Detector" by Oliver Keller
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from CERN. It is available upstream under a BSD license, a copy of which is
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in the `docs/` directory.
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* https://github.com/ozel/DIY_particle_detector
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Mirror:
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* https://mirrors.spacecruft.org/ozel/DIY_particle_detector
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# Other Software
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Other spectroscopy software used in DIY community.
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Caveat: I haven't used the below software, corrections welcome.
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## Free Software
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### Theremino
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Theremino is a great system with an emphasis on education that supports
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a very wide range of Arduinos and other equipment. The software can be used
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for many more purposes than just gamma ray spectroscopy. The showstopper
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in this case is it is written for a proprietary operating system. There are
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ways to emulate that system, but that is undesirable.
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* https://www.theremino.com/
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## Proprietary Software
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### BecqMoni MCA
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BecqMoni MCA was quickly created in response to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear
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disaster in Japan. It uses .NET 3.5 framework under a proprietary operating
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system. It is freeware, not free software nor open source software.
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No one has maintained the software for years, nor can anyone improve it.
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The last release was 2013. It has bitrot and now mostly useless.
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### PRA
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PRA is what the Free Software Foundation would call "freeware", not
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Free Software. The PRA author calls the software "free software", as
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they have every right to do, but it is not what the larger free software
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community generally considers free software. PRA does not provide source
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code as far as I can tell, for example. It is also written for a
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proprietary operating system.
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# Status
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Alpha software under development.
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## Tested Hardware
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Appears to work with:
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* RH Electronics RH-UNIT-MPPC-8-8-50.
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# License
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License: GPLv3 or any later version. Other code licensed under their own respective licenses.
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Upstream: Copyright (C) 2019, Oliver Keller
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Copyright (C) 2022, Jeff Moe
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