Open Gamma Detector — Revision 4.2 (Pico 2)

This is the affiliate page for the Open Gamma Detector.

You can easily order the PCB directly through PCBWay here — it helps support the project a little, and doesn’t cost you anything extra.

The main open-source project with all hardware, firmware, and documentation is hosted on GitHub.

About the Project

The Open Gamma Detector is an open-hardware all-in-one gamma spectrometer, designed to be hackable, affordable, and powerful.

It uses a NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal together with a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) to detect and analyze gamma radiation.

The total component cost is around 200 USD if you build it all yourself.

The latest hardware revision 4.2 is based on the new Raspberry Pi Pico 2, providing higher performance and improved ADC behavior.

Key Features

• Compact all-in-one design – no external sound card required
• Size: 120 × 50 mm (about half for electronics, half for the crystal mount)
• Dual operation modes: energy (MCA) and simple counter
• USB and UART connectivity for Raspberry Pi, Arduino, etc.
• Programmable via Arduino IDE or drag-and-drop firmware
• Low-voltage SiPM operation (27.5 – 33.8 V) – no HV supply needed
• Low power draw (~15 mA @ 5 V)
• Optional OLED display support (SSD1306 / SH110x)
• Expansion headers for I²C, SPI, UART, buzzer, and more

If you just want a quick way to order the PCB or full BOM, you can do it right here on PCBWay.

For all design files, firmware, and detailed documentation, visit the main repository:

https://github.com/OpenGammaProject/Open-Gamma-Detector