These days no one marvels at seeing an Arduino board in just about any application. Arduino’s ease of use makes it perfect to quickly develop DIY measuring instruments. This article shows how to build a simple meter for radioactive levels, but don’t worry, a protective suit is not required.
 
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Our author came up with the idea of connecting a radiation meter probe to an Arduino UNO when he realized that this board has two options in terms of power source. We have the standard 5 V coming through the USB connection, while alternatively it’s possible to use an external power source up to 12 V via the 2.1 mm jack connector. When connecting both sources at the same time (USB and external), Arduino automatically selects the external one. Besides, the selected power source will be available at Vin (see “power” pins on your board).