The most boring radiation detector ever? The Radiacode Zero - Small review & Teardown

I bought the new Radiacode Zero and I must say that this is probably the most boring product Radiacode has to offer. I don't say it is boring as a negative term for the RC-Zero, in fact, quite the opposite. This device should be boring. It is made to be boring. I'm sure the model Zero is for zero fun. 😄 However, if you put gamma spectroscopy and a couple of other fancy bits to the side then this little device is could be worth it's weight in gold.

It does what all of the other Radiacode's do (less the spectroscopy) - it counts, and that is about it. I also think it is fair to say that it is also pretty lousy at counting low radiation / low activity sources and tends to read a little more than my RC-101 and RC-103 - sometimes twice the background of my 101 and 103. That's fair though considering the differences between the Zero and the RC-100 series. The Zero is not a part of the RC-100 series, it is a different animal. Where this shines above most commercially available Geiger counters and hand-held scintillators is it's ability to detect very high levels of radiation. Very high in fact - up to 9 Sv/h. That's 9,000 mSv/h, or 9,000,000 uSv/h. To put this into perspective, 1 Sv/h can be lethal in a matter of hours. 9 Sv/h can be lethal within minutes. That puts this counter's range in the realms of ion chambers such as the Victoreen CD-V-715. Ever tried to get the needle to move on a CD-V-715? I have, and never managed it, even literally piling up every source I have the needle wouldn't move.

This counter (to my knowledge) is in a category all of it's own. A first? I don't know. Maybe. It goes in the category of 'small handheld portable devices that can read radiation up into fatal amounts, using the very latest scintillation and SiPM technology, along with a massively overkill MCU to run the show and a big chunk of flash memory for storing the readings'. I don't think any other radiation detectors (that I know of) fit into this category.

Now, I'm not going to go into detail with a review as there are already a lot of reviews out there showing it's operation and capabilities, with the exception of demonstrating to very high levels. One user (on YouTube) performed a small experiment bombarding the RC-Zero with around 1.5 mSv/h of x-rays. But that is still a drop in the ocean compared to it's upper limit. I'm actually curious about how Radiacode have tested this device to it's upper limit, and I haven't found any information about that.

The one thing I will mention is the feel of the button(s) compared to the RC101 and RC-103 That I have. They feel a little sloppy. The main button seems recessed a little too far and does wobble about a little bit. I considered packing the button's underside a little to take up a little slop, but the buttons feel pretty nice when in it's silicone protective cover, so I'm leaving it be for now as I'll generally be keeping it in it's silicone case. And aside that one negative point, I have nothing else negative to say about it. Should you buy one? Maybe. If you want the features the RC-100 series supports, then this is not for you. If you want a detector that will still detect when the other detectors and Geiger counters crap out, then you most certainly should buy one. And if like me you are a collector of counters/detectors and other radiation paraphernalia, then maybe you should. I'll talk a little more about this at the end of this post.

When I received the RC-Zero I did the usual - charge it up, connect to my phone, update the firmware, push some buttons, offer it some sources and then put it down. Yeah, after having and using the RC-101 and RC-103 there is nothing more with the RC-Zero, so that's it then. Well not quite. In an effort to make it less boring I took it apart! Literally 3 hours after it had landed. My warranty? Hmm. 😄 So here is a teardown of the RC-Zero so you don't have to. Also take note - the RC-Zero uses a slightly different case to the RC-101 and RC-103, probably the same for the RC-102 and the RC-103G. I think the RC-110 uses the same case as the RC-Zero. Now the case for the RC-Zero is considerably harder to get apart than the RC-101 and RC-103, so you will most likely end up putting marks in the case, as I did. Only small and slight, and you have to look hard, but they are there. So bear this in mind if you are planning on popping the back off of yours.

Teardown

First of all this looks very similar to the RC-101 and RC-103 inside. Similar sensor/LCD/MCU/memory kind of arrangement, so not much special here, other than the fact this has a massive sensor compared to the RC-101 and RC-103. It sports a 15x15x15mm organic plastic scintillation cube and a 6x6mm SiPM silicon photomultiplier. Considerably larger than the RC-101 and RC-103's sensor. The organic plastic scintillation cube apparently is very similar to human flesh, so the RC-Zero is really geared at displaying what your body would be receiving in terms of the amount of radiation. It is supposed to be a closer measure than what a Geiger counter would offer. Essentially, if put alongside another counter or detector and they don't use the organic scintillator, then the RC-Zero would/should be a more accurate dose for a human.

The battery is a 862565 1500mAh LiPo pouch cell. Very similar to the RC-101 (see my battery replacement here) and the RC-103. I has a protection circuit on the battery itself and I'm happy to see a 3rd wire coming from the battery PCB going to the main RC-Zero. As this is only a single cell it won't be for balancing, so I assume it is for a temperature sensor - I could be wrong!

Battery:

Battery protection board:

The LCD (I didn't take the LCD out, so here is a picture of it's back side) Boring, I know:

Now on to the PCB itself (bottom side):

Top side:

Bluetooth Antenna:

Ref 1 - MCU - STM32L496AGI6 - Ultra-low-power Arm® Cortex®-M4 32-bit MCU+FPU, 100 DMIPS, up to 1 MB flash, 320 KB SRAM, USB OTG FS, audio, HASH, external SMPS

Ref 2 - Bluetooth IC - BlueNRG-2N Bluetooth® LE 5.2 Wireless Network Coprocessor

Ref 3 - Charge pump/LDO - LM27762 Low-Noise Positive- and Negative-Output Charge Pump With Integrated LDO

Ref 4 - Unknown IC. I couldn't figure this one out, nor could AI. It is on the reverse side of the ambient light sensor.

Ref 5 - Battery charger/BMS - BQ25628 (most likely) I2C Controlled 1-Cell, 2A, Maximum 18V Input, Buck Battery Charger with NVDC Power Path Management and OTG Output It states BAT temp thermistor monitoring (JEITA profile), so that is most likely what the 3rd battery wire is for.

Ref 6 - 256Mb Memory IC - Macronix MX25L25645GZ2I-10G Datasheet here.

Ref 7 - LDO voltage regulator - Linear Technology / Analog Devices LT3014B (most likely)

And finally, the ambient light sensor. No markings and appears to be a chip-on-board type. The gold bond wires are nicely visible.

That's about it for the teardown. The build quality is very good. I have no complaints about anything regarding the whole construction. The PCB seems well thought out and nicely put together. Something I did notice about the soldering is the amount of solder. There is a very decent, generous amount of solder without there being too much. It has flowed well, has nice fillets and looks sturdy. That is exactly what you want in this type of device. Looking pretty close at the soldering I'm of mind that this was done in house, not on some Chinese carriage train-like automated production line. I could be wrong, but it feels like this has been done in house. And if so, it is to a nice standard, especially being a double sided PCB. Having components on one side not drop off when soldering the other takes some knowledge and skill. Different temperatures of solder, different temperature profiles and usually a few practice runs, or disasters. If Radiacode did this in house, both sides, then I tip my hat to the guys and gals over there.

I fell over their FCC submission (for Bluetooth RF/EMI emissions) and they have submitted teardown photos as part of the application. One of those (page 11) shows the SiPM/scintillator in two halves. Not much detail sadly. I'm certainly not going to open mine, so theirs will have to do.

Bottom - RC-101, middle - RC-103, top - RC-Zero.

Another thing I want to mention is the orange LCD screen. This colour is fantastic and I much prefer it to the blue/white of the RC-100 series. I really dislike blue displays, as in so much I will modify them to not be blue - see here. So the orange screen is very welcomed. I think the screen is the same as the RC-100 series, but with a different backlight.

I also purchased a couple of accessories with the RC-Zero. I'm a collector of counters/detectors/sources/paraphernalia so it would be rude not to grab a couple of goodies for my collection. I went for a silicone case, just one, but they sent me two, an extra grey one? And the protective capsule.

The silicone case is much as you would expect. It fits the RC-Zero like a skin. It is tight, but not too much. There is a little wiggle room but not much. It is a bit of a pain to get on and I found sticking the arse end into the screen aperture and pushing it out of the slit in the bottom, then tucking it into the top and pushing all the way in was the easiest way. Trying to open the slit at the arse end and push the thing in, well it's kinda difficult, so much better to push out than in. 🤣 The case also makes the buttons feel nice. it takes up some slack with the main button and the up/down rocker works great. And my thanks for the second case. I didn't ask for it. Maybe a mistake?

The protective capsule is quite nice too. Not cheap, but nice. I wouldn't pay much attention to the fact there is mention of it protecting against EMPs. This on it's own most likely wouldn't, and I'll elaborate a little more on that in a minute. It is nicely machined and engraved. The quality is good and feels nice in the hands. It comes in a nice hard'ish cardboard tube that will protect it from scratches if you store it. I also comes with two spare O-ring seals which is great. There is one already fitted to the lid and two spare. I'd also recommend using a decent silicone lubricant on the O-ring. Just a touch, enough to put a very thin layer on the rubber. My go to lube for this would be Aladdin Magic Lube II

It didn't come with a carabiner, sadly, but the one that comes with the silicone case fits it nicely. And I wouldn't be using a carabiner on the silicone case if the RC-Zero was in the protective capsule. I probably also wouldn't put the RC-Zero in the protective capsule without it being in the silicone case as it would rattle about and plastic against metal will mark the RC-Zero over time. I think the silicone case is a must when using the capsule.

Now all about this EMP stuff. The capsule hasn't been tested under an EMP, and Radiacode even state on their website not to count on it, as such. As they say, and I agree with, it would help against an EMP, but not solely stop it. I tried a little test and that was to see if I could connect over Bluetooth when the RC-Zero was inside the capsule. The first picture is without the capsule - have a look at the Bluetooth signal levels, and the second picture is with the RC-Zero inside the capsule. There is quite a difference.

I did have trouble getting the RC-Zero to appear in the devices page and took some time to appear. The signal is very much attenuated (at 2.4GHz) and should, theoretically offer some attenuation to an EMP. Should one ever go off.

My final thought: This is a tool, not a toy. It isn't going to help identify any isotopes whatsoever and for the most part will operate just like a modern Geiger counter or other (non-spectroscopy) scintillator. It is boring and it is meant to be. This device has filled a niche market. People like me, collectors and those with a good interest in radiation and detection, other people such as preppers and the paranoid, though some may say that paranoia is simply a sense of heightened awareness. The RC-Zero is made for real world, real life situations, which we all would hope never happen. In that case, I have an expensive radiation detector, but if the shit did hit the fan, that that tool may be as valuable as it's own weight in gold.

I like it. I'm glad I bought it. If Radiacode brought out a new model of the Zero, a Radiacode Zero II or something, would I buy it? Most likely not. It would have to be very spectacular for me to purchase another along side on the RC-Zero I have now. Its a specialised device and it fits a niche market. I also think it fits in really well on the consumer market. There are other similar products out there but they lie in the commercial market and their prices are reflective of that. The Radiacode Zero fills a hole in the consumer market and brings a decent, high-range radiation detector at a price well below the commercial variants.