You join an expedition to retrieve data tapes from deep within Chernobyl's catacombs

[Jash]

Re: You join an expedition to retrieve data tapes deep within the Chernobyl catacombs

Easy, LD40 and HL30. Headlamp for flood lighting your path, and the LD40 for throwing light some distance. Both run on AA's so just an 8 pack of eneloops as spares should sort it.

 

[badtziscool]

Re: You join an expedition to retrieve data tapes deep within the Chernobyl catacombs

Anything with a bunch of trits in it!!!!

 

[lightdelight]

Re: You join an expedition to retrieve data tapes deep within the Chernobyl catacombs

Only 2 lights? Come on I would need at least 3!

OK, h600fw on my head
your old bored c2 w/ a vinhnguyen xpe2 for throw bursts

I'd be more concerned about the food/water and sleeping situations. Disposables might be the better option.

 

[AnAppleSnail]

Re: You join an expedition to retrieve data tapes deep within the Chernobyl catacombs

That raises an interesting point. Is the location of the data known, or must they be found? If it's known, I wouldn't foresee need for more than several hours' runtime. But if it has to be found, then you'll need a few days to search.

 

[Cataract]

Re: You join an expedition to retrieve data tapes deep within the Chernobyl catacombs

For some reason I immediately think of the Predator (the light, not the killer alien) as a good light to bring whenever someone asks a similar question. My backup would surely be a Quark tactical, but I would definitely consider my Zebra H50FW.

I'd line my clothing with phosphorescent tape and bing tons of trits to see them glow hard. I would also feel like throwing glow sticks in and around the holes. Might not even need a flahlight after all....

 

[Julian Holtz]

Re: You join an expedition to retrieve data tapes deep within the Chernobyl catacombs

Strong radioactivity can kill microchips.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_hardening

Therefore, I would only use lights with glow bulbs, or with a resistor to limit the current to a LED.

 

[Steve K]

Re: You join an expedition to retrieve data tapes deep within the Chernobyl catacombs

Strong radioactivity can kill microchips.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_hardening

Therefore, I would only use lights with glow bulbs, or with a resistor to limit the current to a LED.

From a job I had 20 years ago, my recollection is that thick aluminum will work to shield semiconductors. This was for a space application, and it wasn't cheap to fling a lot of aluminum up into low earth orbit. Rad hardened chips were cheaper.

Even if you can shield the switching power supply and any logic, I'm not sure what you can do to shield the LED itself. The Wiki page mentions "borophosphosilicate glass passivation layer" as a shield for IC's. I wonder if it is optically transparent and could be used in a lens for shielding the LED?

 

[Cataract]

Re: You join an expedition to retrieve data tapes deep within the Chernobyl catacombs

That had to be really thick aluminum. Nasa was still buying (and maybe still are) 286, 386 and 486 computers from E-Bay for space flights because the newer chips have circuits that are too thin to be reliable in space. I doubt flashlight circuitry is that thin but, yea, enough radiation could cause damage to circuits. Chernobyl has enough radiation leak to make holes in concrete, so I doubt even incans would be very reliable.

I think that for this exercise to have even slight validity, we have to take for granted that the radiation levels would be low enough to go spend a day there in a normal radiation suit (which only protect from air and liquids), which means your regulated flashlights would survive.

 

[AnAppleSnail]

Re: You join an expedition to retrieve data tapes deep within the Chernobyl catacombs

It all depends on the energy levels and radiation types. At work I use radiation that is blocked by paper (40 millicurie Beta source). I've done work with more-intense sources that sit in lead-brick enclosures. The power (Electron volt?) level matters for penetration, and scattering radiation, and so on. Cosmic rays, for instance, punch through metal and create X-rays that penetrate. X-rays can stop at bone or not, depending on the eV level. And ultraviolet, of course, is stopped by most things. For all radiation, more mass is the only sure shield. For specific radiation, shielding and circuit design matter more.

Chernobyl is an interesting case with scads of medium-energy radiation particles. The dosages that will affect circuitry are probably well above the acutely lethal doses of radiation. Your light probably won't blink until you're in radiation that puts you a few hours from noticing that you are dead.