High School / HS-18
Available Grades 9–12 Modern physics RF & space
Build a plastic-scintillator and SiPM muon detector, then measure how the cosmic-ray count rate changes with zenith angle, shielding, and altitude. No radioactive sources.
Students build a two-tile cosmic-ray muon telescope: 50 × 50 × 10 mm plastic scintillators read out by 6 mm onsemi SiPMs, a two-stage amplifier and peak-hold per channel, and an ESP32 Feather that timestamps hits, finds coincidences and records pulse heights. They scan the threshold to separate muons from SiPM noise, compare their rate with the textbook flux, measure rate vs zenith angle on a tilting stand, use Poisson statistics and time dilation, and design shielding or altitude comparisons long enough to give an honest answer.
Students will:
Every high school pack includes worked math and physics, prediction-versus-measurement labs, at least two design-and-test iterations, data logging, a rubric, and documentation templates, plus printable Builder's Corner build journal pages.
Parts, specs, quantities, and estimated unit costs, with places to buy. Prices change; anything marked as an estimate is an estimate. Links were checked when the BOM was written.
Totals are computed from the line items below. Prices were read from vendor pages on the dates shown and will change. Rows tagged estimate have no verified link and are planning numbers only.
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Plastic scintillator 50 × 50 × 10 mm, polished EPIC Crystal · polystyrene/PVT-type plastic, equivalent to EJ-200 / BC-408 per vendor title; no radioactive material | 2 | $115.00 | $230.00 | epic-scintillator.com EPIC Crystal $115.00 · checked 2026-10-13 · In stock (read 2026-10-13; a later re-check timed out) | Any 50 × 50 × 10 mm polished plastic scintillator (EJ-200, BC-408 class); larger tiles raise the rate but need new cutfiles | Handle with gloves (skin oil, scratches); no solvents |
| M2 | SiPM onsemi MicroFC-60035 on pin adapter (MICROFC-SMTPA-60035) 6 mm C-Series, 35 µm cells; Vbr 24.2–24.7 V, recommended overvoltage 1–5 V, max current 20 mA (datasheet). Pins 1 anode, 2 fast out, 3 cathode, 4 ground | 2 | $114.22 estimate | $228.44 | Distributor (DigiKey / Mouser) (no link) — ESTIMATE via distributor aggregator (DigiKey and Mouser block automated checks): DigiKey MICROFC-SMTPA-60035-GEVBOS-ND $114.22 at qty 1 ($99.15 at qty 10) = typical; Mouser 863-MFCSMTPA60035EVB $100.00 (41 in stock) = low | Bare MICROFC-60035-SMT (≈ $77 at DigiKey via findchips, estimate) needs reflow soldering onto a breakout: adult/advanced only | ESD-sensitive: wrist strap or touch ground first; never apply bias above 30 V |
| M3 | Optical coupling grease (silicone, optical grade) Thin film between SiPM window and the scintillator face | 1 | $15.00 estimate | $15.00 | Scintillator vendor / lab supply (no link) — | Clear silicone dielectric grease (lower transmission, ESTIMATE) | Gloves |
| M4 | Light-tight wrap: PTFE plumber's tape + aluminium foil + black electrical tape Reflector (PTFE) then foil then two layers of black tape; check with the light-tightness test (build-guide D2) | 1 | $8.00 estimate | $8.00 | Hardware store (no link) — | Black heat-shrink or black card box | — |
| Subtotal | $481.44 | Low-cost path: $442.00 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1 | ESP32 Feather V2 Adafruit PID 5400 · two interrupt channels, 2 DAC thresholds, ADC1 pulse heights, flash logging | 1 | $19.95 | $19.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $19.95 · checked 2026-10-13 · In stock | — | Header soldering: adult supervision, Z87+ glasses |
| E2 | Adjustable 9–30 V boost regulator U3V50AHV (SiPM bias) Pololu #2571 · set to 27.5 V with a 10–100 kΩ test load (Pololu instructions); ENABLE pin switched through a 2N7000; 10 kΩ series resistor per SiPM limits fault current to < 3 mA | 1 | $33.95 | $33.95 | pololu.com Pololu $33.95 · checked 2026-10-13 · In stock | Any 9–30 V adjustable boost with an enable pin (re-check the enable logic level) | ADULT sets and checks the bias voltage with the multimeter; trimmer not for repeated adjustment |
| E3 | Quad rail-to-rail op-amp MCP6024-I/P (DIP-14) Microchip, rail-to-rail input/output, 10 MHz (microchip.com product page, read 2026-10-13); run at 3.3 V; one per channel (×11, ×11, buffer, comparator) | 2 | $2.00 estimate | $4.00 | Distributor (no link) — | MCP6004 (1 MHz) is too slow for the 0.3 µs pulses | — |
| E4 | N-channel MOSFET 2N7000 (TO-92) Switches the boost ENABLE pin (pulled up to VIN on the regulator) so no GPIO sees > 3.3 V | 1 | $0.50 estimate | $0.50 | Distributor / school stock (no link) — | BS170 | — |
| E5 | Schottky diode 1N5819 (battery feed only) SparkFun COM-10926 · band toward the Feather on the battery feed. Not used in the peak holds (see E5b) | 1 | $0.30 | $0.30 | sparkfun.com SparkFun $0.30 (single; $0.29/$0.27 volume) · checked 2026-10-13 · Not confirmed on page | 1N5817 | — |
| E5b | Small-signal Schottky BAT85 (or BAT54) ×2, peak detectors Vishay BAT85S-TR (DO-35) · C_j ≈ 10 pF, sub-µA leakage (review F6) | 2 | $0.47 | $0.94 | tme.com TME $0.47 (TME, verified 2026-10-13 in technical review); low $0.13 LCSC C5334431 · checked 2026-10-13 · Not confirmed (TME blocks automated checks; price read in technical review 2026-10-13) | BAT54 (SOT-23, needs an adapter); LCSC C5334431 ($0.13) is the low-cost path | — |
| E6 | Passives kit: resistors 100 Ω, 1 kΩ, 10 kΩ (bias, ≥ 0.25 W), 470 kΩ, 33 kΩ; capacitors 0.1 µF 50 V film/ceramic (bias), 100 nF, 2.2 nF C0G, 1 µF Values per parts-list.md; bias capacitors rated ≥ 50 V | 1 | $5.00 estimate | $5.00 | School stock (no link) — | — | — |
| E7 | Full-size breadboard Adafruit PID 239 · both channels + Feather | 1 | $5.95 | $5.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $5.95 · checked 2026-10-13 · In stock | Perfboard (better for long runs) | — |
| E8 | Male/male jumper wires 150 mm (40) Adafruit PID 758 | 1 | $3.95 | $3.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $3.95 · checked 2026-10-13 · In stock | Classroom stock | — |
| E9 | 4 × AA battery holder with on/off switch (portable / altitude runs) Adafruit PID 830 · 4 × NiMH → 1N5819 → Feather USB pin | 1 | $2.95 | $2.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $2.95 · checked 2026-10-13 · In stock | USB from the laptop only (no portable runs) | — |
| E10 | AA NiMH cells (4 + 4 spare) 4.8 V nominal, ≤ 5.6 V fresh; ≈ 0.1 A load (ESTIMATE) → > 12 h | 1 | $16.00 estimate | $16.00 | Retail (no link) — | None. No alkaline (6.4 V fresh), no LiPo | Charge only in the matching NiMH charger |
| E11 | USB-A to USB-C cable Adafruit PID 4474 | 1 | $4.95 | $4.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $4.95 · checked 2026-10-13 · In stock | Classroom cable | — |
| Subtotal | $98.44 | Low-cost path: $83.86 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | Baltic birch plywood 3 mm, 12 × 20 in Wood Vault, 1/8" Laser/CNC grade variant; 1 sheet (cutfiles/telescope-sheet.svg) | 1 | $3.50 | $3.50 | woodvault.com The Wood Vault $3.50 per sheet (1/8" Laser/CNC grade variant, Shopify product JSON) · checked 2026-10-13 · Not confirmed (variant availability not in the JSON) | Any 3 mm plywood or 5 mm foam board (hand-cut) | — |
| S2 | Laser cutter access or cutting service 1 sheet (estimate) | 1 | $5.00 estimate | $5.00 | Makerspace (no link) — | Hand-cut foam board from the dimensioned drawing | Trained adult operates the laser cutter |
| S3 | M4 × 30 bolt + wing nut + washers (tilt pivot); wood glue | 1 | $2.00 estimate | $2.00 | Hardware store (no link) — | — | — |
| S4 | Shielding: steel plates or bricks/concrete pavers Lab 5; no lead needed | 1 | $0.00 estimate | $0.00 | School stock (no link) — | If lead is used, only if the school already owns it: students do not touch it. An adult places and removes it wearing nitrile gloves, with the lead wrapped in tape or sealed in a bag; no cutting, filing or sanding. No food or drink at the station. Afterwards, wipe the bench with a damp disposable towel and everyone at the station washes hands with soap and water (hand sanitizer does not remove lead). Store it bagged and labelled, out of reach of younger children. | Heavy: lift with two people, keep off the edge of tables |
| Subtotal | $10.50 | Low-cost path: $4.50 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Temperature-controlled soldering iron Pinecil | 1 | $68.50 | $68.50 | sparkfun.com SparkFun $68.50 · checked 2026-10-13 · Not confirmed on page | Assumed owned in the low total | Adult supervision |
| T2 | Lead-free solder 15 g SparkFun | 1 | $4.95 | $4.95 | sparkfun.com SparkFun $4.95 (single-unit price) · checked 2026-10-13 · Not confirmed on page | — | Wash hands after soldering |
| T3 | Safety glasses, ANSI Z87.1 Z87+ (high-impact) (soldering, cutting, wheel testing) 3M SecureFit SF201AF · clear anti-fog polycarbonate lens marked Z87+ (ANSI Z87.1 impact-rated; 3M spec table on strobelssupply.com and safetycompany.com, read 2026-10-09) | 2 | $5.32 | $10.64 | platt.com Platt Electric Supply $5.32 EA · checked 2026-10-13 · In stock (schema InStock, re-read 2026-10-13) | Any glasses marked Z87+ (ANSI Z87.1 high-impact). Not SparkFun SWG-11046: it lists only CE/EN 1836, a sunglass standard, not impact-rated | — |
| T4 | Digital multimeter Sets and checks the 27.5 V bias (adult), rails, dividers | 1 | $20.00 estimate | $20.00 | Retail (no link) — | Assumed owned | Adult measures the bias |
| T5 | NiMH smart charger (AA) | 1 | $20.00 estimate | $20.00 | Retail (no link) — | Assumed owned | Adult supervises charging |
| T6 | Anti-static wrist strap For handling the SiPMs | 1 | $6.00 estimate | $6.00 | Retail (no link) — | Touch a grounded metal object first | — |
| T7 | Nitrile gloves (box) Scintillator handling; lead (if any) in Lab 5 | 1 | $8.00 estimate | $8.00 | Retail (no link) — | School stock | — |
| T8 | Laptop with Arduino IDE, Python 3 + numpy + pyserial | 1 | $0.00 estimate | $0.00 | School (no link) — | — | — |
| Subtotal | $138.09 | Low-cost path: $15.59 | |||||
The pack is digital files only. Hardware is bought separately.
These are standards the pack's activities are mapped to by Laue Labs. They are not a certification or endorsement by any standards body or state.
| Activity | NGSS (HS) | Practices / crosscutting | Common Core Math |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab 1 threshold scan | HS-PS4-5 (devices that use waves/light to transmit and capture information), HS-ETS1-3 | Planning and carrying out investigations; Structure and function | HSF-IF.B.4 (interpreting graphs), HSN-Q.A.1 |
| Lab 2 flux | HS-PS1-8 (nuclear processes, enrichment), HS-ESS1-1 (cosmic origin, enrichment) | Using mathematics; Scale, proportion and quantity | HSG-GMD.A.3 (area/solid angle, enrichment), HSN-Q.A.3 |
| Lab 3 zenith angle | HS-PS2-1 (motion), HS-ETS1-4 (simulation) | Developing and using models | HSF-TF.B.5, HSS-ID.B.6 (fitting) |
| Lab 4 Poisson + time dilation | HS-PS4-3 (evidence for models), HS-PS1-8 | Analyzing and interpreting data | HSS-MD.A.3–4 (probability distributions), HSS-ID.A.2 |
| Lab 5 shielding/altitude | HS-PS3-2, HS-ETS1-2 | Engaging in argument from evidence; Cause and effect | HSS-IC.B.5 (significance), HSS-IC.B.6 |
Mapping is a draft for teacher review.
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One homeschool family, or one co-op group of up to 10 learners with its facilitator(s).
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One teacher with up to 30 students in a single class or cohort.
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All licenses: digital files only (hardware not included). Keep Laue Labs attribution on printed handouts. After checkout you get an instant download on the thanks page. License questions, more learners, or site licenses: lance.haney@gmail.com.
