Looking for bench-top X-Ray machine!

[james_s]

Enjoy it while you can, before everything fun gets banned, in the name of safety of course. As much as we claim to value our freedom, various things are outlawed or regulated on a constant basis and it's extremely rare for anything to ever be un-banned.

[BU508A]

Modern x-ray machines are safe enough to be operated without shielding. Vets don't shield themselves heavily anymore when taking x-ray photos for pets. Sometimes they just hold the animal on one end when taking x-ray on the other end.
Modern (read: advanced, expensive) vet clinic use x-ray machines emit high power x-ray in very short bursts so that it is enough to excite digital x-ray sensor plate, while total energy is very low, almost negligible even if used everyday.
Also, modern x-ray tubes use microfocus design so the emitter size is very small, hence very small focal point size. This also allows better image quality at lower total energy level, which also protects operator.

This is all true. My warning was related to this x-ray tube which is sold by some russian seller on ebay. It is a nice piece. But dangerous!

[james_s]

Most machines and components accessible to the hobbyist will be older, simpler units and most will require using film to take the image so potential exposure is much higher than a modern digital machine. With some care and common sense there is little risk but one does have to be careful. Even a little dental tube really can be dangerous. The heads are very well shielded though and at the power levels typical of these scatter is negligible more than a few feet away.

[Zero999]

I wonder how hard it is to get an X-ray technician licence? Do you need to pass an exam? It might look good on your CV. 

[DTJ]

It doesn't get any more 'bench-top" than the set-up shown in the pic on that eBay advert.

[Zero999]

It doesn't get any more 'bench-top" than the set-up shown in the pic on that eBay advert.

That does look very dangerous though. I wouldn't want to be anywhere near that set up while it's running.

I presume the meter is the object being X-rayed and that white plate is a phosphor with the camera to take a photograph of it? I wonder how long the exposure time needs to be to get a good picture?

[Fraser]

Interesting picture.

Cold Cathode X-Ray tube with absolutely no shielding (not a great idea), Low resolution scintillator plate and a digital SLR with no X-Ray screening glass to protect the CCD chip.

Not a setup I would recommend to anyone..... why ?

1. That cold cathode tube was designed to sit inside the EHT transformer that was cooled with oil. The Oil acts as a coolant and X-Ray  reduction device.

2. The scintillator plate is an image enhancer (intensifier screen) from a film type X-Ray plate. Quality and sensitivity can vary greatly. Resolution is usually not that great when used with a digital camera in the shown format..

3. The CCD imaging chip and associated electronics may be adversely effected by the X-Ray energy hitting them. This causes spotting on the image. If a CCD chip is in use, the exposure to X-Ray can permanently increase its dark current, causing the camera harm. It is better to use a 45 Degree mirror and image the intensifier screen with the camera out of the main X-Ray energy beam.

That is very much a Heath Robinson X-Ray imaging setup that should only be used with great experience of X-Ray energy and appropriate precautions. It would seriously fail the HSE regulations in the UK on many counts  It stands as an example of why real X-Ray equipment and tubes are licenced in some countries. In the UK we are a little more open minded though.

I became a licenced radiographer through my work and was suitably Harwell 'badged' for many years. I never had an abnormal dose reading in my career. Correctly configured equipment and use is the key to safe X-Ray imaging. Soft X-Ray is easily attenuated, but still harmful at high accumulated doses.

Like many things in life, X-Ray may be used safely, but abusers of such need to realise that damage to the skin, or worse can result.

Fraser 

[CatalinaWOW]

I wonder how hard it is to get an X-ray technician licence? Do you need to pass an exam? It might look good on your CV. 

Varies widely with location and application.  Where I am the license to operate industrial equipment involves a few hundred dollars and a short course.  Then periodic refresher training and renewal fees.  Medical X-ray licensing is more involved. 

 I haven't looked into how transferable this is between jurisdictions, but suspect there is little ability to transfer.