Development of modular components for low-cost, SiPM-based scintillator detector assemblies

The paper discusses a project for the development of a scintillator and SiPM-based, sensitive, small-size, low-cost and extensible radiation detector system, which uses mass-market components, and is suitable for scenarios, where deployments are constrained by financial budget, size, weight and operational limitations. The particular focus on applications like muon astronomy, space applications on miniature satellite platforms and citizen science is explained, and justification is provided for the choice of technologies and development approach. The steps towards the final realization are discussed in details. Several prototype circuits have been realized and the preliminary results are shown and discussed.