A Geiger Counter and Nixie Tube Random Number Generator

From a philosophical determinist perspective, there is no such thing as a truly random number. But in computer science, we can generate numbers that have no identifiable pattern and which are suitable for cryptographic applications. While philosophers can argue about whether those are actually random, they might as well be from a practical standpoint. Unfortunately, you can’t generate those through purely digital means. You need some sort of noisy analog input to generate convincingly random numbers, and Redditor Alpha-Phoenix built a random number generator that uses a Geiger counter as the input and displays the results on a Nixie tube.

As Alpha-Phoenix helpfully explains in his YouTube video for this project, this random number generator is fundamentally different than, say, rolling dice. When you roll dice, they’re still bound to the classical laws of physics. If you had enough data about the throw, the physical properties of the dice, and the physical properties of the table, you could calculate the result — theoretically, at least. That is the entire underlying principle of determinism, which posits that everything that has ever happened or will ever happen in the universe could be calculated in this matter, even though it would be impossible to ever do so from a practical standpoint.

Determinism starts to fall apart once you take quantum mechanics into account. Many events on the quantum level appear to be truly random. This device takes advantage of that to generate random number. It utilizes a Geiger-Müller tube to detect the pulses caused by muon particles, which are constantly bombarding everything around you. Importantly, however, the intervals between muon particles passing through the Geiger-Müller tube seem to be random, thanks to quantum processes.

With that in mind, this device is a simple exercise in electrical engineering that was built using only discrete components. The most important of those are the Geiger-Müller tube, two 555 timers, a decade counter, and a single Nixie tube. It counts from zero to nine very quickly, and then pauses as soon as a muon pulse is detected. The number that it stops on is truly random. The components are all housed within a laser-cut wood enclosure, which even features a handful of engraved illustrations that describe how to device works. The physicists and philosophers can debate determinism, but this unit will produce the most random single-digit number possible.