Re: Random Data from Geiger Counter

Ben Laurie (ben@algroup.co.uk)
Mon, 06 Jul 1998 20:23:34 +0100

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Perry E. Metzger wrote:
>
> "William H. Geiger III" writes:
> > I am looking at information on pulling random data from a Geiger counter
> > for use in crypto aplications.
> >
> > I plan on using a RM-60 from Aware Electronics:
> >
> > http://www.aw-el.com/index.htm
>
> John Walker has a cool page on a similar gadget he built and wrote
> software for. Check out
>
> http://www.fourmilab.ch/hotbits/

Seems to me like he's being very conservative about the entropy of the
data source - 1 bit for two (detected) decays. Surely we can get a bit
(or two) more out of it than that?

Cheers,

Ben.

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