Particle detector prototypes, equipped with Silicon PhotoMultipliers (SiPMs) and readout by dedicated front-end electronics, were tested with beams of fully ionized nuclei from boron (Z=5) to nickel (Z=28) with a kinetic energy ∼1GeV/amu, at the Fragment Separator (FRS) of the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt. The tested instruments included prototypes of Cherenkov and scintillation hodoscopes designed for cosmic-ray experiments in space or in the upper atmosphere. In this paper, we summarize the results from the analysis of the beam tests data and of dedicated laboratory tests to characterize the response of the photosensors, the front-end electronics and the performance of the prototypal detectors. ► Performance of detectors readout by Silicon Photomultipliers. ► Saturation of SiPM response with heavy nuclei. ► Charge measurement of fully stripped high Z nuclei with scintillators and Cherenkov radiators.