Nichia 365nm UV Aleph Light Engines

darkzero

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Here are some LEs that I built for TranquillityBase. Wanted to post since builds with Nichia 365nm UV chips seem rare, probably cause they're so expensive.

-Nichia NCSU033A UAP5M(Bin) 365nm UV Chips
-GD500
-GD650

I really love these chips & are by far the best UV LEDs I've got to play with yet. My PD Mule Cree XR UV mod & the Arc LS Cree XR UV mod (both driven at 1A) are the brightest UV mods I've had but they don't compare to the Nichia UV chips. I don't know much about UV light but all the UV flashlights I've seen emit the purple light that we're all used to. The Nichia chips don't appear to emit this noticeable purple light. Because of which they don't seem very bright but they make things flouresce very differently than my other UV lights. They also irritate my eyes more.




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I wanted to get some beamshots but I failed miserably so here's all I got:

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UV & Norland adhesives:

From Norland's site:
NOA 61 is cured by ultraviolet light with maximum absorption within the range of 320-380 nanometers with peak sensitivity around 365nm. The recommended energy required for full cure is 3 Joules/sq. cm in these wavelengths. The cure is not inhibited by oxygen, hence any areas in contact with air will cure to a non-tacky state when exposed to ultraviolet light.

I'm not sure what bin Cree XR UV I have but the datasheet shows the bins available are between 390-405nm. It will not fully cure NOA61, it will thicken it up but will leave the surface tacky even after 30 mins.

The same happens when I try using my McGizmo Pelican M6 with an Optotech Shark 375nm UV array. I've used my PM6 6W UV up to 4 times in intervals of 30 mins & it will not fully cure NOA61.

Just to try, I tried using my old Arc AAA UV, doesn't do a damn thing! :candle:

With the Nichia UV GD650 LE, cured a glob of NOA61 with the surface hard in less than a 5 sec count! I did a few tritium slots & would say they're absolutely fully cured in only a few minutes.

Thanks to Scott for giving me this opportunity & thanks for looking. :wave:
 
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TranquillityBase

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You're welcome DZ:)

LE's arrived today:grin2: Talk about clean and perrrrrrfect execution of light engine build...See pics above:twothumbs

Thanks,
Scott
 

griff

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Effing perfect execution of a LE build Will l!!!!!!
DZ .......you da' man
 

Morelite

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Nice work, are you willing to build another one for me with the GD500? I have been looking for those 365nm Nichia chips for over a year now.
 

TranquillityBase

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Nice work, are you willing to build another one for me with the GD500? I have been looking for those 365nm Nichia chips for over a year now.
You can buy them directly from Nichia, but they're about $125 per chip...Buy five or more and the price will drop.
 

MorpheusT1

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Damn impressive,
:twothumbs

I love the fast cure time with the Norland glue.
Very clean mod as always Will.



I guess i will have to fork up the dough and get me one those emitters.


Thanks for sharing.
Benny
 

PhotonWrangler

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You can buy them directly from Nichia, but they're about $125 per chip...Buy five or more and the price will drop.

I'm amazed that they're still so expensive. Haven't they been able to ramp up production yet to get the price down, or is there just too little demand in the civilian sector for these?
 

darkzero

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Very impressive LE and price tag on the LED :eek:oo:

Well since we're on the UV subject......

IMG_7732.jpg


You're light will ship tomorrow. Hope you enjoy. :wave:



Nice work, are you willing to build another one for me with the GD500? I have been looking for those 365nm Nichia chips for over a year now.

Sure I'm willing to build another one if you can supply the emitter. :grin2:
 

flex76italy

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Morelite, as darkzero said, if you supply the emitter, in this case a minimum of 5 from nichia, i am in line to buy one.

Just find 3 buyers :poke:

Thanks and sorry for the hijacking.
 
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darkzero

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DZ, nice. How do you reflow the emitters onto star boards if you don't mind me asking?

With MCPCBs, believe or not I just use my soldering iron. I apply heat to the back side of the MCPCB. Trick is you need good thermal path from the iron tip to the MCPCB & I do it quick. My iron stays set to 700F when doing this.


Img_7371.jpg
 

IsaacHayes

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Bernie, you getting that UV XR?

DZ, hmm. What wattage iron is that? I doubt my 1980's RadioSnatch iron gets that hot... But it works fine for everything else.
 

darkzero

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DZ, hmm. What wattage iron is that? I doubt my 1980's RadioSnatch iron gets that hot... But it works fine for everything else.

Don't know how many watts. I have a Hakko 936 solder station. 700F is not that hot. I use 62/36 & 60/40. A quick Google search came up with melting point for these solders is 360-370C. 700F is 371C. I pretty much solder everything electronics related with my dial set to 700F. A decent 35w soldering iron will get over 700F.
 
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