Nichia 365nm Light offerings

[Codeman]

The output is very nice. Compared to the standard Haiku, the beam is similar overall, but the hotspot is just a hair smaller. The distribution should be ideal for scorpion hunting!

There is far, far less visible light as compared to the Cree 7090, but with the beam on a light-colored object, I have no difficulty in seeing the difference in the 3 levels.

Even in a well-lit room, low is sufficient to easily flouresce the security strip in U.S. paper currency, even with a battery at only 20% capacity. Given the tight hotspot, I wouldn't be surprised to see flourescent objects glowing at long distances with a new battery.

Because of the much lower amount of visible light, it "isolates" flourescent objects much better in the dark than any other UV light that I've tried. For example, even though I like the Cree 7090, the amount of visible light partially washes out the flourescence of the handle of a tool hanging on the far side of my garage. The Haiku, at the same distance of 20 feet or so, doesn't have any visible light that I can see, but the handle is noticeably brighter. And that's with the Haiku being handicapped by a cell at only 20% capacity as compared to a 60% cell driving the Cree.

I've also noticed that with some things, the Nichia shows more colors than the Cree. For example, parrot poop is basically one color under the Cree but several under the Nichia. Who knew?

I can't wait to try it on some Norland.

Don, is this a new spring? Is seems slightly taller than the one in my standard Haiku and stiffer as well.

[McGizmo]

Ray,
I would guess that your original Haiku's spring is just broken in. I think if you push the battery as far down as you can you will find that the new switch behaves the same as the older one in terms of tension.

I believe the spot is more collimated on the 365 nm LED than the Cree by virtue of a noticeably smaller image. The throw with the 365 nm is surprising. With the higher radiometric output of these latest generation Nichia LED's, they are really impressive!

Had the Haiku UV not been inside, it looks like the box would have been totally crushed. No worries, though, it fired up just fine!

The new small priority flat rate boxes are really wimpy and I expect them to arrive often crushed. However, I have no concern for the light inside. I could include some popcorn or bubble pak to help keep the box from crushing but that isn't doing the land fills any favor and unless I get word that there is potential damage to one of the lights, I am not going to change my practices. I figure these lights can handle the worse the postal system can throw at them and come out without a scratch. My primary concern is that they stay attached to the box whether its integrity is compromised or not. I have received the same boxes shipped to me and they had dunnage inside yet still arrived looking like they had been run over.

[Codeman]

I'll give pressing down on the battery a try. I can't tell any difference in switch action between them. I just noticed that when I screw the head on the UV there's more force to overcome to engage the threads. No biggy, I was just curious.

No peanuts is good!

[Vivek]

Because of the much lower amount of visible light, it "isolates" flourescent objects much better in the dark than any other UV light that I've tried. For example, even though I like the Cree 7090, the amount of visible light partially washes out the flourescence of the handle of a tool hanging on the far side of my garage.

I've also noticed that with some things, the Nichia shows more colors than the Cree. For example, parrot poop is basically one color under the Cree but several under the Nichia. Who knew?

The first para gives the answer to the second. The Nichia 365nm LED is a true UV LED giving clean (near) monochromatic UV.

The other so called UV LEDs are UV only for name sake.

Lint, which is everywhere, for example, will be visible (bright blue fluorescence) with the 365nm LED and not with the others.

With the NCSU033a, even when the beam is directed away from you, besides the fluorescence (visible light) there will also be significant reflected UV (invisible, ~365nm light). So, I can not emphasize the importance of wearing UV eye protection before switching on these.
Truly amazing beasts.

There is a 1W output (ie 4X times more power than the NCSU033a) UV LED coming from Nichia very soon!

[AlecGold]

I doubt the reflection of UV is that high that it is dangerous.
You get twice the distance to the illuminated object and light has a decrease in intensity that is equal to the square of the distance. So looking directly up close into the led might be dangerous and up close reflection on a white wall/piece of paper as well, but the reflection of small particles on a carpet that absorbs most of the UV is very unlikely to be dangerous. Placing the led on top of a bit of norland 61 for initial cure? just place it, close your eyes and light it up for 10 seconds orso..
On the other hand, if you've got goggles why not use them. They look mighty cool!

What dimensions/serial number has the 1W?
It might be really a lot to have btw, we now have ±250mW and that is a lot, 1W is a serious tool that needs serious back-ground research/safety precautions to use! you can check a banknote across the shop:
Sir, please close your eyes while I light up your banknote to check if it is valid. This is a Class IIIB device of medium power (continuous wave 5-500 milliwatt, or 10 joules per square centimeter in pulsed devices), and are not safe for direct viewing or viewing of specular reflections. Specific safety measures are recommended in the standards for control of hazards with this class. Examples of applications type are spectroscopy, confocal microscopy, and entertainment light shows.

hehehe.


Btw, I'm talking Sundrop UV here, haiku UV might have more reflection, but even then on the carpet there will be so much absorption.

[AlecGold]

I couldn't let it go.

the 0033a p6 has 270mW maximum at 365nm.
The sun midday has 478 mW/(nm m2) at 325 nm.
And 0.6 mW/(nm m2) at 295 nm, 74 mW/(nm m2) at 305 nm.
so you see that it gains a lot of power to higher nm.
I have no figures for 365nm but you can expect it to be at least 600mW/m2 and likely even higher.

so if you light up 1 square meter with the Sundrop it has 270mW/m2 and is about half as strong as the sun.
Light up a particle at 1 meter distance and you get a fraction of the 270mW and your totally safe.
With the haiku it gets a lot more difficult as you've got a hot spot of unknown intensity.
But you'll get the idea.

[Vivek]

I have been using one (NCSU033a) ever since it was on sale and I do have experience with various UV sources (research as well as photography which is my current interest) to provide the cautionary note.

The difference between midday Sun and the Nichia is this:

Sunlight also has stronger visible light (as well as heat) so your eyes adjust to that, you take cover under a shade, wear sunglasses and so on.

The 365nm LED will fool any eyes.

If anyone finds out the threshold (at their own risk!!) and report here, it will be useful for the others.

The newer Nichia i-LED isn't out in the market yet. You would need to contact Nichia for specs and/or engineering samples. It is coming- soon.

This reflected UV shot (camera was visible blind and will register only UV to 390nm and a lens that would transmit UV light) was taken with a single Nichia NCSU033a ("bare bulb" driven by 3.9V 500mA) at a distance of ~0.5m, as the sole light source (for comparison it would take a modified camera flash with a Xenon lamp of atleast GN45 at the same distance to get similar illumination).



Numbers: 1. Standard polycarbonate UVex lab glasses. It is black in reflected UV.
2. The shadow cast by the glasses showing how effective they are.

[bshanahan14rulz]

no, not really. But I can dream

[Vivek]

Don,

A quick note to acknowledge that your shipment arrived safe and sound.

Thanks a bunch!

[AlecGold]

bleh, customs is holding it up, I can't see it on track and trace, but in shipment for 7 days now, I expect it to arrive any moment.
I hope.
so much

[Vivek]

Got it today in the Hague. Simple padded envelope is fast and reliable.

[AlecGold]

Well thats not that far away from Dordrecht, so It should be possible for me to get it as well today. If the mail man doesn't drown, because it's really raining cats and dogs, almost all day.

[fyrstormer]

Got my UV light engine today. All I can say is...

Dangit Don, now I know exactly how dirty every single surface in my house is! Thanks a lot, big help you are!

[karlheinz3]

Hi Don, email sent for one XR-U head only with UV Please email total with shipping charges so I can send prompt payment. I forgot my CPF name on email but I am Karl H.Riedel III. and look forward to reciving this new addition to my collection.

[ptolemy]

awwsome don

i got mine in a p60 drop-in but it doesn't hav a good hot spot.

these look hot!@

sell it out!

[AlecGold]

Well, mine came in this evening, and i have to say it is totaalyunimpressive ifyou don't know how much power there is behind this led.
But it does light up much things much better. A few things light up alot less well, but so far only two or three light up better under 395nm crees.
But now I'm much tempted to buy a Haicu for my medium distance.
I'm still in denial, because my bag now has two xr-u's and an alpha that puts out around 80 lumens. But that alpha is a 2x123 andthe haiku is much more convenient in size

[fyrstormer]

You know what would be even more useful, is a light engine that had several emitters tuned to different frequencies, like 365, 375, and 390nm. Actually, I wonder if anyone makes a wideband emitter that can do all three in a single multi-die package?

[Morelite]

You know what would be even more useful, is a light engine that had several emitters tuned to different frequencies, like 365, 375, and 390nm. Actually, I wonder if anyone makes a wideband emitter that can do all three in a single multi-die package?

That would be cool if Cree would make a MC-E with three different bandwidths and a white in one package or even a Seoul P7. Might be a nightmare to have a driver for it though.

[AlecGold]

I have difficulties imagining how it could be done.
And I think it would be hard to align the different dies.
And I'm wondering how many would use this?
What uses would there be? 395nm is much less usefull afaik?!

[Vivek]

It is easier to get longer wavelength light than the higher energy, shorter wavelength light (that too with such narrow spectral window).

If longer wavelength light output is desired from the 365nm Nichia i-LED, a suitable fluorescent cover (diffuser) could be used on the flashlight.

[jblackwood]

Yes, sorry for not being more clear on this. The Haiku UV is complete and turnkey. I have removed the XR-E centering ring from the rear of the reflector.

Hi Don. I'm considering options here and I was wondering, when you remove the centering ring from the rear of the reflector, is it reattachable? Do you include a centering ring with purchase of the head or turnkey lights?

Sorry if this is a question with an obvious answer to everyone else.

[maxspeeds]

Hi Don. I'm considering options here and I was wondering, when you remove the centering ring from the rear of the reflector, is it reattachable? Do you include a centering ring with purchase of the head or turnkey lights?

Sorry if this is a question with an obvious answer to everyone else.

The centering ring is a very small piece of aluminum (around 1mm) that surrounds the xr-e LED. Once, removed, it's gone. You're best bet is purchasing another McR17xr reflector from the shoppe here: http://theledguy.chainreactionweb.co...roducts_id=725
for $15. This will allow you to interchange the reflectors depending on the light engine that you use.

If you go to the link, you can see what I'm talking about regarding the centering ring.

[jblackwood]

Thanks for the reply. It helps with my decision!

[McGizmo]

As Max stated, once removed, the centering ring is gone. I would point out that the UV has no benefit of a centering ring and what I do is I install the LE first, and then push the reflector down until it makes contact with the LED. I then push carefully on the edges of the reflector to get it centered as best I can. The reflector essentially floats in the head but with the resistance of its retaining O-ring that is captive on it (in a groove). The same can be done in centering the reflector on the XR-E LED if you are without benefit of the centering ring. In a perfect world where there would be no consideration of time or expense, there would be a second part that served as a centering ring and different ones, based on the LED in use.

[fyrstormer]

It is easier to get longer wavelength light than the higher energy, shorter wavelength light (that too with such narrow spectral window).

If longer wavelength light output is desired from the 365nm Nichia i-LED, a suitable fluorescent cover (diffuser) could be used on the flashlight.

I'm using mine in a Mule, so having multiple dies aligned and focused is a non-issue for me. I don't want it to emit visible light, though, I just want it to emit more colors of UV so more materials will fluoresce. At this point, I primarily am using it to see if my Rug Doctor is leaving detergent behind in my carpets, and strangely enough it doesn't always light up with the 365nm emitter -- sometimes I have to resort to using a cheap 400nm emitter I got from DX -- but sometimes the DX emitter does nothing and the Nichia does, which tells me even similar materials don't always react the same way. Same thing happens with my window blinds, interestingly enough; in one room they light up, in another room they don't, and I bought them all on the same day from the same manufacturer. Very strange.

That being said, I'm still happy with my UV light engine as-is, because it's still the best UV light I've ever owned.

[Vivek]

At this point, I primarily am using it to see if my Rug Doctor is leaving detergent behind in my carpets, and strangely enough it doesn't always light up with the 365nm emitter -- sometimes I have to resort to using a cheap 400nm emitter I got from DX -- but sometimes the DX emitter does nothing and the Nichia does, which tells me even similar materials don't always react the same way.

Yes, indeed. There are valid scientific explanations for your observations which is well beyond the scope of this thread or this forum.

Your conclusions are correct.

FWIW, what I said in my earlier post is that *in principle* one could choose a (say) a diffuser that would fluoresce ~380nm, for example.

The odd behavior you see in the fluorescence of the blinds is also there in reflected UV (see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vivek-i...7600032172823/).

Fluorescence behavior of ordinary day to day materials around us is simply fascinating.

(almost everything in this was from the kitchen: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vivek-iyer/4035271697/)

[AlecGold]

+1 for the best UV-LE so far. but then again it is also the third one I own, so how much comparison can I make between a Cree 7090 and some lithium-button-battery-with-a-led-cheap-thingy.
hehe, that is one way of looking for a car that had a good crash!!!
but I also noted that it does have strange effects that can differ from day to day and from batch to batch.

[tino_ale]

I'm very pleased with my EN UV Mule. My first EN McGizmo, I find the EN coating quite nice and definitely refreshing among all the HA-III offerings.

What is the PWM duty cycle of the low and medium levels of the 3S converter? Is it the same with all your 3S offerings?

Nice job with these UV LE

[McGizmo]

I don't know what the duty cycle is but yes, it it the same percentage with all of the 3S converters. I change a sense resistor that sets the current but the three levels based on duty cycle are the same regardless of current drive level; at least this is how I understand these black boxes.

[Antares]

You know what would be even more useful, is a light engine that had several emitters tuned to different frequencies, like 365, 375, and 390nm. Actually, I wonder if anyone makes a wideband emitter that can do all three in a single multi-die package?

I'm hardly an expert, but of all the ultraviolet flashlights I've looked at, the only one that I recall seeing that offers multiple wavelengths without swapping hardware is the Streamlight Twin-Task® 3C-UV, "with three 365 and three 390 nanometer UV LEDs" (I presume they're 5mm LEDs). (That light also has a xenon bulb for white light.) Of course that doesn't by any means rule out that an emitter like you described exists, I just haven't heard of one in a flashlight (or otherwise).

And I'm wondering how many would use this?
What uses would there be? 395nm is much less usefull afaik?!

I've heard that different wavelengths work better for different applications. Xenopus Electronix has an application matrix on their website that indicates usefulness of different wavelengths for different applications.