Arc AAA U.V. Light....anyone else have one?

D

**DONOTDELETE**

Guest
drop me a email with "dead battery" on email subject to [email protected]

I'm waiting for these CR1616 battery replacements for this mailing-caused problem and gonna mail you guys with dead battery replacement.

Shorter Wavelength from CREE:
It's possible to make wavelength from 391-393 LEDs with more narrow angle in our manufacturer. Example: make a Bullet shape 5mm LED with well filtered CREE UV LED chips. The bullet shape LED makes it posible to produce LEDs with the half-angle of 7-8degree and to actually pick chips in 391-393 from CREE will make the most brightness(narrowest angle) and most useful UV LED(shorter wavelength). However, the counter part is more expensive(I don't know how many % up, but it'll be).

The most narrowest half-angle for 5mm Round LEDs from WILYCON are around 12 which make the viewing angle of 12x2=24 degree.

To Gransee: the 400nm LED you got is not Made by CREE, it's made in USA however
grin.gif


3mm:
I'm preparing the 3mm UV LEDs, any one interested?
smile.gif


Ken
 

The_LED_Museum

*Retired*
Joined
Aug 12, 2000
Messages
19,414
Location
Federal Way WA. USA
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by LED-Center:

Shorter Wavelength from CREE:
It's possible to make wavelength from 391-393 LEDs with more narrow angle in our manufacturer.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I got my keychain today, and just by eyeballing it, the LED in it seems to be somewhere between 388 and 392nm; the shortest wavelength I've seen other than the $33 Nichia part. It's still a very wide angle though, not the narrower angle like you're describing.

My sample seems to have come without the slide switch mentioned on the back of the package; so the light is squeeze-on only.
I don't consider this to be a major issue though, because the normal mode of usage for a "money checker" is momentary only operation - squeeze it and aim it at a bill, then release it. The unusual batteries should last longer with intermittent only operation anyway.
smile.gif


The major issue I have with the light is that tape on the battery. This isn't mentioned anywhere on the instructions, so a lot of people will unknowingly ruin batteries and wonder why the light never works again once the first set of batteries has been used & disposed of.

I did mention the tape on my website, so people who visit the site (new owners of the light, perhaps) will be made aware of it and know how & when to apply tape to replacement batteries.

I am impressed by that LED though, and would hope to see LEDs of the same wavelength range (~390nm) used in future products.
 
D

**DONOTDELETE**

Guest
narrower angle less than 15 degree viewing angle will be on bullet shape only =) The 5mm Round one is limited to 24 degree.

The forever on switch was original design and not used in production, just like what you say, the purpose of it seems useless if you only use it for checking fakes.

I'm packing up your 395/405
smile.gif
going to send in 10minutes, happy new years Joshson!

I don't think it's possible to make 390nm +/- 1nm LED lamps in near future, it's so expensive to get these range of chips. Imagine, to pick 1Kpc Chip up in 500Kpc chip lots. In addition, to produce 1Kpc UV LEDs, we need to put down more than 1Kpc chips. Everything's $$
smile.gif
Happy New YEARS GUYS!!! and GIRLs!!!!

Ken
 
D

**DONOTDELETE**

Guest
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by telephony:
The major issue I have with the light is that tape on the battery. This isn't mentioned anywhere on the instructions, so a lot of people will unknowingly ruin batteries and wonder why the light never works again once the first set of batteries has been used & disposed of.

I did mention the tape on my website, so people who visit the site (new owners of the light, perhaps) will be made aware of it and know how & when to apply tape to replacement batteries.

I am impressed by that LED though, and would hope to see LEDs of the same wavelength range (~390nm) used in future products.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The tape is to prevent short circuit. Be aware of it! I know these little cells sold at a huge-profit price. Just find yourself a good place and get them cheap =)

P.S: I just bought myself a Red laser pointer. Wonder if they're good
smile.gif


Ken
 

The_LED_Museum

*Retired*
Joined
Aug 12, 2000
Messages
19,414
Location
Federal Way WA. USA
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by LED-Center:
The forever on switch was original design and not used in production, just like what you say, the purpose of it seems useless if you only use it for checking fakes. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's cool then. As long as I know it was left out intentionally, I can simply delete the references to it off my website.
(Edit: 3 minutes later - I've modified the web page to eliminate this part)


<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by LED-Center:
I'm packing up your 395/405
smile.gif
going to send in 10minutes, happy new years Joshson!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Great!! I've been looking forward to these since the day I clicked the PayPal button.
grin.gif

Right on schedule too.


<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by LED-Center:
I don't think it's possible to make 390nm +/- 1nm LED lamps in near future, it's so expensive to get these range of chips. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, if you can get 390nm +-5nm (min 390nm / max 395nm) that would be cool too.
smile.gif

And probably a fair bit less expensive.
 

The_LED_Museum

*Retired*
Joined
Aug 12, 2000
Messages
19,414
Location
Federal Way WA. USA
I just got my UV Keychain from the LED-Center aka Wilycon. (Thanks Ken!)

First thing I noticed was the wavelength is shorter than any LED I've seen to date except for those weak $33 Nichias.

The color looks "purpler" and it causes brighter fluorescence in UV-sensitive materials than any of the others. Since I don't have spectroscopc equipment here, I'd have to guess this one is somewhere between 388 and 392nm, which is at the shorter end of the range for Cree's Megabright 395nm chips.

The beam is wide-angle, somewhere between 45° and 55°, and consists of a wide corona with a smaller (10°) bright central ring inclusion. There are no true dark or dead spots within the beam.

The light itself turns on very easily, so I would not want to keep it in a pocket. Although the package says it has both momentary and constant-on switches, there is no constant-on switch on this unit.
I can see a small opening where one might go, but it isn't present.

If hung loosely from a free-dangling keychain, it should be alright. I'm sure the sensitivity can be adjusted, but I'll have to replace my #00 screwdriver before I can open up the case and try.
The case is held together by three of these screws, and inside is a pair of CR1616 lithium coin cells.

I also have the Wilycon UV Pen. This pen is noticeably different than the other UV pen being offered on the internet. The LED is not recessed, and it has a narrower beam than the other pen. The LED wavelength also appears 6-8nm shorter (purpler) and is probably between 398 and 402nm.
This should allow it to illuminate the security stripe in paper money better than the other pen; though I don't have any on me to test this (spent it all on that Light Cannon).
grin.gif


Overall construction appears similar, with only minor cosmetic differences, like the color and the size of the ferrule on the LED end. The main difference is in the use of a shorter wavelength LED.
 

sunspot

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 22, 2001
Messages
2,707
Location
Graham, NC
telephony. Of the three,(Nichia, Cree and Wilycon), which one would you rate the best overall?
Thanks, Dana
 

The_LED_Museum

*Retired*
Joined
Aug 12, 2000
Messages
19,414
Location
Federal Way WA. USA
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by phred:
telephony. Of the three,(Nichia, Cree and Wilycon), which one would you rate the best overall?
Thanks, Dana
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

For the purposes of this discussion, Cree and Wilycon are one and the same.
Cree makes the tiny little "chip", and Wilycon puts them in little metal holders and pours plastic all over them.

So if you buy a 395nm or 405nm Wilycon LED, you're getting a Cree device.

Nichia makes a shorter wave UV LED, but it only puts out 0.750mW vs the 8.0mW+ from Wilycon's devices. It depends on your specific application which LED would work better for you.
 

SchneiderDriver

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 24, 2001
Messages
19
Location
Indiana
Arc AAA U.V. Light....anyone else have one?
Just in case anyone forgot the subject of this thread, since I don't see anything about that on this page!

When I was brand new to LED's (Still a newbie, that was less than 4 months ago
smile.gif
), I ordered an Arc AAA turquoise from brightguy.com. When I got it, it seemed really dim, and not really turquoise. More like a dim purple
shocked.gif
. Of course, you know where this is going! I had no idea. I was shining it right in my eyes, demonstrating to myself how incredibly dim it was. OR how incredibly dim I was! I emailed Brightguy, and they told me to send it back, and suggested a white LED. They were great, shipping the replacement out immediately. They had my credit card, of course, in case they hadn't received the first one back. Still, they provided great service. Once I got the white one, and saw just how bright it was, I got to thinking. I went to Arc's website and discovered the UV light.... along with the warning not to look at the light!! I emailed brightguy and told him what that must have been. He said he had looked at the light also. We will probably both die before we hit 100 now! Anyway, I now wish I had known what it was, and just kept it. I know they cost a lot more than the $21 or so that I had paid for it (having ordered the turquoise LED).

joe
 

The_LED_Museum

*Retired*
Joined
Aug 12, 2000
Messages
19,414
Location
Federal Way WA. USA
Exposure to low & moderate levels UVA or UVB radiation usually doesn't produce symptoms right away. Typically, the onset of symptoms are delayed by up to several hours.

Low-level exposure (such as briefly looking into the source) should produce no symptoms at all, but the damage is cumulative. So if you look into the UV source several times an hour, every day for a year or so, your eye doctor may be able to find evidence of lens or corneal fogging. This risk is increased with higher total exposure times, higher total power entering the eye, activating the UV source closer to the eye, and shorter wavelengths.

Moderate and high level exposure to UVB and shorter UVA radiation (less than 360nm, typically) produces acute symptoms after a delay of up to several hours; these include a sand or "burning in the eyes" sensation, photophobia (discomfort with high ambient lighting) and a hazy look around light bulbs, LEDs, TV screens, car headlights & taillights, and other light sources.
Mild cases of this type of injury are usually self-correcting within 24-36 hours.

Anything more severe warrants a trip to your eye doctor right away. Although current medical technology has no cure for this type of injury, palliative measures such as ointments or anesthetic eyedrops may be given to ease the discomfort while healing.

This type of injury is probably also cumulative, and you probably don't want it happening more then three or four times throughout your lifetime, or else permanent visual disability can result.

The levels of UV radiation from UV LEDs is fairly low, so you'd have to stick the thing directly up to your eye and let it cook there for a good long while before anything really terrible happens. There is no appreciable risk (nothing documented anyway) from using the LED to illuminate something and then staring at that something (money, UV-activated inks, etc.) for extended periods.
 

sylvestor

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 1, 2001
Messages
150
Location
Toronto
Thanks Telephony for the insight.

sylvestor.

p.s. why did you change your name from Stingmon ?
 

sylvestor

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Sep 1, 2001
Messages
150
Location
Toronto
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by SchneiderDriver:
Arc AAA U.V. Light....anyone else have one?
Just in case anyone forgot the subject of this thread, since I don't see anything about that on this page!

When I was brand new to LED's (Still a newbie, that was less than 4 months ago
smile.gif
), I ordered an Arc AAA turquoise from brightguy.com. When I got it, it seemed really dim, and not really turquoise. More like a dim purple
shocked.gif
. Of course, you know where this is going! I had no idea. I was shining it right in my eyes, demonstrating to myself how incredibly dim it was. OR how incredibly dim I was! I emailed Brightguy, and they told me to send it back, and suggested a white LED. They were great, shipping the replacement out immediately. They had my credit card, of course, in case they hadn't received the first one back. Still, they provided great service. Once I got the white one, and saw just how bright it was, I got to thinking. I went to Arc's website and discovered the UV light.... along with the warning not to look at the light!! I emailed brightguy and told him what that must have been. He said he had looked at the light also. We will probably both die before we hit 100 now! Anyway, I now wish I had known what it was, and just kept it. I know they cost a lot more than the $21 or so that I had paid for it (having ordered the turquoise LED).

joe
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Hey SniderDriver,

Hope you didn't look straight into the light for too long. But if you did, did you experience any vision problems immediately ?

sylvestor.
rolleyes.gif
 

e=mc²

Enlightened
Joined
Oct 2, 2000
Messages
537
Location
NJ - Land of malodorous \"earl\" refineries!
I just found this on Edmund Scientific's website:
<img src=http://www.scientificsonline.com/images/products/8342.gif>
It costs 4.95 USD and I am considering trying it out on my Cree Leds which are amazingly powerful, considering their low cost. Any thoughts?,

Regards,
Ed
 

The_LED_Museum

*Retired*
Joined
Aug 12, 2000
Messages
19,414
Location
Federal Way WA. USA
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Edwood:
I just found this on Edmund Scientific's website:
<img src=http://www.scientificsonline.com/images/products/8342.gif>
It costs 4.95 USD and I am considering trying it out on my Cree Leds which are amazingly powerful, considering their low cost. Any thoughts?,

Regards,
Ed
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It looks like it is tailored for the type & amounts of UV found in sunlight, which include a lot of UVA, a lot of UVB, and a little UVC. So it might give a misleading reading when used with very long UVA found in those Wilycon LEDs, as wavelengths that long have no substantial impact on the skin or on suntan lotion.

The other thing that will be misleading is one would be tempted to place the LED directly up to the sensor patch on the card.
You wouldn't fly a spacecraft up to the sun and place the card directly against the photosphere, would you?

Because it is tailored so specifically (to broad spectrum solar radiation at 91 to 94 million miles), it may be of limited value in this application.
 

SchneiderDriver

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 24, 2001
Messages
19
Location
Indiana
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by sylvestor:

Hey SniderDriver,

Hope you didn't look straight into the light for too long. But if you did, did you experience any vision problems immediately ?

sylvestor.
rolleyes.gif
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Sylvestor,
No, I had sent the light back a day or two before I discovered the UV light on the Arc site, and realized what it was I had been in possesion of. Funny thing, though. I know it was all psychosomatic, but after I found out about it (2 days after looking at it, remember), and while typing the email to brightguy.com, I did have a prickly feeling in my eyes!! I haven't noticed any problems since then, and that had to just be my mind playing tricks on me.

joe
 

SchneiderDriver

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 24, 2001
Messages
19
Location
Indiana
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by telephony:
The levels of UV radiation from UV LEDs is fairly low, so you'd have to stick the thing directly up to your eye and let it cook there for a good long while before anything really terrible happens. There is no appreciable risk (nothing documented anyway) from using the LED to illuminate something and then staring at that something (money, UV-activated inks, etc.) for extended periods.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks, Telephony! That makes me feel a little bit better. BTW, your site was the first good resource I found on the web (and still the first place I visit if looking for real world info on a light) after a friend turned me on to LED's in September. Keep up the good work!

joe
 

patg

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Oct 29, 2001
Messages
61
Location
Garland, TX
Just got my Wilycon UV keychain light the other day. Lot's of fun!

I'm afraid my kids have discovered the tiniest blacklight they've ever seen -- its getting lots of use now for "science experiments".

Check out liquid laundry detergent and the laundry area/machine. More fun than looking for urine!(not too hard to beat)

Also, check out some of those big checks you have not deposited yet(you've got several, right?)-- neat safety/anti-countereiting features on some.

Coffee in a glass carafe looks weird.

The inks from 'Highlighter' markers really take off when hit with UV.

Cheap copy paper looks purple, while better paper is bright white under violet/UV.

Developer and fixer in the darkroom fluoresce with different colors in UV.

So far, nothing really useful, just fun. I'm still looking the this light's "killer app", though!

Pat
 

The_LED_Museum

*Retired*
Joined
Aug 12, 2000
Messages
19,414
Location
Federal Way WA. USA
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by patg:

Check out liquid laundry detergent and the laundry area/machine. More fun than looking for urine!(not too hard to beat)
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Laundry soap is better than pee-pee anyday.
grin.gif


Most anything that glows under a fluorescent BLB tube should glow with the voilet LED as well.
 

WaltH

Enlightened
Joined
Oct 30, 2001
Messages
536
Location
Florida, USA
Take a sheet of Alien Skin and use the UV light as a "pen" to draw on it. The kids and I write glow in the dark notes to one another.
 

hank

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Apr 12, 2001
Messages
1,561
Location
Berkeley CA
Ha! I just posted my questions about ultraviolet, in the thread about camping reading lights -- thinking about up close to the face concern since I've already had one cataract. Then found this thread.
 
Top