tino_ale
Flashlight Enthusiast
Hey guys,
After a long search for a small and inexpensive 365nm UV light source for curing Norland 61, I have finally come to this DIY device that works like a charm for almost nothing.
Only thing one need is a way to power-up the emitters at 20mA. I use a bench power supply to power it up to approx 14V in order to let 20mA flow into the string of emitters.
Nichia has been kind enough to send me a few NSHU590B samples at no cost. These are 1.4mW 365nm UV light sources with a 10° beam angle. Not powerfull but a narrow beam angle and right on spot wavelenght.
I wired four of them in serie on a small DIY PCB, set all emitter to focus towards a unique target, then shrink tube everything.
This setup will cure a big drop of Norland in 5 minutes. At 1min the drop is hard but you can still mess-up with the surface finish. At 5min+ it is as hard as it can get.
Interrestingly, a single emitter would take about half an hour to cure Norland, while four of them will in 5 min. So curing Norland is not only a matter of time, it's also a matter of power.
The size of the beam is perfect for a 1.55x5mm tritium vial but will work on bigger targets at the expense of curing time.
Hope this helps
After a long search for a small and inexpensive 365nm UV light source for curing Norland 61, I have finally come to this DIY device that works like a charm for almost nothing.
Only thing one need is a way to power-up the emitters at 20mA. I use a bench power supply to power it up to approx 14V in order to let 20mA flow into the string of emitters.
Nichia has been kind enough to send me a few NSHU590B samples at no cost. These are 1.4mW 365nm UV light sources with a 10° beam angle. Not powerfull but a narrow beam angle and right on spot wavelenght.
I wired four of them in serie on a small DIY PCB, set all emitter to focus towards a unique target, then shrink tube everything.
This setup will cure a big drop of Norland in 5 minutes. At 1min the drop is hard but you can still mess-up with the surface finish. At 5min+ it is as hard as it can get.
Interrestingly, a single emitter would take about half an hour to cure Norland, while four of them will in 5 min. So curing Norland is not only a matter of time, it's also a matter of power.
The size of the beam is perfect for a 1.55x5mm tritium vial but will work on bigger targets at the expense of curing time.
Hope this helps
.
