UV uses?

[EDcLED]

Some one tell me what use they put their UV to, which ones you have etc?

 

[flashlightpoor]

i have the inova x1-UV. i use it for everything from testing/activating glow powder to finding cat pee. I don't carry it with me, but it is nice to have it.

 

[PeterScowcroft]

If I ever get to test it I will be using my UV light to flouresce limestone for a 'think outside the box' caving torch.
It is also useful to charge up glow in th dark stuff.

 

[optolite]

UV is used in applications such as curing of polymers or encapsulants, detection of fake currency, in some biomedical equipment, psiorasis treatment dermatology. it is also used during fabrication of dvds and cds, air and water purifiers and a long list of other stuff.

 

[MacTech]

I primarily use mine (Minimag with Terralux Cree UV emitter) to verify currency at work, and of course, to charge up the lume paint on my Seiko Orange Monster

one great use of UV is to verify Postal Money Orders, a legitimate PMO will have the following features;

flourescent fibers randomly scattered throughout the paper
the USPS plastic strip (similar to the strip in US paper currency $5 and up) glows a dull red
the serial number of the MO is printed in UV ink on the back of the MO, and should match the serial number on the front

 

[Tempora]

Use it for identifying bodily fluids full of protein and enzymes such as blood and semen.

 

[liveforphysics]

I use my UV lights for tracking the pigment changes in the corals I grow. The UV reactive pigments give me advance warning of the corals lighting direction and flow needs.

I also use UV lighting in a dark aquarium for attracting just hatched shrimp larva and clownfish and goby fry so I can carefully scoop them out to try(VERY difficult!) to raise them.

If I use a regular light source, it attracts the fry, but it also attracts about 40 other fish who think the newly hatched babies look like a nice snack.

Here are some pics taken with UV supplimental lighting. No photoshop or photo editing of any kind.

 

[Size15's]

In addition to the above,

Some (all?) Scorpions can be seen very easily under UV light.

Credit/Debit cards have hidden logos visible under UV
Passports and driving ID cards often have UV visible markings

 

[klink]

My son has this vampire hunting GameBoy game.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001Y73XM/?tag=cpf0b6-20

One of the interesting aspects of the game is that you have to periodically expose a sensor on the game cartridge to UV (sunlight) to keep the vampires at bay. He has discovered my cheapo ebay UV light lets him cheat and play at night.

 

[Ty_Bower]

I use mine to find the kitty whiz, so I can clean it with the carpet machine.

 

[scott.cr]

If I ever get to test it I will be using my UV light to flouresce limestone for a 'think outside the box' caving torch.

EXACTLY what I use my UV light for! Except it's when I'm exploring mineshafts in the Mojave desert. My first time out, my dad and I were like hmmm... I wonder if there's any uranium ore in here? A UV would be perfect to flouresce it, as well as other minerals that aren't easily discerned under visible light.

I actually made a five-Luxeon flashlight (from scratch) with the Luxes arranged in a pentagon pattern. That hole in the middle has a Cree UV LED and I can toggle between visible and UV for flourescing.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

I've got an old InReTech NUV module (400nm) in a 3D M/\G host for cat pee.

 

[Valpo Hawkeye]

I use mine to find refrigerant leaks. My Inova X5-UV is way easier than the massive UV incan that came with our leak test kit.

 

[winston]

I check IDs at a club. A three color image of California's state flag, visible under UV, is on all recent CDLs and IDs. The fakes are getting good, though. In my collection of confiscated fakes are a few where the maker included a UV sensitive image of the flag, albeit a monochromatic one. And when I think of how easy it was to make them when I was a kid.... :drunk:
-Winston

 

[taiji]

I use it to fluoresce molds in foods especially the rice in the cooker. The mold will shine brighter and whiter before any becomes visible to the naked eye.

 

[Illum]

money, authentic document verification...mostly for fun

cat pee supposedly identifiable under 375 nm...mine doesnt

 

[tulanebme]

Several types of fungal skin infections will fluoresce yellow to yellow-green under 365 nm. It's a great icebreaker for first dates.

 

[ghostguy6]

I check IDs at a club. A three color image of California's state flag, visible under UV, is on all recent CDLs and IDs. The fakes are getting good, though. In my collection of confiscated fakes are a few where the maker included a UV sensitive image of the flag, albeit a monochromatic one. And when I think of how easy it was to make them when I was a kid.... :drunk:
-Winston

There are some great ones floating around Edmonton as well. If it werent for my X1 UV I would have never known they were fakes

 

[LEDite]

I sell a variety of UV indicator lights for pet urine detection.

The latest ones are 3 Watt Cree UV Leds with 2400 mah lithium ion rechargable batteries.

They also have glass Minolta aspheric lenses to produce the UV beam.

Difficult to take beam shot photos.

LEDite

 

[Icebreak]

Lots of stuff. Most recently (nothing new here) I was fishing at a hot spot on the river. For the fun of it I shined my Mag 2C w/ TerraLux Cree UV at one guy's open jig tray. Lit up like a box of lights. Some lures continued to glow because of thier GID.

Wow.

Then I lit up the area with an Electrolumens 5W Royal Blue. Many boxes of lit up jigs, and lures.

Double wow.

Someone asked me if it cost about $500.00 dollars...that's a first...over estimating the cost.

I wish I had one of those high power LEDs McGizmo was experimenting with. He had only a few and they were expensive. Sorry I can't remember for sure but I think was some special Nichia LED. I think they were 380 nm or lower.

LEDite -

Would you tell us the forward voltage of your Cree UV lights and give a simple discription of the heat sink?

That Terralux Cree UV I have is way underpowered and I don't think it has much sinking. Still, it's a pretty amazing little torch.