I've been a lurker at CandlePowerForums for a while - some great info here - thanks!
So I recently had cataract surgery - at age 48, it was a few decades early ... but all went well. To make a long story short, I can now see in the UV spectrum - even got tested on a Monochromator at HP Labs - click here for my lengthy writeup with pictures and analysis about seeing Ultra-violet after cataract surgery.
So after playing around with a GE F15T8/BLB Black Light, I wanted to get a UV flashlight for more portability ... but wanted something at a low wavelength ... and ended up getting this Gallion Indium Nitride 365nm 9 LED flashlight from Amazon. I also got an el-cheapo 400nm UV flashlight - same form factor, but spills much more light into the visible regime.
It's pretty easy for me to test these (since I can see UV! ;-) as I simply compare what I see with/without a UV filter or polycarbonate safety glasses. Not much difference on the el-cheapo 400nm light ... but a significant difference with the 365nm light.
But the 365nm still "spills" a bit of light into the visible spectrum. I.e. I can see some light even through the UV filter. I'm wondering if perhaps the plastic cover (over the LED's) is causing this? I have tried to remove it, but even with pliers, it doesn't seem like that top will unthread.
This is a bit frustrating since it defeats the purpose of a 365nm flashlight ... and in this CandleForumPower thread, it seems other people have noticed this ... with one suggestion being to replace that plastic cover with Woods Glass.
Curious if anyone else has experience with these flashlights and any other suggestions on how to minimize the emission in the visible spectrum?
Thanks,
alek
So I recently had cataract surgery - at age 48, it was a few decades early ... but all went well. To make a long story short, I can now see in the UV spectrum - even got tested on a Monochromator at HP Labs - click here for my lengthy writeup with pictures and analysis about seeing Ultra-violet after cataract surgery.
So after playing around with a GE F15T8/BLB Black Light, I wanted to get a UV flashlight for more portability ... but wanted something at a low wavelength ... and ended up getting this Gallion Indium Nitride 365nm 9 LED flashlight from Amazon. I also got an el-cheapo 400nm UV flashlight - same form factor, but spills much more light into the visible regime.
It's pretty easy for me to test these (since I can see UV! ;-) as I simply compare what I see with/without a UV filter or polycarbonate safety glasses. Not much difference on the el-cheapo 400nm light ... but a significant difference with the 365nm light.
But the 365nm still "spills" a bit of light into the visible spectrum. I.e. I can see some light even through the UV filter. I'm wondering if perhaps the plastic cover (over the LED's) is causing this? I have tried to remove it, but even with pliers, it doesn't seem like that top will unthread.
This is a bit frustrating since it defeats the purpose of a 365nm flashlight ... and in this CandleForumPower thread, it seems other people have noticed this ... with one suggestion being to replace that plastic cover with Woods Glass.
Curious if anyone else has experience with these flashlights and any other suggestions on how to minimize the emission in the visible spectrum?
Thanks,
alek