UV LED, use them for?

last time ordered a UV LED head from PEAK, it arrived today but i don't know what applications shall i put them to use.

any ideas? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif

i know it sounds stupid /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

I mainly use mine to charge the luminous material on my watches. A few seconds exposure will charge most of them up to full brightness just as if they had been out in the sun for a while.

Depending on the wavelength, you can also use them to check for *ahem* 'organic' stains on the bed linens while traveling and staying in hotels. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sick2.gif

You can also use them to check for the presence of the UV-reactive strip in some paper money.
I know they work on US currency (newer bills down to $5), but I don't know if the paper currency in Singapore will be reactive in some manner or not.

You can look at some currency and see the UV reactive watermarks and stuff, and some credit cards and IDs have spots that are reactive. .

You can use them to hunt scorpions in the dark - they fluoresce under UV light. I've seen it myself - it's kind of cool!

yeah, i just checked it will my $$ notes, looks interesting /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif but a few buck money checker can do this job i think.../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

charging the luminous material on watch is a good idea, but i just changed a new watch with self-back light.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

checking the sperm in hotel bed? what a nice idea /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crackup.gif

MrBenchmark's has obviously 'caught the vision'! they glow real good -- We don't get so many in the house now, but probably had 15-20 of them over the first 2 years in the house! Kids thought my flashlight hobby was stupid until they saw the glowing scorpion!!

Yes, perhaps the most disquieting thing is to discover that
"I don't see any scorpions around here" is NOT the same statement as "There aren't any scorpions around here."

Mostly my UV light demonstrates that I have the world's most incontinent cat. Fortunately he sleeps for 22 hours a day, so it limits the opportunity for damage...

Pet stains, human stains, scorpions -- why oh why did I buy this UV LED light? No peace of mind can come from owning one!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Some minerals will glow - flourite for one. (You can find samples of this on ebay for pretty cheap.) Some types of glass will glow brightly. Lots of office supplies glow - post-it's, folders, hi-lighter pens - anything day-glo colored. You can also buy invisible markers so you can write stuff that can only be seen under UV light. I mark my screwdrivers this way so that they don't wander off. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleye11.gif

Also I have heard some minerals will glow. I haven't found any myself yet though.

Also it is educational. For example you find out that your white shirt glows because they add a florescing (sp?) compound to it so that it appears super white in sunshine. (Sunshine has natual uv in it.)

Edit - Opps, I see MrBenchmark beat me on this info.

could you specify what wavelenght is best for "organic"-material please.
I tried my Inova x1 UV, but I do not see any organics /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

thanx

I believe 385nm UVA LEDs will work on organic depositions.
Somewhere I have a picture I took of an experiment that involved a small amount of uranation on disposable/flushable black cloth that showed the spot under three different UVA sources. Let's see if I can find that...BBS...well, I haven't yet found it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif
If I do find that picture (which I believe was named "peecloth.jpg") this afternoon, I'll post it in this thread.

I've posted this before. I try and keep the population down for a 100 yd radius around my get-away shack in the desert.


Larry

Why oh why would I want to know what organics are on my hotel bed? I'd sleep in the car...until I got the UV light out in the car...

[ QUOTE ]
PocketBeam said:
Also I have heard some minerals will glow. I haven't found any myself yet though.

Also it is educational. For example you find out that your white shirt glows because they add a florescing (sp?) compound to it so that it appears super white in sunshine. (Sunshine has natual uv in it.)


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Yep, it's fluorescent dye that's added to common laundry detergent that does it. You can purchase this "whitening" dye at many grocery and craft stores in the RIT dye section.
Makes a cheap and handy source for invisible UV ink among other things.

The ingredient in wash soap is called "bluing", and it's intended specifically to whiten such things as t-shirts, bras, socks, and underwear.
Bluing is available seperately in bottles (the RIT dye) so you can experiment with it with UVA radiation.

"Bluing"... now there's a term that I haven't heard for years! Do they still sell the stuff in liquid (bottled) form?

I bought some bluing (RIT brand) in powdered form. Makes a dandy invisible ink.

There's a handful of 20 dollar bills out there that have the words "real money" invisibly printed over the embeded strip.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Daniel

Yes, they still make bluing. . . my supermarket has it in liquid form, and it's still blue in color (it's meant to be diluted in the wash). The RIT powder seems better suited to making invisible ink.

There's also a handful of $20 dollar bills out there where Homer Simpson will be staring back at you instead of Andrew Jackson! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Does anybody know which wavelenght
the peak uv aaa is using?

Cheers
Ralf

[ QUOTE ]
Aloft said:
Yes, they still make bluing. . . my supermarket has it in liquid form, and it's still blue in color (it's meant to be diluted in the wash). The RIT powder seems better suited to making invisible ink.

[/ QUOTE ]

Interesting... thanks. I've used the powdered dye for UV ink with good results also.

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There's also a handful of $20 dollar bills out there where Homer Simpson will be staring back at you instead of Andrew Jackson! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Ha! I'll be on the lookout for those /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif