This video was originally going to show how to identify fake and real germicidal lamps on eBay, but randomly ended up as a technical video instead.
Both eBay and Amazon are flooded with fake germicidal lamps that are either just near UV (violet), a bright pastel blue designed to emulate the visual spectrum of mercury vapour tubes or in this case just a plain blue LED lamp.
They're still interesting colours, so I decided to modify a couple to reduce their power rating to extend the life of the LEDs and power supply components.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
Both eBay and Amazon are flooded with fake germicidal lamps that are either just near UV (violet), a bright pastel blue designed to emulate the visual spectrum of mercury vapour tubes or in this case just a plain blue LED lamp.
They're still interesting colours, so I decided to modify a couple to reduce their power rating to extend the life of the LEDs and power supply components.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.
This was when your videos started becoming popular again
Here’s some interesting info about genuine UVC LEDs. This is a copy/paste of a conversation I had with some fellow electronics/photonics nerds regarding this technology. A lot of us hobbyists and professionals online, in places like the laser pointer forum LPF and budget light forum BLF, and others.
Clive, I think a cheap Spectrometer would be a cool DIY build. Like the one shown on “les’s lab YouTube channel” Not really necessary, but it would be a fun build, and I’ve seen several instances where you’ve wanted to measure the wavelength of light. Once you have a spectrometer…,you can’t imagine all of the incredible uses!
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Here is the copied info…Maybe it’ll help some folks….. and it’s just interesting stuff regardless!
All genuine UVC LEDs have a quartz/sapphire glass window and/or ceramic Gold plated body. This is necessary because UVC easily damages Plastics and other materials used in UVB and all other LEDs. Therefore if the window wasn’t quartz, it would quickly degrade and discolor.
I’ve Bought and tested close to 100 different UV LEDs over the past few years… Including deep UV (UVC) i’ve tested everything from the dirt cheap Chinese knock off‘s, to the highest end chips costing $100 or more from Nichia and other quality manufacturers. (usually as a sample or with a big discount because I can’t afford $100 for a single LED 😂)
I’m not a professional optics engineer, but I have an industrial electronics servicing business and lab… so already had the equipment. I was interested in this stuff for my own hobby and professional uses. And it was fun as hell!! UV photonics technology is super interesting, even to regular folks Who aren’t nerds.
I’ve always dabbled in optics and lasers. I spent several years putting together a professional optical “breadboard” and test bench. All dirt cheap from government and Academic auctions. It really is the golden age of science and electronics! Over $20,000 worth of optical equipment, and decommissioned military/medical/industrial lasers. Photonics and laser stuff is about the most expensive hobby there is. Besides burning money 😁 A simple mirror, lens, or optical mount can be hundreds of dollars new. no way I could’ve afforded it. But I paid pennies on the dollar! Or less. Government auctions are awesome.
There are genuine deep UV LEDs being made in China that are pretty darn cheap. $1-$2 each! Pretty low power but decent quality.
But UVC LED technology is still so new, that the output powers are exceptionally low when compared to UVB. So you need an array of about 25 LEDs to approach timely “sanitizing“ power. Which is not going to be cheap, especially if you get Nichia or other high end chips. For a 25 LED array of decent power UVC nichia LEDs… You’d be looking at over $1000 easy. And if you went with their most powerful chip, a array of 25 would be about $2500 😂
But power density will increase slowly just like it did with 365nm UV LEDs. Cost per milliwatt of “radiant flux” will go down with time.
Currently, decent cheap quality UVC LEDs average 5-15mw (Milliwatt) of optical output power. So when they sell UVC LEDs labeled as “1 watt“…. that means 1 watt of input power. You have to look closer to find the optical output power rating.
If you got 1 watt of REAL UVC optical output… That shit could fry your skin and eyeballs really fast. Even worse is that real UVC leds can be almost invisible. Which is Dangerous shit!!😂
thankfully many chips include a visible LED inside the same package. Usually 365 nm or higher UVB. As an indication light, so people don’t accidentally leave it on without knowing it… Easily burning their eyes. Or the board it’s eventually mounted on….in a finished product…. has a tiny colored LED next to the UVC led. To indicate when it’s on.
Although 100 mV is pretty much the limit for current UVC led technology…… its possible to get 1000MW (1 watt) of optical power out of 365nm UVB leds… or even more. It will be incredible if UVC LEDs reach this level of radiant flux in the next few years.
Sorry to ramble on. Hope this helps someone or you find it interesting.
It's a blue lamp?
Evening All. 😁
HOW TO GET A REFUND !! *
Hi, I recently (Okt 2020) bought a UV lamp. however it was fake. It was on AliExpress.
I uploaded a small movie and some pictures AND GOT A REFUND. So yuo do can battle the fakes!
I took a picture (one with the fake and one with a working UV light) of a bank note: some details were not visible with the fake light. I also used a phosphor containing plastic and lit it from 10 cm (4") distance. With UV light the phosphor glows like mad, with the fake light it glows 2 or 3 seconds and then dims completely (this was done with a movie). If you do not have anything that 'glows in the dark' yuo may try a jar of peanut butter as well. Or the phosphor in a TL, but that is difficult to capture on a photo.
Good luck you all !
Can you actually make a genocidal LED?
Nice video
im very dissapointed coz china continuesly decieving many buyers
Perhaps there's a model that includes an ozone generator and that's why the via in the center is connected to live – for the corona discharge needle?
Splendid Reverse Magic. Where can I get that Hopi Tester?
After measuring the SMD resistors, did you mark them with their value on the tape? 🙂
I have just purchased a 60watt led UvC globe from a company called UVCGermicidal in Australia and now wondering if this if fake. The unit only draws 12.8 watts so I am a bit suspicious – are there any others ways to test out this bulb?
I remember you took apart a UV disco light that was branded as a UV-C lamp. I have 6 Hex colour LED PAR lights which have LEDs with 6 colour chips inside, one of which is a UV chip. Just imagine someone branded that as a UV-C lamp.
I have the same “tanning” mercury vapor lamp that was used in the movie Bugsy. It uses tubes and really puts out a lot of ozone.
thats a really interesting flexible circuit board!