Homebrew PCBs

In my ongoing research to make a UV exposure box the Right Way, I come to 
the question of the tubes.  Where is a good place to order 12-inch T8 
tubes that emit the right wavelength.  According to 
http://www.turbokeu.com/myprojects/pcb.htm, a Sylvania 350 blacklight is a 
good match, but I can't find much on this through google, particularly if 
it's available in a 12-inch version.  So, what are my options for 12-inch 
tubes?

-- 
David Griffith
dgriffi@...

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On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 2:55 PM, David Griffith <dgriffi@...>wrote:

>
>
> In my ongoing research to make a UV exposure box the Right Way, I come to
> the question of the tubes. Where is a good place to order 12-inch T8
> tubes that emit the right wavelength. According to
> http://www.turbokeu.com/myprojects/pcb.htm, a Sylvania 350 blacklight is a
>
> good match, but I can't find much on this through google, particularly if
> it's available in a 12-inch version. So, what are my options for 12-inch
> tubes?
>
> --
> David Griffith
> dgriffi@... <dgriffi%40cs.csubak.edu>
>

 Home Depot (And other chains like Lowes/Menards/etc.) carry 12-inch-ish
U-shaped bug zapper bulbs.  With a couple of those you're set and you get
the effective output of 4 lamps since the lamps are U-shaped, giving you two
bulb lines per tube.  I haven't tried "black light" bulbs before but they
don't seem as bright (totally subjective and not necessarily a useful
observation) as the bug-zapper bulbs.  I'm sure there's either got to be
more filtering on the "black light" bulbs vs. the bug-zappers or they're
putting out different peak wavelengths.  Either way I've used the
bug-zappers for years and they can't be beat and they're easy to source in
the summer, not so sure about during other months.  I would be concerned
about the "black light"-type bulbs since they may emit light that is too
short of a wavelength vs. what the Riston films seem to like.  As others
have mentioned, the films weren't really designed for shorter UV lengths
than 380-390 nm so if you can't see it it may be to deep a UV to work
effectively.

HTH,
Larry


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

On 29/01/2010 19:55, David Griffith wrote:
> In my ongoing research to make a UV exposure box the Right Way, I come to
> the question of the tubes.  Where is a good place to order 12-inch T8
> tubes that emit the right wavelength.  According to
> http://www.turbokeu.com/myprojects/pcb.htm, a Sylvania 350 blacklight is a
> good match, but I can't find much on this through google, particularly if
> it's available in a 12-inch version.  So, what are my options for 12-inch
> tubes?
>    
Farnell and RS stock them.

Leon

> In my ongoing research to make a UV exposure box the Right Way, I come to 
> the question of the tubes.  Where is a good place to order 12-inch T8 
> tubes that emit the right wavelength.  According to 
> http://www.turbokeu.com/myprojects/pcb.htm, a Sylvania 350 blacklight is a 
> good match, but I can't find much on this through google, particularly if 
> it's available in a 12-inch version.  So, what are my options for 12-inch 
> tubes?

Do you need it only in 12-inch?
A recommended and tested tube for many years has been F15T8BL, but in 18 inches.

http://www.lightingsupply.com/F15T8-BL.aspx

You could look for any replacement for several manufacturers. You just only need to specify that the tube will be a F15T8/BL or /350BL equivalent.
Do not use a BLB since it includes a filter. Also avoid any "bug-zapper" or fancy "disco-party" black lights since include some painting/colouring that may change their properties. Remember, you need a bare-bones, simple UV light with 350nm. And also avoid U-shaped tubes, since you want uniformity along all your surface. If you use a U-shaped tube, there is more concentration of the light in the "U" than in the other part of the tube.

If you want to put a bunch of those tubes in an exposure box, do you
have to cannibalize an equal number of generic flourescent fixtures
too?

> 
>  Home Depot (And other chains like Lowes/Menards/etc.) carry 12-inch-ish
> U-shaped bug zapper bulbs.  With a couple of those you're set and you get
> the effective output of 4 lamps since the lamps are U-shaped, giving you two
> bulb lines per tube.  I haven't tried "black light" bulbs before but they
> don't seem as bright (totally subjective and not necessarily a useful
> observation) as the bug-zapper bulbs.  I'm sure there's either got to be
> more filtering on the "black light" bulbs vs. the bug-zappers or they're
> putting out different peak wavelengths.  Either way I've used the
> bug-zappers for years and they can't be beat and they're easy to source in
> the summer, not so sure about during other months.  I would be concerned
> about the "black light"-type bulbs since they may emit light that is too
> short of a wavelength vs. what the Riston films seem to like.  As others
> have mentioned, the films weren't really designed for shorter UV lengths
> than 380-390 nm so if you can't see it it may be to deep a UV to work
> effectively.
> 
> HTH,
> Larry
> 
> 
> 



Traditional blacklight tubes are made of Woods glass which filters out most of the visible light, as well as some of the UV. These are the deep purple looking tubes that look black when off. Bug zapper bulbs are the same thing but with clear glass that does not filter. You can find UV lamps in the same sizes as most other small fluorescent tubes, they will have a /BL suffix, while the filtered blacklight will have /BLB. Standard lighting tubes will have something like /CW, /WW, /KB, /D, or a color temperature for the trichromatic lamps.

You might see a number like F15T8/BL, which indicates Fluorescent, 15 Watts nominal, Tubular, 8/8ths inch (1") diameter, unfiltered blacklight. An example of just such a tube is here

http://www.amazon.com/Eiko-15526-F15T8-Fluorescent-Black/dp/B000TZSQ9S

I don't recall the designation for the U shaped tubes, but here's an example:

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_043W799659110001P?vName=Outdoor%20Living&cName=PestControl&sName=Insect%20Killers&psid=FROOGLE&sid=KDx20070926x00003a


You will also need a ballast and starter correct for each lamp, one like this http://www.amazon.com/Philips-LC1420CI-F14-Lamp-Ballast/dp/B000BO9HOK will run the little U shaped tubes as well as linear up to 20W. The starters are those little cans that plug in, you can get those at any hardware store. If you can't find sockets, you can solder the wires to them.

You might also find electronic ballasts that don't need the starter, I have a few that came from under cabinet lights, the circuit is pretty much what you'd find in a compact fluorescent bulb but the current is higher than most of those use. You can usually cheat a little and run a fluorescent lamp +/- ~50% of the nominal rated wattage but you should try to keep things close to preserve lamp and ballast life.

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, DJ Delorie <dj@...> wrote:
>
> 
> If you want to put a bunch of those tubes in an exposure box, do you
> have to cannibalize an equal number of generic flourescent fixtures
> too?
>


No, just buy a bunch of ballasts, they're cheap. Normally $5 or so, but a few months ago Home Depot had them marked down to 48 cents, and when I bought several of them they rang up at 6 cents! By the time you buy a ballast, starter, sockets, etc though you might spend more than a cheap fixture costs, although the components will be higher quality in most cases.

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010, jcarlosmor wrote:

>> In my ongoing research to make a UV exposure box the Right Way, I come to
>> the question of the tubes.  Where is a good place to order 12-inch T8
>> tubes that emit the right wavelength.  According to
>> http://www.turbokeu.com/myprojects/pcb.htm, a Sylvania 350 blacklight is a
>> good match, but I can't find much on this through google, particularly if
>> it's available in a 12-inch version.  So, what are my options for 12-inch
>> tubes?
>
> Do you need it only in 12-inch? A recommended and tested tube for many 
> years has been F15T8BL, but in 18 inches.

I don't plan on making anything larger than a letter-sized piece of paper, 
so, 12 inches is what I'm after.

> http://www.lightingsupply.com/F15T8-BL.aspx
>
> You could look for any replacement for several manufacturers. You just 
> only need to specify that the tube will be a F15T8/BL or /350BL 
> equivalent. Do not use a BLB since it includes a filter. Also avoid any 
> "bug-zapper" or fancy "disco-party" black lights since include some 
> painting/colouring that may change their properties. Remember, you need 
> a bare-bones, simple UV light with 350nm. And also avoid U-shaped tubes, 
> since you want uniformity along all your surface. If you use a U-shaped 
> tube, there is more concentration of the light in the "U" than in the 
> other part of the tube.

Reptile UV lights have also been suggested in the various pages I've 
found.


-- 
David Griffith
dgriffi@...

A: Because it fouls the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing in e-mail?

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:35:01 -0800 (PST), you wrote:

>On Sat, 30 Jan 2010, jcarlosmor wrote:
>
>>> In my ongoing research to make a UV exposure box the Right Way, I come to
>>> the question of the tubes.  Where is a good place to order 12-inch T8
>>> tubes that emit the right wavelength.  According to
>>> http://www.turbokeu.com/myprojects/pcb.htm, a Sylvania 350 blacklight is a
>>> good match, but I can't find much on this through google, particularly if
>>> it's available in a 12-inch version.  So, what are my options for 12-inch
>>> tubes?
>>
>> Do you need it only in 12-inch? A recommended and tested tube for many 
>> years has been F15T8BL, but in 18 inches.
>
>I don't plan on making anything larger than a letter-sized piece of paper, 
>so, 12 inches is what I'm after.

You may or may not ever decide to go larger.  The 18 inch bulbs are
inexpensive and available. You also have the advantage of using the
center section which might be a bit more uniform in output.  The ends
may or may not be identical.

Harvey

>
>> http://www.lightingsupply.com/F15T8-BL.aspx
>>
>> You could look for any replacement for several manufacturers. You just 
>> only need to specify that the tube will be a F15T8/BL or /350BL 
>> equivalent. Do not use a BLB since it includes a filter. Also avoid any 
>> "bug-zapper" or fancy "disco-party" black lights since include some 
>> painting/colouring that may change their properties. Remember, you need 
>> a bare-bones, simple UV light with 350nm. And also avoid U-shaped tubes, 
>> since you want uniformity along all your surface. If you use a U-shaped 
>> tube, there is more concentration of the light in the "U" than in the 
>> other part of the tube.
>
>Reptile UV lights have also been suggested in the various pages I've 
>found.