SDG #198 A $28 UVC LED and Quantadose Test Cards

A big thank you to all of my Patreon supporters!
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Mouser Link to Luminus UV-C LEDs:
Luminus Manufacturer Link:
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0:00 Introduction
1:02 UVC LED Specs
3:32 Macro images of the UVC LED
3:54 Testing
7:08 Summary
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3D Printers:
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Soldering Tools and Equipment:
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Test Equipment:
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Microscope Equipment:
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#led #uvc #ElectronicsCreators

[ChrisFredriksson]

Awesome! Fun to see that you got the Quantadose ones that I suggested in the previous video. I got them as well, but I haven't still tested my UVC Philips tube lights.. just gotta wire the ballasts up.. but I never get around to do that :P hehe.. Great video as always!

[madcalm]

As to light & microbe killing effectivity %, tube lamps also emit alot (most of their spectre) of non UVC photons - green, red etc

[littlechestnutorchard]

When I was a kid many many moons ago I used to experiment with mercury discharge street lights, if you break the outside borosilicate glass bulb the inner fused quartz silica arc tube emits powerful 400W wide band UV lights 365nm UVA
254nm UVC
184nm UVC
Also produce intense ozone gas. This was happening 40 odd years ago and I blinded myself couple of times and pain was excruciating, luckily did not cause long term damage .

[madcalm]

Tube lamps degrade very quickly on each switching on, which makes their maintenance equipment a headache

[TradieTrev]

You can't compete with a gas filled tube in regards to surface area, although I could imagine with the right lenses and enough of them you kill heaps of germs.
I'd love the R&D work that you do, I can see these leds being useful in wastewater management but the future will tell what will become an industrial standard.

[piconano]

The problem is these also produce lots of ozone at ~280nm.
The types with regular glass enclosure instead of quartz glass, don't produce much ozone, but are weaker when it comes to germ killing.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I wanted to build a breather mask using the same concept as a muffler, to make the air pass through, while being radiated at the entrance with UVC, but don't pass any light.
I quickly discovered how much ozone it will produce, and gave up on the idea.

[extendedp]

Thanks for the video, I will check out your other UVC videos as I have been into UVC as a means of disinfection way before COVID hit. I was never sure how to verify my bulbs were working properly, and at what strength, so this was helpful. My big question is... How do we know these inexpensive Quantadose cards are accurate? Have you done any tests on these cards vs a UVC meter, or know of anyone that has? THANKS.

[dreamcat]

Please correct me if i'm wrong. but i would maybe expect a solid state semiconductor device like this to be more reliable than a discharge tube. well if they can make it right, because as we know uvc itself is very capable of degrading many plastics or filter material which must be constructed over the led die.

But for a mobile application for example in a vehicle which has a lot of vibrations. Or temperature variations and it is not easy to swap or replace the lamp if it fails. And if the cost is no object. Then maybe these things makes enough sense so long as that mobile platform can provide enough cooling to how many of them is required.

And if they are not hitting a brick walls, and can still continue to gradually increase the efficiency. For future products. Then i would imagine these could be attractive for niche military and aerospace application. Like the mars rover. Lots of vibrations during takeoff. Then all those many different science experiments etc. For example if they need to shine a low intensity uv reference light. To test that a sensor is calibrated properly, and still working. Stuff like that.

Also wonder if are any other disadvantages to the discharge lamps. Which they would hope to solve by developing leds. Like idk if the things are pulsing / flashing like a florescent light. And they want to get rid of the flicker. Or if the discharge lamp is harder to mass produce at scale.

I do also wonder how far a distance the uvc penetrates the air too. At least for the 222nm far uvc. If that somehow limits the usefulness of a higher power output lamp. Isnt it that some types of uv light creates ozone from the air? That would then become a factor that absorbs some of the uv energy. Cant remember now. Depends on the wavelength i guess.

[Kinoko]

I really wanted to see you turn on the UVA and UVC LED that were on the same chip AT THE SAME TIME. Would the "UVC" letters appear white instead of green? I have a product that is supposedly UVC, and I get white "UVC" letters. The light the LEDs emit looks incredibly purple/magenta, and I am trying to figure out what is really going on. Each individual LED causes this result. Any thoughts?

[led]

This quantadose card does not distinguish uvb and uvc. It shows even uvb 310nm shows UVC letter.

[kwinzman]

You teased, but then never showed the "HardKing" test cards. Are they any good?

[TheChemicalWorkshop]

to ship a card like this costs 20$
anyone got cheaper alternative for the uvc detection card?

[VMFRD]

For pond or aquarium water sterilization or even to kill algae this source of UV-C is still far away from being any good. In my 1500L pond I use a 15W gas filled tube. It is still 1W per 100L so imagine how many LEDs you will need even for a small aquarium...