Testing a UV/UVC test card

I'm not sure how widely these were available before the pandemic, but they're now all over eBay due to the market that was created for testing germicidal wands and lights.

One very useful function of these it to test the ability of materials to block UVC light. By placing the test material (like my glasses) between the UVC source and the sensing surface it will indicate if the UVC is blocked. In my case all my glasses blocked UVC, which is reassuring.

The UVA test surface seems to respond right down to the near-UV LEDs in the 395-405nm range.

To find these on eBay use the keywords - UVC test card.
Price should be around 5 £$€ for a pack of 5 and not much more for a pack of 10.

This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's algorithm quirks, allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.

#ElectronicsCreators

[ghostkhadaji]

You keep telling me to not look at UVC light, but then you keep shining it in my face...

[noob]

The purple one is hackmanite! That was developed by our smart materials research group here in the University of Turku. One of the biggest things to come out of our chemistry department in a while. They're even taking it to the ISS. The same technology is also being used to create backgrounds for xray imaging. They're also trying to make it respond to different wavelengths by using different dopants.

[roasttoe]

Been watching a lot of Big Clive lately so much so the phrase "one moment please" has made it into my vocabulary. Great content as always 👍🏼👍🏼

[proberts]

Here's a suggestion for extending the fun. . .Sunscreen testing. Cover the test patches with a sunscreen, the flash your lights on them. Note the results, then repeat with different sunscreens, or sunscreens with different declared protection levels, on new cards. Repeat as desired. I'd be interested in the results.

[CoolJoshk]

These should be an immediate recommended purchase suggestion for anytime someone buys a UVC product on eBay or Amazon.
But I’ll bet some people are so gullible they’ll think the test card is faulty.

[nigelgunn_WIFF]

You can get similar fluorescent/phosphorescent test cards for IR, for example to test TV remote controls or for photo bean alignment on conveyors.

[keithjurena]

Postage stamps have used UVC dye as an invisible proof of cancelation. An invisible UVC block is applied to cancel the stamp to prevent reuse. Ordinary clear tape is just as effective and will cause postage rejection.
I discovered this when I was working in a Chem lab. We used a UVC lamp for visualizing thin layer chromatography plates.

[aftbit]

I'm embarrassed but I didn't realize that the UVC window needed to be viewed while the light was on. I naively expected it to stay darkened just like the "UV" side did. I used one of these cards to "prove" that a $10 "UV-C" led was in fact UV-A plus blue. Because I was pretty confident that the lamp was fake, I looked at the card while it was running, and sure enough, "UV" but no "UVC". With my actual UV-C mercury vapor lamp, I was trying to do the eye-safe thing and avoid looking at the card directly while illuminated, so I left it in the room to bake for a moment, then observed, giving me the same confusing (false) "UV" but not "UVC" result. I will try observing again while the lamp is on with low ambient light.

[maurice_walker]

I first read "Tasting a UV/UVC test card" and was not even confused. Just thought, "oh well, Clive being Clive".

[kobl]

Y'know, I like/appreciate your phrasing of "the media lost interest in the pandemic"

[lauset]

I remember the old psychedelic days of black lights making the lint on my clothes stand out as well as the posters and painted rooms of my dissolute young life of fun and merriment. Cheers.

[stillstanding]

A useful card but need to confirm the UVC activation wavelength is not in fact UVB wavelengths too.
The British and Australian post offices did considerable research on fluors and phosphors some 50 years ago in order to facillitate high speed 1st / 2nd class mail sorting. Much of this still relevant today. Ask any serious stamp buff 😊

[spasticmuse]

Reminds me of the couple IR test cards we had in the shop back in the early 90's for testing consumer remotes. Fast forward to over a decade later, and I impressed the owner of an EADL(Electronic aides for the disabled) business with my knowledge of checking an IR remote with a phone camera that I got hired and basically became the lead engineer for about 13 years. Funny how odd bits of knowledge can affect one's life!

[Dcoool]

OR you can use a Euro bill, the print reacts different to UVA UVB UVC and even infra red. And when you are done it is still useable to buy stuff.

[Chris]

I bought these recently - super useful for helping me stay safe around my UVC germicidal tubes!

[johnkukla]

Also available are UV-C dosimeter cards with calibrated patches that will change color depending on the amount of UV-C energy incident on the card.

Sometimes they're packaged as UV index indicators, which is actually a pretty nifty idea.

[LtKernelPanic]

Neat. I looked at similar cards a few years ago and they were a lot more expensive. Going to have to pick up a couple to do some testing.

[Vokabre]

I really appreciate little things which definitely have a lot of research hidden beneath the surface, but look quite simple. Like the tests for different viruses.
This thingy looks good to have when dealing with club lights and the like, just as a precaution against accidents with wrong dangerlamps being sourced.

[jeffmassey]

Neat Test Card!

Off Topic-ALDI in the US is selling the 3 level Workzone LED rechargeable work lamp again.
This time, I got enough for our shopmates and meself. If not for a prior review, I would have passed them over.
Thanks for your service to the Industry, Cheers.

[Badger]

If you live in Arizona, you can find scorpions with UV. Still working on an ionizer by ordering 120v ionizers. Fingers crossed.