homemade UV-C germicidal lamps

[zetron]

I read somewhere an advertisement for a battery powered 6 watt UV-C germicidal WAND. Then I researched this method of killing germs and was supprised to find it works very quickly (maybe 15 seconds). You just wave the wand over the surface you want to sterlize. There are no residue chemicals.

UV-C is very dangerous; you cannot have any exposure to your skin or eyes or you will get burned (similar to Welder's Flash).

I obtained two 9.5 watt G10t8 lamps and am in the process of making a "Wand" for one of them. I decided to buy one of those fluoresent work lights and modify it for this UV-C bulb.

I removed the bulbs in the work light and replaced the unit that runs the bulbs with a battery powered unit for one ordinary fluoresent bulb.

The light is running now under some plastic shields and a towel from a Batpack with 10 NiHydride AA cells.

In the future I will buld two smaller units with 8 watt bulbs and use them in my swamp cooler duct and to sterlize my dishes. These units can be put together for less than $20.00 each!

I plan on painting areas inside the motorhome with a clear paint that will fluorese when the UV-C rays hit them so I know where the light is going when I use the wand.

David/zetron

[zetron]

I read somewhere an advertisement for a battery powered 6 watt UV-C germicidal WAND. Then I researched this method of killing germs and was supprised to find it works very quickly (maybe 15 seconds). You just wave the wand over the surface you want to sterlize. There are no residue chemicals.

UV-C is very dangerous; you cannot have any exposure to your skin or eyes or you will get burned (similar to Welder's Flash).

I obtained two 9.5 watt G10t8 lamps and am in the process of making a "Wand" for one of them. I decided to buy one of those fluoresent work lights and modify it for this UV-C bulb.

I removed the bulbs in the work light and replaced the unit that runs the bulbs with a battery powered unit for one ordinary fluoresent bulb.

The light is running now under some plastic shields and a towel from a Batpack with 10 NiHydride AA cells.

In the future I will buld two smaller units with 8 watt bulbs and use them in my swamp cooler duct and to sterlize my dishes. These units can be put together for less than $20.00 each!

I plan on painting areas inside the motorhome with a clear paint that will fluorese when the UV-C rays hit them so I know where the light is going when I use the wand.

David/zetron

[zetron]

I thought I would put this in as I see we have some very knowledgable people here.

In fooling around with fluorecent light PC boards and small inverters I have come across some things I do not understand.

Is it possible to take the PC board from a light that has only two prongs (one on each end and make it work on a hot cathode (four prong) light? Is it possible to reverse this and go from a four prong PC board to a two prong light?

I have done the reverse on low pressure sodium vapor SOX lamps and they work fine. Slimline wants $450.00 for a LPS fixture. I was able to make my 18watt SOX bulb work on a Lights of America $6.95 under cabinet 18 watt complete fixture.

I believe these LPS lights are made to startup instantly today. They use to start up slowely like my lamps do. First you see the electrodes glow and the neon gas around them plus the utube is glowing blue from argon. In about 5 minutes the tube is hot enough for the sodium to start emitting light. And this is at the "sodium doublet" 589 and 590 nanometers wavelength. It gives the appearance of a very powerful old style wick type kerosene lamp.

They use these LPS lamps in towns and cities where there are astronomical observatories as these sodium lines are easily removed using filters.

I believe the LPS lamps would be better served using a PC board that feeds a fluoresent lamp with only two prongs instead of shorting out two of the leads on a four prong fluoresent and feeding the two to the LPS.

The UV-C germicidal lamps are no probvlem at all since they will work perfectly in ordinary fluorecent fixtures. The UV-C lamp is the same as the reular lamp except it has no phosphor on the inside of the bulb and the bulb is made of quartz instead of glass.

David/zetron