Teardown of a fake UVC germicidal corn-cob lamp.

[@AlanW]

I've just had a wonderful idea. Clive should make a livestream of his genuine UVC lamps turned on, and we can just tune in to it when we need to disinfect things!

[@stevet249]

indeed. I could strap my ipad to my forehead to keep the space I'm walking into clean. Great!!

[@hachikiina]

you sir are very bright

[@wolvenar]

CAREFUL.. Sarcasm meters around the world are at risk of breaking from this comment

[@woldemunster9244]

HDR-stream required for maximum effect. :D

[@crackedemerald4930]

Bruh, I don't wanna get eye damage from a stream... Good thing i have my 100nm to 1000nm blocking goggles!

[@IncertusetNescio]

I like the word-by-word fact checking of the listing title. :D

[@Bluscream]

I wish he would have striked them through

[@tylrhoot]

It was so funny and so true at the same time!

[@deanrobert8674]

For a good laugh check out what Trump has said about using the UVC light on treating humans for the current zombie apocalypse. "INTERNALLY" like inside the lungs, I shit you not !

[@NoobixCube]

I expected him to say “lamp... it IS”.

[@dwmca1620]

Trump was making a sarcastic comment to some reporter. He repeated that at the next meeting when a reporter asked him about it.

[@TheGreatJafa]

Your breakdown on the factual integrity of the lamp title brought tears to my eyes. It's the longest laugh I've had in a while, had to rewatch it a few times. Thank you.

[@billagnor5844]

Bill Agnor I did a standard medical test to see if the Corn Cob LED light would kill bacteria. Using a Sterile Prepoured Nutrient Agar Petri Dishes I introduced bacteria uniformly across the entire surface of the petri dish. I then laid an index card across half of the dish surface. Next I exposed the petri dish to the corn cob LED light at a distance of 4 inches for a period or 30 minutes (this extreme time should killed any bacteria) . This configuration exposed half of the petri dish to the corn cob LED light and the other half of the petri dish was not exposed to the corn cob LED light. If the light was a real germicidal light the first side of the dish (exposed to the light) should have all of it's bacteria killed while the other half of the dish that was cover up should have a strong colony of bacteria growing after 24 hours of incubation. Coming out of the incubator both sides of the petri dish are completely covered with bacteria. The LED light has no effect on the bacteria. The germicidal LED Corn Lamp is a totally Fake.

[@barthonhoff5547]

Bill Agnor Thanks for confirming, that once again, Clive was right. Your test convinced me completely.

[@barthonhoff5547]

@Dave Micolichek I know, but with my medical background this is the ultimate test for me and other biochemical guys

[@billagnor5844]

@Против Глобал The petri dish test is based on the effects that only UVc light will kill bacteria. You can test any light system with a petri dish and the bacteria is only killed by UVc light therefore if the bacteria is killed it must be UVc light. In contrast if the bacteria are still living after being exposed to a test light source it is know that the light is not a UVc light. The exposure time and light intensity can be a factor so that is why my test used the extremely long time of 30 minuets.

[@billagnor5844]

@Против ГлобалThe UV spectrum is divided in to UVa, UVb, and UVc. UVa goes from 315nm to 400nm and is generally consider Black Light that has no effect on bacteria. UVb goes from 280nm to 315nm and is the range that tanning salons use but this range does not kill bacteria. UVc goes from 100nm to 280nm. It is not visible to the human eye. This is the only range that kill bacteria. The reason people commonly beleive blue visible light will kill bacteria comes from the blue light produce by UVc quartz glass mercury vapor lamps that have been used for years to kill bacteria. The quartz class tube has a small amount of mercury inside and when it is energized it has two output products. First a soft blue visible light around 400nm to 450nm that does not kill bacteria, and Secondly an invisible bacterial killing light typically at the frequency of 254nm . This allows sellers to use very cheap blue led's that have no 245nm invisible bacteria killing properties. This is a Hugh scam on the internet

[@billagnor5844]

@Против Глобал UVa does not kill bacteria.

[@dancoulson6579]

No such thing as too many UV videos, Clive. I always find them interesting.

[@SurvivalLilly]

Thanks, I ordered these fake lamps, now I am sending them back.

[@alexanderwells2884]

I realize it's kind of randomly asking but does anybody know a good website to watch newly released tv shows online ?

[@vincentas1]

@@alexanderwells2884 the pirate bay

[@alanmcrae8594]

Thank you so much for this teardown! When I was researching UVC germicidal lamps to construct a Coronavirus sterilizer, I found this exact type of bulb being widely marketed on both Amazon & eBay. At first it was very tempting because I was averse to the eventual disposal of a mercury vapor lamp, but as I read about commercial UVC LED's and then couldn't get a quote from the world's OEM's, I figured out that at that retail price they couldn't possibly have legitimate UVC LED's in them. So I went with a mercury vapor water sterilizer bulb. But I just wonder how many people bought these bulbs to disinfect items, especially masks, and it was doing absolutely nothing. The advertisers & resellers could be guilty of criminally negligent homicide for selling these bulbs as germicidal during a viral pandemic. Shame on them!

[@bigclivedotcom]

The Chinese sellers have been selling fake and openly dangerous products for a while. They really don't care.

[@rucker69]

@@bigclivedotcom Careful, or the almighty Andrew Cuomo will challenge you to a fight in defense of his precious china.

[@PsiQ]

if you want to sterilize transparent clean gas (clean air) or fluids (clean water) it's ok to try uvc, but you will still get problems, even in ultra pure water. - Life finds its way, as in Jurassic Park. But anything with fibres, color, pigments or simply multiple layers (or even enough dust particles) is not safer by just beeing in a compartment with uvc. - so, pleaaaaase dont take it personally, but i really doubt that your uvc lamp has a noticable effect (what do you use it in/for and hoping to get?). Try "infrared" and simply heat it up to 75°C. Not clean but for sure "dead" for some time. Just wash anything at 60°C (or better above that) with a normal household washing powder, not adding "sterilizing" overpriced marketing things. ...Good old times with 90°C washing... and get rid of those stinking "microsuperfibers" who need desinfectant and sterilizers added and produce microplastics. The washing machine and all "washed" clothes in many "modern" households simply stink again within short time because only washing at 40°C does not kill anything, it only pauses it for a moment. oversaving water and powder (or using liquid cleaners which need addities to be that way) adds to the problem. Then blending the stink over with adding tons of softeners does not help. And it does also not help to add sanitizers (without running high temperatures to kill and remove in between) because the stinky biogoo just stays in your machine as perfect nourishment for the next bacteria. - Same hoax is done when the "car service" just sprays desinfectant into your car AC instead of CLEANING it. Its a business, not a cure. One warm humid day later (in case of washing machines, letting it sit one day) and all things grew back and you have the old moldy smell again. ... ... ... ... -- Sorry for the rant :-( We had tennants "my age" (around 30) (and also a classmate*) who were too stupid to properly wash their clothes and sent their kids with stinking clothes into kindergarden and school (guess the reaction of other kids...) and did not even notice it anymore because of the "smelly dog" effect. I went through the basement looking for where that moldy smell came from and found it (repeatedly) being the "fresh washed clothes hanging to dry" or even better, nicely breeding the stink at humid 40°C in the dryer. But as a solution of course there was ultra eco bio washing liquid soap, "water and energy saving" programs for the machine AND hard sterilizing additives added from time to time when the stink got too hard. *stinky hand towels with tons of parfume softeners but still stinking underneath after getting wet/used. Also "sporting" clothes. i smelled it, she did not even notice anymore.

[@teebosaurusyou]

Look up - suing or prosecuting anyone in China. Go back to sleep.

[@alanmcrae8594]

Viral disinfection via UVC light at around 254nm wavelength is well-researched, and for N95 mask decontamination, which is what I was planning, there is a site hosted by Nebraska Medical at www.n95decon.org that has all the relevant technical information, including UVC dosage & links to experimental citations and scientific analyses.

[@sparkycorkers1196]

I bought one of these at the start of the pandemic, I thought it might help. Fortunately it didnt arrive until last week or I might have been trying to use it to disinfect stuff coming into the house. I'll be sending it back Thanks clive

[@mickward2775]

Awesome I just posted on Facebook yesterday about the fake UVC led compared to real UVC led and the dangers of UVC exposure Great lamp teardown video. That lamp looks very modifiable

[@some_haqr]

Also thanks Clive! Always a pleasure to hear your lovely voice

[@jasonudall8614]

Have "known" since the 70's that forward voltage is related directly to the shortest wavelength (highest energy) photons out of the thing......solid state physics......so from a diode junction forward voltage you get the wavelength.....that was why red led g a was 1.6-7 V infra red 0.7V and green 2.8V. Modern led seem to use blue/violet led and phosphor of choice hence 3 V led.....one from this could guess these violet led to be about half the wavelength of those red led....

[@treelineresearch3387]

I was looking around on ebay a couple weeks ago for UVC sources to upgrade my ghetto EPROM eraser with and was amazed at how many of these scamlights there were. Luckily I'd used "ice blue" LEDs in a previous project so the color was familiar and the oddball packaging of real UVC LEDs made me immediately skeptical but for a minute or two I was like "did UVC LEDs really get that cheap?" Ice blue is a nice LED color though, really does resemble the mercury discharge and is quite appealing.

[@Miata822]

Tragic to think people may be using these things as safety devices.

[@thepiedish903]

Going through and watching your videos a year later now. I love the fact you still warn us about the lights coming back on and to watch our eyes.

[@IloveElsaofArendelle]

Clive, I appreciate your effort to expose the fake lamps from the real working UVC sterilization lights in these trying times. You service is invaluable. Thank you very much

[@kellybarnett8891]

Clive- This was SO useful. Easy to understand and really helped decide for my company. Thank you. I also could watch your videos all day...

[@benbaselet2026]

Mental note: Never look at UVC lights with a bear eye.

[@cunning-stunt]

Good job my eyes are human eyes and not ursidae eyes.

[@josephking6515]

Or with beer in your eye. 😵

[@whatevernamegoeshere3644]

"Never look at UVC lights with a bear eye." What about twink eyes? I need answers. Fast.

[@robinbrowne5419]

If you have a pet bear, don't let him look at those lights.

[@kirkjohnson9353]

I saw a bear once that was blind in one eye. I bet he looked at one of these lights. People need to warn the bears.

[@dangleebols]

its good to see Amazon are removing these from their listings, maybe they watch the Big Clive channel

[@MrJozza65]

It's a shame that eBay don't take the same action

[@MichaelBeeny]

@@MrJozza65 The Chinese have no government control of what they claim or make. They don't worry if they damage people that use the products or even kill them. If that fails why not give us all a virus? Then charge us all for protective gear.

[@gowdsake7103]

@@MrJozza65 Ebay is like youtube they dont care

[@TechyBen]

@@MrJozza65 They do. They just ask you to manually type the reference number of one item at a time... for a seller with 1000s of items. ;)

[@voidex136]

@@gowdsake7103 so true I hate to see scam adds in "recommended" tab and there is no report button. Good job KZbin

[@bruceblackerby3742]

Thank you so much for this review. I had purchased 3, and was dubious when I got them. Needless to say, after seeing your review, they're going back. So much for truth in advertising.

[@altarcast6306]

Thanks for testing this light, I learn more from your test. thanks

[@johncanning8154]

Thanks for the UVC info Clive! I made sure and bought myself the genuine article because of your videos.. and my family have never been cleaner.

[@DoktorSativa]

Thanks for this video! Bought one of these before I did the proper research. Will use it for ambience instead of disinfection. Love your videos!

[@Tump2010]

Clive, I thought it was a requirement that if it was made in china and plugs into the mains that it was a requirement to have the mains exposed somewhere. :-D

[@MichaeljRichter]

It is also required to emit toxic fumes, be radioactive and start fires.

[@MrJozza65]

I would love to be able to buy the aluminium extrusion and base without the fake UVC LEDs, to use for my own LED project; perhaps when these fakes are being dumped at cost I will pick some up 😊

[@markevans2294]

A possible approach would be use LED tape. The PCBs with LEDs on may be changeable. Even able to have the LEDs replaced.

[@cicadasigil9471]

Considering how cheeky these scammers are I'm surprised that they don't just send you a dead fish with "light bulb" written on it.

[@johngypsydoe862]

Fish are too expensive. Box of toxic waste is cheaper.

[@lovotcore6946]

@David Daivdson Go to a scrapyard, they most likely have a Geiger counter on hand, to check if someone is trying to sell them radioactive waste.

[@Ted_P]

This has the right form factor, but uncomfortable dimensions for internal administration of the UV light.

[@teebosaurusyou]

Yes, Donald Trump does endorse internal administration.

[@bunnybismuth]

Well, you know what they say about "if you're brave enough"...

[@Ted_P]

Desperate times. That’s my excuse!

[@megam0n941]

Thank you. Bought an led that looks just like that from Amazon and was looking for this info to see if it was effective.

[@4coookie]

I've bought one exactly like that. I was quite skeptical about it , but now i know for sure. Thank you

[@t-diddy1268]

The one thumbsdown is shenzhen wonderco light providings LLC CO LTD

[@hmax1591]

Today there up to 46 angry sellers of fake UV lights.

[@ianm1470]

A very illuminating and enlightening teardown ~ many thanks.

[@georgebridges4127]

Thank you very much for this teardown. I actually purchased 2 of these and had my doubts but couldn't be sure. I purchased a couple of the tube version you tore down a few vids ago and - yeah lots of ozone :) Thanks for your videos!

[@shentharo]

contact your local government and or media, get the word out

[@zacozha6539]

Based on my years of work experience in LED lighting factory, LED UV sterilization lamp is possible but much higher cost than traditional UV lamp

[@zacozha6539]

By the way, cause of environmental impact, we're transitioning produce UV disinfection lamp. :D

[@TheSpotify95]

Haha, LED landfill :D I'd always find a use for something like this, it's an LED :) At least by being a fake, it's safer to look at (though not safer to touch!).

[@DigBipper188]

It would be super cool if there was a version of those UVC tubes with a soda lime glass bulb to filter the UVC. I myself would use one in a decorative lamp because that ghostly blue colour is just awesome. Might have to see if I can find a glassblower to have a chinwag about getting some custom F4T5s made...

[@Foobar_The_Fat_Penguin]

4:55: Dumb newbie question: Why does that voltage drop across the lamp indicate a buck regulator? I'd have assumed that drop was one of the diodes from the bridge rectifier. But how would I know whether behind that, there was a capacitive dropper or a buck regulator? Both have one rail basically going straight through with only that one diode. And the other rail has either a capacitor (which would block DC) or a switching transistor (which I assume is normally off and thus also block DC). So I would have thought they'd measure the same. What didn't I understand?

[@bigclivedotcom]

An isolated power supply will not read anything from the LEDs to the mains connection. A non-isolated supply will often read as a diode.

[@Foobar_The_Fat_Penguin]

@@bigclivedotcom So... just from that measurement, it could have been a capacitive dropper? Those aren't isolated as well, right? But we could rule that out in case of this lamp because... with that many LEDs and their power demands even the Chinese wouldn't use a capacitive dropper? Or was it the power factor on the HOPI that gave it away?

[@bigclivedotcom]

@@Foobar_The_Fat_Penguin Capacitive droppers are only suitable for low power lamps. For higher powers a switching/buck regulator is needed.

[@Foobar_The_Fat_Penguin]

@@bigclivedotcom Hah! I figured something out correctly! Yay! Thanks for the reply!

[@peregrine1970]

You're wrong Clive. Totally germicidal... if the germs touch the exposed live an are grounded. I know what I am talking about. Professional Internet commenter since 1993. Well... maybe not comments back then I just used FTP and BBS file sharing.

[@johnpossum556]

You must be another one of those inventors of the internet.

[@BaronSamedi1959]

FTP and BBS? All these new techs, you youngsters use. FIDONET and accoustic couplers over copper phone lines are the way to go.

[@johnpossum556]

@@BaronSamedi1959 110 baud club all the way! No screen, just printouts so loud that it disturbed the retesting students and the lady running the retesting room would kick me out. Mainframe access to the State University computer, I was one of a handful of people in my junior high school that had that.

[@Stephen-bn7cj]

Nice sarcasm peregrine1970, Pity it's lost on some people 😂😂

[@woldemunster9244]

SMODEM FTW! Comment and download at the same time, until someone tries to make a phone call.

[@CoolJosh3k]

Thanks for doing this one. Either you read my suggestion or I guessed right. Either way, I’m happy!

[@Clyde__Frog]

UV Done it now

[@avalonkemi]

HA!

[@josephking6515]

lol

[@Tubeytime]

i love you

[@KazumiOnline]

Grateul for this upload as I've seen quite a number of sources selling the same or similar UV lamp claiming germicidal effect which I think is just abhorrent given the current situation especially that it creates that false sense of security. More UV video please :)

[@wallypizza323]

9:54 yup. I got the led first, and felt the mercury one would be just as safe. However, about 10 minutes of exposure to the mercury one left my eyes sunburned for 2 days. VERY painful! You don't feel it as it's happening either. Just a heads up.

[@bigclivedotcom]

That's a big problem with the fake ones. They instill a false sense of safety.

[@kernowmcrae]

Love the calculator this time Clive ♥️

[@bitrot42]

That USB power bank, though...

[@hillaryclinton2415]

You need to try a 400 watt mercury lamp with the outer soda lime glass and/Or phosphor envelope removed.. see what that does to your meter.

[@tigercat3864]

I got some of the GUVC-T21GH sensors that a viewer suggested last time. Digikey stock has gone from 50 to 19 since your video, haha. Used 'em to confirm that my OD-7 UV blocking glasses work quite well. And filled my house with ozone after trying one of the eBay 8W tube lamps for 15 minutes (oops). Be careful folks, UVC radiation and ozone gas exposure is serious business.

[@HeidiLandRover]

It's good to see a return of the pink calculator!

[@jkobain]

Oh, and here we go again! More fake lamps! More teardowns! More Clive!

[@tbelding]

I have a customer that bought a batch of them to help disinfect their paperwork/passthroughs One even says on it - 390 nm UV Black Light. I let the administrators know, and left it at that. It makes them feel better, and the exposure times that the lamps are giving to paperwork wouldn't be long enough to sterilize even with the _right_ lamps.

[@FSF87]

eBay: "Big Clive's bought one, so it must be a scam. Let's take it down."

[@avalonkemi]

Nah nah, Nah nah nah nah, nah naaah nah, Big Clive

[@mcomiskey7]

Take some bad tech and make it better Remember to let it under your skin Then you'll begin to make it better Better better better better better, ah!

[@avalonkemi]

@@mcomiskey7 well, that was more lyrically sound than mine! Hahaha!

[@DirtyPlumbus]

I was kind of interested just for the interesting color I knew was coming. Then you informed me I'd get fried if I bought it. Lol

[@ajone46]

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[@ajone46]

Cuccccccucccucccujccuucujujccjuccujccccucjcjccucucctcucctcjccbccccjcucc

[@ajone46]

Ccucccucucjcujucucc cjjyccuccujcccucucuj

[@ajone46]

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[@ajone46]

Rcuccu

[@lauragonzalez9095]

Thank you for clearing thus up!! I just spend 16 dollar for a blue led light!!!

[@Big_Computer]

Real UVC Leds are actually very beautiful! Lovely gold, I'm such a nerd ^^

[@CPMJunkRemoval]

You have taught us so much!! Thanks!!

[@stephenquinn3950]

As much as I enjoy watching your posts, you are absolutely mad my man.... awesome....

[@hmax1591]

Very useful video. Most if not all currencies and passports have UV reflective features in order to detect fake from real ones. Can I use a currency or passport that I know has UV features to detect a fake UV light? Seems logical because a real UV would cause the features to glow while the fake ones will not. Seems a practical way to know if the UV light being used is real and it's really killing germs.

[@gregorythomas333]

I like the frame that the LED's are slid in to...very much reusable for making lots of other projects :)

[@Neffers_UK]

Hey Clive, hope you are well. Quick question. Would (proper) UVC lamps be more or less effective for "retro brighting" over the more normal method of "full spectrum" UV LEDs / tubes? If you aren't aware, but you probably are, retro brighting is a method of using Hydroden Peroxide fluid (20 to 40 vol) mixed in water and placed in a plastic crate etc. or cream spread over the plastic and covered with cling film to de-yellow aged plastics. Sunlight is preferred, but there's no guarantee of that, so grow lights are often used as a replacement. Thank you for your content and streams of late, people like you are really helping at times like this. Much respect.

[@astrogabe]

Thank you for making these videos , I find them fascinating. Would you be able to make a video of a germicidal lamp that you would recommend?

[@zorgatron8998]

I have one of those quartz bulb UVC mercury lamps, just like that one, although it blocks the ozone peak, and the resin blobs at the end have noticably discolored VERY fast, probably in just 15 minutes of total power-on time!

[@uvcare6711]

Yeah. UVC led is much expensive with the real one. And mercury lamp is more powerful than the led in UVC light intensity. Great video.

[@TechNoPhobiaGirl]

You're a COOL guy! I WISH I had your kind of knowledge! I bought a similar, but half the length, LED light (not UVC) for lighting my YT set. Supposed to be 4,000 lumens. Installed it in my softbox and was VERY disappointed with the amount of light it was putting out. Watching your video makes me wonder how UNDERRATED it is in terms of "wattage" and light output. I wish I knew how to calculate the ACTUAL wattage like you did so quickly in this video. Keep being cool! Cheers!

[@bdf2718]

He didn't calculate it, he measured it. With the Hopi meter at the left. The one with the flickery display.

[@TechNoPhobiaGirl]

@@bdf2718 Yes ... I re-watched that part of the video and saw the meter AFTER I posted the comment. Duh! I have a very hard time concentrating on media cuz most of it is boring and/or repetitive. I tend to basically ignore/tune out a lot of what I watch. Thx for the heads-up!

[@AlecKristi]

just received a couple of these and was going to do a teardown... Clive is a step ahead, as always ;).

[@frankowalker4662]

I like the construction, You can swap out the LED strips for different colours. DISCO!

[@Orchardman53]

I'm one of the suckers who bought one of these corn-cob lights from ebay; I'm in the process of dismantling the vendor. They produced a CE certificate to prove the lamp was okay. Unfortunately it was dated 10 days after my order and only related to electromagnetic interference and flicker. The Chinese authorities should do something about these scams before they damage their reputation (LOL).

[@setoman1]

I bought one of these off eBay. Tested it and returned it immediately. Mine came with an energized chassis. It wasn't at mains voltage, but it was enough to make me nervous.

[@avejst]

Thanks for sharing👍😀

[@ernoe303]

I have a dirty crawl space under my house after a leaky sewer. I need to clean it ofcourse, but I was wondering if there would be a way to pre-clean it with ozone or uv? Any thoughts on this?

[@everfreeeeee]

Would you please advise , where i can buy the device to measure if my light is uvc light? Any link?

[@neville3151]

More info on the UV light test module please.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Covered in another video.

[@Lachlant1984]

You've talked about the short terms effects of exposure to UVC and how it causes short term eye and skin damage, but if you're exposed to UVC for a prolonged period of time, can it cause blindness or cataracts to form in your eyes? I presume it does.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Exposure would show up quickly as blistered skin and painful eyes. Over time sustained exposure could cause serious issues, but is unlikely due to the obvious effects.

[@TheNiteNinja19]

It's like being in the sun fully exposed, at an accelerated pace. Fun fact: tanning beds use large doses of filtered UV-C and the tanning is the skin reacting to it.

[@markevans2294]

The obvious question is what PPE would be appropriate for UVC light sources.

[@andruloni]

@@TheNiteNinja19 doubt

[@teresashinkansen9402]

@@TheNiteNinja19 They do not use UV-C light at all, they mostly use UV-A with a bit of UV-B (less than 8% of radiated UV power) because UV-B is what actually gives you a tan also sunburn.

[@PlanetRuncorn]

Clive, whats the best Type of UV for UV resin Glues ?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Usually UVA. The manufacturer will often specify a specific peak wavelength.

[@PlanetRuncorn]

@@bigclivedotcom thanks clive i have always wondered , i did have the orginal 5-sec glue one, but battery went flat , so bought a large cheap 3aaa battery one of ebay it worked but not as good even though it was bright and lasted ages , it was a slightly different colour , iam guessing its a different frequency..

[@charlesmurphy1510]

“Do these capacitors hold a charge”? “I’ll just hold my finger across them and see”. 😆 I didn’t know that UV leds exist.

[@LtKernelPanic]

I bought one of those little rechargable ones like you recently showed so I don't have to use my big bulb to disinfect small things. I'll be curious if the first lamp I ordered weeks ago is real or not when it finally gets here in a few days. It looks like it should be since it shows a tube inside it even though it said LED in the listing. One thing I didn't think about was that it looks like the UV tube is inside another tube which if it's glass will block the UVC. May have to take it to bits if that's the case.

[@majbummer69]

If you put enough power into it you can sterilize anything. Photonicinduction might have the tools but the lights in the neighborhood will dim.

[@wpherigo1]

Have you tested any UV detectors to indicate whether there is YV light going on?

[@jayzo]

Have you considered a remote control for your setup so you can leave the area when powering up sketch/deadly electronics

[@Darieee]

*is* there anything on the consumer end with those sexy 8v LEDs we hear of ?

[@bigclivedotcom]

You can get real UVC LED products, but they are very low efficiency.

[@These_Old_Engines]

I ordered a UVC bulb off ebay about 2 weeks ago. The picture showed a tube based bulb, but I expected it to be fake. It arrived and it appears to be real. Has the real ghostly color to it ( I have a known real but VERY old UVC light to compare it ) When I went to go rate the seller I found that the seller, the listing I bought and everything but the title and cost of my purchase had been deleted. Not sure if they were selling fake LED ones as well or just got caught up in the sweep.

[@Breakn28]

Hello, what is the optical instrument you are using to check the UVC light? Can a light meter app on a phone work if it measures lux and lumen? I understand it doesnt check nm. I believe there must be some genuine LED UVC bulbs?

[@stridermt2k]

I like the color. Might be good for a night light at low level? I like the construction too, but just because it facilitates removing the segments.

[@whitehoose]

Not wanting to sound like I'm in any way defending the lamp, not my intention. I seem to remember when CFL and later LED lamps were new and unfamiliar (To many they probably still are!) They used to show the incandescent equivalent .. 6-9w 60w 16-18w=100w If the blue is pulling 28w - are you getting the equivalent of 200 watt(ish) of eye watering brightness????

[@lesleymunro4964]

Question. While no use as an antibacterial/antiviral lamp, what about for a light box for erasing EPROMs with the window, and exposing PCBs for etching? Do these applications need UV-C?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Only real UVC will erase an EPROM.

[@VyvienneEaux]

I ordered a very similar one a few days ago because I couldn't believe UVC LED technology had advanced so much that you could get 95 of them for $6. I'm disappointed to learn I was right to not believe it!

[@bigclivedotcom]

If you bought it on eBay open up a dispute as it is a fake product.

Hi, just for info... In a kitchen at my church there are the uvc lamp. Some times I need to go inside entering by the kitchen and some time the uvc lights are on. I walk fast and look down, like 10/20 second inside the kitchen. Could this create some problem?

[@JohnHall-ke7rl]

Great video!! Thanks

[@MrJef06]

"Watch your eyes" is a funny expression when you think about it...

[@LazerBear42]

I ended up with one of these after not paying close enough attention to a bait and switch on eBay. The listing had different options for wattage and ozone/no-ozone, some of the listings looked real, some of them were these ice blue disco lights. At least mine doesn't have live exposed metal, and eBay made sure I could return it at the seller's expense.

[@Danni-5]

Are the tube type ones any good Clive?

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Traditional mercury lamp blue is totally different blue then the led lamp the mercury blue is alot more beautiful then the led lamp which seems more like a darker ice blue

[@pmaci56]

Hi Clive I have a question. Does a mercury arc rectifier produce uv light? As they produce a purpleish light as the spark runs around the pool of mercury

[@bigclivedotcom]

They do inside, but the glass filters the harmful wavelengths out.

[@garbleduser]

Hey Clive. You could do something to be more definitive with your testing. Build a setup to put the light source behind a light barrier with a vertical slit in the middle. Place a diffraction grating just after the slit, so that all the light will be coming from a point source and then get split into it's spectral lines. have this displayed on a backdrop, with wavelengths scale indicated.

[@garbleduser]

Does the diffraction grating have to be quartz? Do they make plastic diffraction gratings that pass UV?

[@bigclivedotcom]

Keep in mind that the UV wavelengths are invisible and need a special sensor.

[@garbleduser]

@@bigclivedotcom or just a phosphor.

[@fgosal]

Will uv light for fish tank aquarium work the same? Can you also review and tested?

[@BarneySaysHi]

So this lamp would be nice for parts with the blue LED strips?

[@doctor_gee]

You could use a genuine UV LED as a detector for UV light equal to or lower in wavelength than itself I believe. I blew up my only UVC LED some time ago so I can't test this myself at the moment.

[@michaelbillghosthunter]

I bought one of these and i greatful you did this. But where can i get a real uvc light

[@GMCLabs]

I have 2 of them, one that makes ozone, and one that does not. I have to travel for work, so I be going over the bed, pillows, and outher surfaces in the hotel room win the non-ozone producing one. Then I put the other in one of the lamps and take the shade and harp off. Then I turn it on and leave for 15-30 minutes. Come back turn it off, then leave for 15 to let the ozone dissipate. I haven't gotten sick so far. Fortunately I work at remote sites and am usually alone or in contact with a minimum number of ppl.

[@hullinstruments]

Would love to see the comparison between a real UVLED chip. Would be great if you get an assortment UVLED chips to take a look at them under magnification and play with them a bit. Maybe even retrofit them into a nice flashlight host!? I’ve done a few DIY UVLED upgrades to my convoy S2 and C8 flashlights. They work great for all types of uses but the little SMD Uv LEDs aren’t cheap. Mine go down to 365nm. And I have them going up to higher wavelengths. It’s great to have various wavelengths when trying to identify minerals or other UV fluorescent objects. I use them primarily for guitar and violin repair and assessment. Looking for repaired or refinished areas on instruments. Would love to get some lower wavelength UV LEDs.

[@DanHirth]

Any idea how much ozone the mercury vapour lamps (like you have in your video) produce? I was reading that accidental overuse (hour+) can affect household plastics and rubber items that leads to prolonged off-gassing of partially oxidised plastics (a faint but bad odour).

[@bigclivedotcom]

They type that produces ozone generates enough to create a string smell and will definitely attack some materials if exposed continuously. But for short exposures it's a low risk unless items are right up next to the lamp.

[@anononomous]

Would putting a metal shade on the (real) UVC lamp and keeping it pointing away from you offer protection, or is the typical reflected UVC significantly bad for you too?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It does reflect from some surfaces. The hand wands tend to be very low power.

[@Dave001968]

I am curious - does UV-C cause damage to household items? (I noted the rapid yellowing of the resin in the real lamp). I am thinking of TV screens, leather or plastic furnishings, fabric in wallpaper or curtains etc.

[@bigclivedotcom]

At very close range yes. And the ozone will affect rubber based materials.