UVb an experiment

[Weezard]

why does the UVB come from a mecury-based tube?

-shake

Howzit Shake?

Knna answered that one about 3 pages back.

"You are right, there is no LED growing lamp using UVB LEDs, which are very expensive (one can cost more than all the rest of the lamp). Those using "UV" LEDs actually are using near UVA, and mostly, violet (no ultraviolet) LED.

UV tecnically starts below 380nm. Although LEDs emitting in 390-410nm, which are the vast majority used on LED growing lamps, are barely visible, they are not UV, and that band effect is accounted on all botany literature as deep blue, not as UV. I do no expect large differences in biological effects than 450nm blue effect for these LEDs.

There is actually avalaible true UVA LEDs (peak emission 360-385nm), but i think little manufacturers (if any) is using them. They are mostly avalaible on low power LEDs. UV LEDs needs especial optics in the encapsulate of the chip because most materials do yellow when exposed to UV. In general UV are much short lived than blue LEDs and output degradation is faster.

Anyway, efficiency compared with royal blue LEDs is greatly reduced. " -KNNA

The mercury vapor/quartz combo is dirt cheap and mine centers at 285nm.
Extremely high energy radiation.
They are not toys!
They can blind you in a very short time.

Dunno if the have the "oomph" to burn skin, but it's best to assume that they do, and act accordingly, yah?

@OM
Mahalo O.M. You've done us all a service here.
But I ,still want pictures.

So, I'll prolly have to redo it.
If, I can get anything at all to grow, that is. ( Big if.)

Aloha nui,
Weeze

[oldmac]

Yo Weezard,

OK, here's a couple pics for ya.
The big fat white greman shepard is my indoor dog, the black lab is my grand-daughter and husband's dog.
The baby dressed up as a male cow today for Hallowen is my GREAT-grandson, held by my his mom. Never, ever thought I'd live long enough to see that little one.

[headshake]

beautiful dog OM, and congrats on the great-grandson!!!

-shake

[Dutch Pimp]

:stoned:...self portrait of the family

[oldmac]

Thanks 'shake,
I'm real happy how the little guy is turning out!

Yo Dutch',
Now that's what I like to see, a family that has gone green!

OT:
I've been doing alot of thinking and reseaching about this last experiment. I really want a good light spectrum analyzer for Chistmas, it would make my life much easier.
I now understand why so many scientific light grow experiments (done by real scientists) used/use filters to get or limit light spectrums.

From what I can find, Pyrex tends to absorb light from 10nm to abt 425nm, which covers all three UV bands plus most violet. So chambers 2 & 3 having a 6500k CFL inside the pyrex cool tube surely saw blue light for thier entire vegative stage and chamber 2 (the control w/no UVb) saw blue thru-out it's grow. The fact that I was able to control plant stretch (w/o far red) even tho the light was primarily HPS, I attribute to the additional blue from the CFLs. I have not been able to find or obtain a spectrum graph for the "Zilla desert 50 UVb" bulbs, but the desert 50 refers to the fact that the bulbs will deliver 50 micro watts per second/cm2 of UVb.

So I thinks, no conclude, that the results show UVb effects and not effects of blue light.

OK, now I'd love to kick this around somemore with some of the "blue man troops", or anybody else who has any "bright" ideas. (I made a pun....geez I crack myself up).
OM

[headshake]

hope that first one helps OM. i threw the second one up just because it was right under the first, might help, might not.

-shake

[MimbresValley]

really enjoyed ur thread mac.

[oldmac]

Hi MimbresValley,
Thanks for the compliment, as you can tell I have a tendency, along with my friends, to go off topic some. I recently realized (while trying to catch up from being away) threads like this can be a pain....some good info but some silly crap to wade thru. But oh well, it's all for "shits and giggles".

Hey Headshake,
Thanks so much for posting both of the graphs....I was about to ask where you found them but went to the 'Zilla home page, again, and figured out why I could not open the specs page before. New computer so I needed to install Adobe reader, and like magic it was right there. Geez I'm not real good with the 'puter, or maybe it's that I'm just a slow learner.

[headshake]

[SIZE="3"]
Hey Headshake,
Thanks so much for posting both of the graphs....I was about to ask where you found them but went to the 'Zilla home page, again, and figured out why I could not open the specs page before. New computer so I needed to install Adobe reader, and like magic it was right there. Geez I'm not real good with the 'puter, or maybe it's that I'm just a slow learner.

if i may make a suggestion, i would install foxit reader instead. it is not a resource hog like AR, and if you use firefox internet browser (which i also recommend) you can open the .pdf in a tab within the browser. just a recommendation.


-shake

[Dutch Pimp]

and don't take any wooden nickels...nickle's?...:stoned: