I’m looking to buy an ultraviolet LED light for detecting stains around the kitchen, bathroom, check in hotel rooms, etc (maybe even using it to hide passwords written in ink that only blacklight can reveal). I’ve done alot of research on ultraviolet lights in the 365nm spectrum.
I see that the Convoy S2+ is often recommended here as a cost-effective light and is a great bang for buck.
Last year I saw that on Convoy’s AliExpress page Simon had put up a Convoy s2+ that uses an LEUVA33W70RL00 LG led driven at 6W. Forum member @djozz did a test of the LED driver and found that it was more efficient resulting in 3X more UV power than the typically recommended 4W AliExpress Convoy S2+ Nichia. So this version of the Convoy S2+ seemed like the best version.
However, when I was trying to buy one from AliExpress today, I didn’t see any Convoy S2+ lights with the LEUVA33W70RL00 LG led driven at 6W. I saw Seoul CUN66A1G instead.
Has anyone got experience with the Seoul CUB66A1G LED driver? How does this one compare to the LEUVA33W70RL00 LG LED?
They are comparable and he doesn’t really overdrive them much - which is good because all UV emitters are relatively fragile and affected by both inefficiencies and resulting heat (compared to our robust white emitters). Just recently he explained in his main Convoy thread on the forum that he has seen somewhat high failure rates with all of his UV emitter choices…the Seoul Vis version being the latest. I don’t have one of those but have both the Nichia and LG emitters and they’ve been great really (both in purchased lights and in mods of my own). I think it’s still the best bang for the buck on the market and it’s certainly better than some of the other brands that have exploded in popularity in the mainstream market. You don’t list your country in your profile here so it’s possible that you may not be able to see all of the UV lights that Simon offers and can’t ship to the US. In addition to some models being masked for us, he also can’t include the black ZWB2 UV filter lenses in the lights, but you can order those separately on the same order and should definitely include one for your light.
You mention drivers but I’m not sure if you meant to ask about the electronic driver boards or not? That’s another subject but basically it’s ideal if they have a buck/boost driver in them, or at least a boost only driver so that the quirky needs of UV emitters can be handled best, especially in a small host without much mass for heat dissipation like an S2. Simon does include drivers like that in a few models but not for the US, currently (I think….I have one arriving that he sold very briefly and it does, and I’m not sure about the triple emitter S12 that he currently has listed, or how long it will be available). Otherwise, the S2 and the vast majority of others on the market just use a simple linearly regulated driver that keeps the current low and will suffer from the quick-ish reduction in output that is inherent with UV emitters driven by a single lithium-ion cell.
Other similar or smaller versions out there from Lumintop, Sofirn, Alonefire, UV Beast, etc aren’t that impressive really, but they work. The small AA/14500 versions are best for just toying around with or quick checks of currency/identification/etc. And ignore any of the old 5mm old school led types. They all work, more or less, but the Convoy remains the best basic choice. And don’t worry about the emitter. Unless you are building your own light and choosing your own driver/current then what Simon releases to the market is a good package, and if there’s ever a problem down the road he will almost always take care of you.
Upgraded my S2+ from Nichia 276A running 2x7135 to Seoul CUN66A1G running 4x. Visually (on fluorescent paper) the output at least triples. Been a year and a half and going strong.
