Whats available in IR and UV LEDs, are the options comparable to xm-l outputs and efficiency?
Links would be very helpful
If the best options come in P60 form then i have no host, but could get one, are there better price/performance ones then solarforce?
Cost is a big factor, but quality is also a major consideration
Depends a bit on what wavelengths you want or need.
Osram oslon black IR are some pretty nice emitters, in 850nm or 940nm.
Very nice theme…
I tried bunch of them and they mostly perform on same way in my night vision…
Unfortunate I did not try to mod them…
We need guy who can explain/give advice for tuning of this babies. I mean:
- Furthest throwing(or maybe highest surface brightness if this is proper to say for such emitters?) IR emitter
- Maximum driving current
I had them but they were resold fast so I did not even try to measure tailcap current.
i don’t have anything specific in mind, just to play with them and see what they can do, a comprehensive wavelength like a white light equivalent would be nice
I think if no one will want to share knowledge on tuning this I will have to order and take some risk…
Just imagine overdriven IR LED? If common ones with probably 0,5A of current throw 400 or more meters with certain flashlights what would tuned version done?
Only white leds have such a wide range of wavelengths spanning many colors due to the phosphor. All other leds are a single color, nearly a single wavelength. 940nm will emit maybe 2% at 850nm.
Just to play with them you don’t need better brand name leds. For IR just search for 850nm 1w, 3w, or 5w. 850nm isn’t totally invisible to most people (slight ‘red’ glow) but it lights up much better on cameras then 940nm. 940nm will be disappointing unless you have a camera sensitive to it & need totally invisible (to human eyes).
Never look into a IR or UV led or point it at people. They may look dim but they can damage your eyes.
interesting, i was thinking of the camera usage for IR, does Cree make them or is it competitors i would be looking at?
Cree doesn’t really get into IR & UV much.
For just trying them out you can just go with no-name chinese leds.
Have you searched BLF for UV? There are some threads that will give you an idea of 405nm vs 380 or 365nm. Review: UV light shootout, seven lights tested
watching...
Interesting. So if you remove the IR filter on a digital camera’s sensor, the 940nm IR should show up rather good then? That would be relatively cheap night vision.
With UV I’d just start with 405nm (+ yellow glasses). If you want to explore more you sort of need a couple lights of different wavelengths. 405nm is cheaper & emits more light then lower wavelengths but some things just don’t glow well (or at all) at 405nm.
Yellow glasses will help bring out the fluorescence by blocking the ‘purple’ glow we see. Lower wavelength usually have less purple glow. Some people have orange or ‘blue blocker’ glasses, they work & block more purple but I’ve found yellow often blocks enough without dimming your vision.
While I’m on glasses, Uvex SCT-Orange glasses are good & cheap safety glasses for anyone with 445nm blue or blu-ray 405nm lasers. SCT-orange tested.
Some things that are fluorescent are bank notes of course, minerals, evil scorpions, some diamonds.
Removing a camera’s IR filter certainly helps. Though when using it in normal light it usually screws up the colors & focus sometimes. Not really a problem if your making a dedicated night camera. A low lux b&w camera will be better but thats not always an option.
They do sell mechanically removable IR cut filters (use to be a seller on ebay too). Apply 5v & the IR filter moves away. You could mount it on a webcam or raspi camera.
If you thinking of security cameras I wouldn’t put single high power IR leds anywhere that your family might often look towards it. An array of 5mm leds would be safer in those spots.
I have a 940 nm dropin in a 501B… it’s a real pain in the ass… you never know if the light is on or off. Easy to kill a battery.
Most cameras, even B&W ones, have very poor response at 940 nm. Even my 3rd gen night vision equipment doesn’t do all that well with it.
Do you have another 940 led to compare it to?
If its really poor I’d be wondering if your dropin is working to its full power /defective.
I mean while 940 isn’t as bright as 850 at an equal power I have heard someone who had to go through several of those 501B IR lights to find one that worked well.
Is there only a single emitter die in your dropin’s led or more?
Gen III frequency response drops off sharply at ~900nm. I’ve read some gen II devices can have a response extended to 950. While technically gen II they are enhanced to the point of images comparable with gen III.
Watching 
Hi there Bort. I’ll add my UV lights to the mix.
Manafont UV Drop-in $9.20
Kaidomain UV Drop-in $9.25
Kaidomain $11.20
Solarforce UV Drop-in $14.99
Solarforce L2 Host $11.50
Solarforce L2M $10.99
I’ve got the Manafont $9, the Manafont $11 , the Kaidomain $11.20 and the Solarforce $14.99 not much to choose between them in use really, the Kaidomain $11.20 runs between 3.6 and 18v, I’ve got plenty of extension tubes but haven’t tried it with anything but 1 18650 - yet,
I put them in “rotation” in a Solarforce L2N trying to see the difference, the Solarforce is 380-450nm, the Manafont $11 is 380nm and the Kaidomain doesn’t specify.
Using a Solarforce L2M and the $9 Manafont could get you a quality UV light for $20.
I use mine “charging” glow in the dark paint and powder, they all are superb for this, charging-up the glow in seconds.
Probably don’t need to say this but DON’T look into the light. 8)
Did anyone tried to mod IR drop in?
I presume you asking about moding it to overdrive the led. Not all leds handle overdriving well so instead I would just move up to better higher power IR leds. Or maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to get some orlson black ir leds. :party:
You want good heatsinking for your drop in if your going to try overdriving.
Yes I mean exactly this.
Did some of you guys tried to do that?
Of course… good heatsinking is very important.
Doesn’t seem like there are many on blf who get into ir.
You might have a better chance of getting answers on overdriving ir at a nightvision or gun forum.