FunctionalOlfactions spring fever project: D.I.Y. ultraviolet flashligh

[FunctionalOlfactio]

I am usually well behaved, but each year when the weather changes I start getting antsy. There is always a month or two I am itching to do something. I could be impulsive and purchase a fad research chemical, this year I am focusing on more valuable experiences. Here is how I kept myself out of trouble this year.

D.I.Y. ultraviolet L.E.D. flash light.

With the increasing prevalence of fake L.S.D. I wanted an inexpensive and reliable way to field test blotter while camping or attending a festival. Reagents are expensive, incriminating, and destroy the material tested so I decided a ultraviolet light is more practical. I looked locally and on line and didn't find exactly what I wanted. Here is how I made my own with parts from a local Radio Shack. I had a flash light to convert so this project cost me about $5.00.

Supplies:
-L.E.D. flash light that can be dissembled. (~$5 from WalMart)
-Ultrabright ultraviolet L.E.D.s (~$.75ea from Radio Shack)

Tools:
-Soldering iron (~$10 from Radio Shack)
-Solider (~$2 from Radio Shack)
-Needle nose pliers or tweezers

Procedures:
-I chose a machined metal L.E.D. flash light driven by three AAA batteries in series. I have multiple similar flash lights and they are all dissembled the same way. The inside metal tube is threaded and the circuit board is held in place with threaded metal disks. The disks have two indentations on them used to turn them. Often you can use friction from your finger to turn them or you might need to place a small metal object in the indentations to turn the disk. Rotate the disk until it comes out an releases the circuit board with the L.E.D.s.
*Plastic flash lights are different and often held together with snaps. These are challenging to dissemble without breaking the saps.
-Once the circuit board is out you can determine the polarity of the circuit by the orientation of L.E.D. anodes. (Diagram: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LED,_5mm,_green_(en).svg) Make a note of this.
-Remove the L.E.D.s from the circuit board individually by placing a heated soldiering iron simultaneously touching both leads melting the old solider. While doing this pull the L.E.D. out by the lens using the tweezers or needle nose pliers.
-Place the new L.E.D.s on the circuit board by threading them through the holes that held the original ones. Leave the leads long and make sure the anodes are oriented the same as the originals. Most L.E.D.s will burn out if the polarity is incorrect.
-Solider the new L.E.D.s in place one lead at a time using as little solider as possible. Be careful to keep solider from leaking to other leads or other conduits as this will cause a short circuit.
-Trim the leads of the new L.E.D.s flush to the circuit board with the wire cutting part of the needle nose pliers.
-Reassemble flash light.

Here are the specifications of the ultraviolet L.E.D. Radio Shacks keep in the parts drawers.
Wavelength: 405 nm
Viewing angle: 20 degrees
FW current: 20ma
FW supply: 3.3V (typical), 4.0V (max.)

My flash light looks indistinguishable from the original until you turn the power on. I don't have access to ergoloids, but P. Harmala extract floresces obviously even when on bright white paper.

Whoever might have interest in this project you are welcome to ask questions. If you are inexperienced with this type of electronics work I can walk you through the project in greater detail in this thread.

 

[Solipsis]

Interesting, try to do us and yourself a favor and try to test/predict what multiple people say is in their blotter then UV-test it.

Also, I assume these LEDs are not harmfully strong? Otherwise be careful with your skin. And with the LSD as well, it will degrade.
(I'm sure your skin is fine though, probably not the strength / kind of UV as in desinfectors, but more comparable to blacklight...)

 

[ChipTrippyFox]

Interesting, try to do us and yourself a favor and try to test/predict what multiple people say is in their blotter then UV-test it.

Also, I assume these LEDs are not harmfully strong? Otherwise be careful with your skin. And with the LSD as well, it will degrade.
(I'm sure your skin is fine though, probably not the strength / kind of UV as in desinfectors, but more comparable to blacklight...)

pocket tan!

 

[FunctionalOlfactio]

The L.E.D.s apparently produce more purple/blue light than ultraviolet light as compared with florescent blacklights. This amount of ultraviolet light hasn't caused any epidermal problems yet. I also infer the amount of ultraviolet light is probably less than the outdoor light on a sunny day.

 

[Solipsis]

Sure, it's probably fine... I was just reminded by the fact that there are portable UV sterilisation devices, which should be used with care.
But never mind then.

Keep us posted, won't you?

 

[sekio]

405 nm is not short-wave enough for LSD fluorescence, I don't think. Harmaline is a different molecule that will work with higher wavelengths. That's actually more of a plain purple LED Even the 390nm ones are pathetic... they only make certain things fluoresce and only kind of give you eye damage )

Here's the absorbtion and emission curves of LSD. As you can see you want something closer to ~320 nm. Those are pretty expensive, which is why a black light is better... it's full spectrum. (Also, the lower the wavelength the more damaging it is... 320nm is UV-A).

Buy some morning glory seeds from a garden store

 

[FunctionalOlfactio]

I don't know of a quality garden store locally. Nobody pays much attention to flowers around here. If I could find one it would be a bust. I am sure morning glories would be to exotic, they wouldn't have them.

I do have some heavenly blues. I ground up about 20 seeds and made a tincture. The extract had a pinkish glow under the ultraviolet L.E.D.s. Could this indicate the L.E.D.s produce some light near 320nm?