Cleaning Method of UVA Light-emitting Products

Bulbs (Lamps) are electrical devices that radiate light when supplied with electricity. Key specifications include the intended application, lamp type, base type, and the wattage. Bulbs (lamps) are used primarily in light fixtures of various kinds for the purpose of giving off light. Bulbs are mounted or attached to a fixture and are normally replaceable. Various types of bulbs include incandescent, halogen, high-intensity discharge, linear, and compact fluorescent.

Many shapes, sizes, wattage ratings, and colors are available depending on the application and amount of light required. The bulb base type is standardized for compatibility between brands. Incandescent bulbs rely on filaments-usually tungsten-through which electric current flows. The current causes the filament to heat up due to resistance and emit a glow, known as incandescing. Incandescent bulbs are used nearly everywhere from residential lamp fixtures to automotive lighting.

In recent years some incandescent lighting is being phased out by federal mandates, but the bulbs remain ubiquitous in many applications. Although many sizes and shapes of incandescent bulbs exist, it is perhaps the common general service "A" lamp with which everyone is familiar. A variety of incandescent bulbs are the so-called tungsten halogen--or simply, halogen-lamps that use tungsten filaments in halogen atmospheres to produce a brighter, longer-lived light. Incandescent bulbs have long been standardized with regard to shapes and bases, making it possible for CFLs (see below) to fit directly into lamp bases that had been designed with incandescent bulbs in mind. LED lights are semiconductor devices that emit colored light as electrons flow through them.

Originally used as indicator lights, the combination of red, blue, and green LEDs have made LED lamps capable of producing white light and thus illuminating. Another way of producing white LED light is to use a phosphor coating on the LEDs. The light engine at the left depicts a typical arrangement of red, blue, and green LEDs on a circuit. LED lamps continue to be used as signal devices, pilot lights, etc. Another application where LED bulbs are becoming increasingly popular is the poultry industry. Both traditional and compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs are gas discharge lamps. They use mercury vapor excited by electrons to produce UV light which causes phosphor coated on the bulb walls to glow.

Traditional, or linear, fluorescent tubes use external ballasts to start and maintain the light while CFLs have the ballasts built into the bulbs and are designed to replace regular incandescent bulbs. Sodium vapor, mercury vapor, metal halide, etc. are all forms of high-intensity discharge lighting that rely on short arcs to vaporize metal salts which produce light directly. They are common for roadside illumination due to their high light output and large environmental range. HID lights are used in some automotive headlamps as well. HID lighting tends to require warming up before reaching peak output.

The major bulb types described above are further broken out by specific types, such as blacklight, which is often a fluorescent tube but can be incandescent, CFL, etc.

Initial cost, operating cost, environmental factors, and color are just several factors to be considered when selecting bulbs. Many incandescent, LED, and CFL bulbs are interchangeable. Although not a direct indicator of light output, bulb wattage is a handy gauge for estimating how bright a light will glow. Nearly everyone can sense the difference between a 100 watt and a 40-watt incandescent bulb, and for buyers looking to replace these bulbs with other types, the incandescent equivalent is often stated by the maker. This may go the way of the term "clockwise" in giving direction if incandescent bulbs phase out.

Other measures of light output - such as Lumens - are sometimes given by manufacturers. It is generally agreed that incandescent bulbs have lower initial costs than LED, CFL, tungsten-halogen, etc.; they are also considered more expensive to operate and suspected of having shorter lives. There remains some debate over the quality of light emitted by these incandescent replacements, too. Fluorescent lighting is common in industrial and commercial settings, with many of the replacement style LEDs and CFLs aimed at the residential lighting market where incandescent bulbs abound. There are places still where CFLs do not perform as well, for instance, in cold (outdoor) conditions or under the control of a dimmer, although improvements are being made in these areas.

Pilot/indicator lamps are usually either incandescent or LED and usually operate at low voltages (12 or 24v).

Gas discharge lights such as sodium vapor generally are used as high-pressure devices for street lighting and the like. Low-pressure versions exist too, of which the common florescent tube is a good example. A chart lays out the differences among various bulb types with regard to power, environmental considerations, illumination levels, etc. The 19 designation of an A19 bulb--the most common household bulb-represents the diameter in 1/8 inch increments or 19/8 = 2-3/8 inches. The letters themselves have meaning too, with G representing Globe, C, a Candelabra, etc.

Base shapes are identified by letters and the size by numbers. The standard screw base is identified with an E (as in Edison), Bayonet bases with a BA, etc. The numbers usually correspond to a width dimension, measured in millimeters.

The greater the wattage, the higher the light output for a given bulb type. CFL and LED replacements for incandescents often will list equivalent incandescent wattages as guides to the light output of the CFLs, etc., although the actual power consumed by them is less. Bulbs can be identified by shape and base attributes as described above but in many instances, it's easiest just to identify the application: flashlights, for example.

Lamp Sockets are electro-mechanical devices consisting of (usually) threaded barrels and electrical contacts and used for holding and powering light bulbs.

Different Types of Casting Processes used in Manufacturing.

What would an external being incapable of interpreting our visible spectrum see on earth?

The visible spectrum you and I are capable of seeing is quite small, roughly 400-700nm nSo perhaps this being would be more adjusted to 1-100 um (infrared). It would basically see everything like a thermal imaging camera. nSo the world might look like this:nnCats would look like this nnYou and I: nnOf course there may be subtle differences depending on the exact range of wavelength it would be able to perceive. But it would look more or less the same. But wait! Lets say it saw in UV! So then it would be able to pick up any UV light source, like a bulb or a scanner. Many organisms like bacteria, emit light in the UV spectrum. So it might be able to avoid germs just fine :P nnThis is a picture of a carnivorous plant that emits UV light. nSome animals like scorpions may fluoresce under UV light like this (But this is how we would see them) (UV panorama of a location Essex, UK)n Check out Ultra Violet Imaging for more cool pictures.The best part? There are animals that are able to perceive these wavelengths!Snakes for example, can detect temperature and find their prey this way.nWild Reindeer and some insects can see a bit into the UV spectrum. They would be able to see a bunch of other stuff like flashes of electricity on power lines -which we cant.The sun would be a different color.nnDepending on the wavelength of light you could see, the sun would look totally different. Space Scenery: A multi-coloured SunSo in conclusion, the Earth would look pretty different, outright weird even. Some things would look beautiful and fascinating, and youd be able to get by no problem.(Images taken and used belong to their rightful owners, I take no credit for them)What would an external being incapable of interpreting our visible spectrum see on earth?