Hello,
I've got an eprom eraser that has suffered a broken tube in transit. The
tube is a screw type thread. Are these a standard thing and if so can
anybody suggest a supplier in the UK? (i've had a google and can't find
much)
Most eprom erasers are shortwave UV lamps.. Bare mercury arcs that
have no phosphors on the walls. Any fluorescent lamp that has this
kind of characteristic will work, assuming that you had a fluorescent
lamp in the first place. If not, then I'm not sure what you did have.
The lamps are used (in the US) for germicidal use, and are NOT to be
looked at directly. The same shortwave UV that kills germs will do a
nasty (and permanent) job on your optic nerves. Hence all the
shielding.
One possible place to get them would be a store that sells
mineralogical supplies, they often have UV lamps that emit shortwave
and longwave UV to aid in identifying minerals. You'd be searching
for a replacement, of course.
Failing that, an inexpensive fixture, a light tight box, and salvaging
the timer from the old one would enable you to make one yourself.
I'm not familiar with fluorescent lamps that have screw bases, though.
Harvey
