UV Lighting... without the "lighting"

What would be the best way to get UV light going on in my case without really lighting up the case purple (or any other color)?

I'm going to be water cooling my system in a few days (after all my parts arrive). My Blood Red FluidXP+ already arrived and I think it's going to look really cool in my black case. I was just thinking, it might look even cooler with UV shining on it, maybe after adding a drop of red UV dye if necessary.

The problem is, if I decide to do this I don't want my case to be lit up; I just want the glowing tubes. I don't understand why I can't find any cold cathodes or LED's that would put UV in my case without lighting it up some color.

Does this sound possible, or like a good idea? What's my best option?
(Maybe I could find something to wrap around a cold cathode to filter out most of the visible light?)

sike said:

What would be the best way to get UV light going on in my case without really lighting up the case purple (or any other color)?

I'm going to be water cooling my system in a few days (after all my parts arrive). My Blood Red FluidXP+ already arrived and I think it's going to look really cool in my black case. I was just thinking, it might look even cooler with UV shining on it, maybe after adding a drop of red UV dye if necessary.

The problem is, if I decide to do this I don't want my case to be lit up; I just want the glowing tubes. I don't understand why I can't find any cold cathodes or LED's that would put UV in my case without lighting it up some color.

Does this sound possible, or like a good idea? What's my best option?
(Maybe I could find something to wrap around a cold cathode to filter out most of the visible light?)

Click to expand...

Well...I don't think you can do what your talking about, you'd have to get a bulb that only puts out UV...but all UV bulbs put out some kind of light

thideras said:

Well...I don't think you can do what your talking about, you'd have to get a bulb that only puts out UV...but all UV bulbs put out some kind of light

Click to expand...

That seems to be the case, but I don't understand why bulbs don't seem to exist that have less purple wavelength light. I don't remember there being so much purple when I've been around some UV light bulbs.

What I'm thinking right now, is that if I found a cold cathode that let off more UV than purple light (and no green light or whatever), I could wrap it something (maybe black stockings?) that would filter out enough of everything to leave mostly only UV left.
I don't know what the UV would do to whatever I wrapped the cathode in, though.

I am not trying to be a smart alec here...

If you don't want light, why buy a bulb..

If it goes into the UV spectrum where you can't see it. Then the reaction will not show either. I think you need visable light for the human eye to see the reaction on the item. Plus I think once you get past the visible spectrum, then it gets where it can hurt cells. (I am not a doctor or trained on the subject. I am going on memory from reading about it years ago.) But, some near Ultra-Violet light is dangerous to toxic for mammals.

I think the reason you see so much purple. It tones down the near UV to a longer wave, and makes it safer for long term exposure. So in turn, it is longer and easier for us to see. Which makes it more purple. Since that is the highest color we can start to percieve with our eyes.

Since even black lights are actually partially invisible to the human eye. The longer the UV wave length, easier it is to see. Most the 'party' UV lights are like 400 nm - 320 nm. The antibacterial UV lights are 280nm and under. Anything shorter and you might not want to be exposed to it. Since at certain ranges it can also hurt your eyes and destroy living cells, even if you do not know the light is present.

So if you start looking for a shorter wave light, you might not get a bright reaction out of it. Maybe if you adjusted the pigment in the line to get the color. You proablly would get better and safer results.

The strangest thing about UV light. Is that is can be as bright as a 200 watt bulb. You look right into it. And not even know there is that much light bieng emitted. Then in turn your frying your eyes from the outputted light energy.

Ive seen a few "black" lights that are more blue then purple, but nothing similar in a cold cathode tube version yet. (have a few fluorescent black lights in the basement of my old house). And I agree with Enablingwolf, if you get true UV light you wont want to see it which would defeat the purpose if you could see it at all. Unless you want to get a nice sunburn whenever you turn on your computer.

Most of the UV party lights. Which have the blue tint to them, are not very good for bieng viewed (closely) for long periods of time. They are very bright actually. Even if your eyes cannot percieve the actual birghtness. (I think it is a compound length light too, for added visible brightness.) Ever wonder why your eyes get all buggy feeling around the party uv lights? They are really bright and your eyes are freaking out trying to compensate for how bright it really is. Then your pupils are wide open, since your brain is saying dark, in reality it is really bright.

I would assume the purple computer uv reaction is more intense with lower powered ballasts. The purple lights actually give an impression of brighter with using less actual light output. Since it is a longer wave, and easeir for us to see. So you don't need as much output on the lights.

http://photo.net/photo/edscott/vis00010.htm

Thanks, that makes sense. So most if not all of the reactive "UV" light I want is indeed somewhat visible.

Maybe I should just order a couple of UV cold cathodes and play with them; I can get a set of two shipped from Xoxide for about $9.
Then I could experiment with things trying to keep the apparent level of light in my case to a minimum.

I'm still not sure if I want to do this at all, but if I do it I'll let you know what happens.

There is a few tricks you might experiment with. Light refraction and filtering.

Even going with UV LEDs. The LED would give you more of a focused lighting area and less undesirable leaking of lighting. Then you can filter the light, so it is not leaking in areas you don't want it. Then refract the source into areas you want. Even strategic placements of the lighting.

With refraction, you make it light up the ends of the tubing and let it flow along the liquid. It should refract inside the tubing and fluids. Give a pleasing effect. Simply put, light up the tubing only, not the whole case.

If you filter the light. You blocking certain points of lighting to stop it leaking in areas you don't want it. It makes lighting refraction that much nicer and sublime.


There is many things you can cobble up and get something safe and work for your concept. It seems there is always a solution that works. If you think outside of the box. If you are looking at just premade parts. You may never find the perfect solution to your idea. Doing a mockup first is probally going to be the best way before you purchase the parts.

You can get 'true' UV bulbs but they tend to be quite pricey and big. Theatrical supply places usually have them.
The glow you see on other items is not UV light reflected but the UV wavelength light causing the item to flouresce (SP?!) at a visible wavelength.

Like coin said you can get true black lights, but are expensive. The best place I've found to get them is hand held money scanners, the ones you use to show up the watermark on a bank note, the bulbs are usually small 6 - 8" but they give next to no visible light and make uv stuff glow. Another source may be to find a flourescent tube light from a camper or caravan (as the have the electronicsinside and run off 12v) and change the bulb for a black light bulb.

thideras said:

Well...I don't think you can do what your talking about, you'd have to get a bulb that only puts out UV...but all UV bulbs put out some kind of light

Click to expand...

I thought UV is not part of the visible spectrum.

It may not be part of the spectrum but it still counts as light and it can still damage your eyes if you look at it for too long.

Thanks for the ideas. I'll decide if this is something I want to do after I finish setting up my watercooling.