Flourescents (was: What tools do you carry, always

From: Dwight Elvey <elvey_at_hal.com>
Date: Fri Dec 8 14:39:53 2000

John Foust <jfoust_at_threedee.com> wrote:
> At 04:20 PM 12/7/00 -0800, you wrote:
> >Could somebody please explain to me how flourescent lamps work?
> >They put out a LOT of UV light.
> >So much so, that I thought that the name implied that they operated by a
> >coating that flouresced under UV.
>
> Yes, of course that's how flourescent lamps work. I think
> they even still have mercury vapor in them. However, I questioned
> whether the dinky little lamp in a scanner would zap a windowed
> (and presumably stickered) EEPROM.


Hi
 There is another issue as well. Most fluorescent tubes
are made with ordinary glass. The only glass that I
know of that will pass enough high energy UV ( needed to
erase EPROMs ) is quartz glass. Between the phosphors and
the glass, you'd most likely need a vary long exposure
to make any difference ( months to years ). The change
in charge caused by cosmic radiation is most likely
an order of magnitude higher in effect.
Dwight
Received on Fri Dec 08 2000 - 14:39:53 GMT