UltraViolet LED Bug Zapper

Make your Bug-Zapper GREEN and Last Forever!

I have had a couple of these inexpensive bug-zappers that can run off battery or through a plug-in power supply.
These things work pretty good, until the UV fluorescent bulb burns out!
I seem to get maybe 2 years out of these bulbs and then finding a replacement bulb can be tricky and expensive!
So, when my father was looking for an alternative to the replacement black fluorescent bulb for $12, I suggested UV LEDS from Radio Shack.

These UV LEDs have several advantages;
1) easy to get and fairly cheap and should never burn out!
          (Radio Shack Catalog #: 276-014 $1.69 for a pack of 2),

2) they use less power then the bulb, so the battery should last longer, GREEN!

3) they don't contain any mercury like the fluorescent bulb does, GREENER!

My father and i had two different types of Zappers that had the same type of dead fluorescent bulb. Since they come apart quite differently we went about putting the LEDs in there differently too. I've got more pictures of my modification so i'll use that one as the example.

You Will Need
2 packs of 2 Ultraviolet LEDs from Radio Shack, Catalog #276-014
1 pack of 68 ohm 1/2W 5% Carbon Film Resistor pk/5, Catalog #: 271-1106
1 Battery operated Bug Zapper, otherwise there might not be low voltage DC inside to drive the UV LEDs.

also the basic soldering equipment including
Soldering pencil,
Solder,
Wire Cutters,
Black Electrical tape,
Heat shrink tubing would be nice

Step 1 Safety First!

There's High Voltage in Here!
remember this:

1: There can be high voltage when it's unplugged, or even when it's off!
     Build a shorting rod of some sorts. I used a bamboo skewer and put a couple inches of Aluminum tape at the end. I tap it against the screen to see if it's hot, and also to short it out after I shut it off again.

2: Remove the battery leads, and make sure they don't accidentally touch the battery contacts again. But you will have to power it up sometime...

3: Be Careful! This stuff can hurt you. Even if the voltage itself doesn't cause real harm, and it might, you could get hurt by falling off the chair or hitting your arm against something as it snaps back. NO FUN. Don't play with things you shouldn't.

Comments

[dark sponge]

Great concept, but there are different types of UV light. The original fluorescent lamp you had was made for the specific purpose of insect attraction. Insects are attracted by UV light around 350-370 nm. The LEDs you installed are advertised as being 395-410 nm in wavelength, way out of the optimal insect attraction range. LEDs in that range are relatively expensive, which is why manufacturers use fluorescent tubes instead.

[aristide202]

Excellent project. I think mosquitoes are attracted by infrared also, let's put in the modified zapper a pair of IR LEDs also. I'll do that in my l burnt out bug zappers

[abraxas1]

Thanks! that's real interesting information. I was hoping to gather some more details like that. do you know where i can find more? it would be great to see an "attraction" curve for mosquitoes, and to hear why it works too. i'll try and spend some quality time with google later.... i did find a spectrograph of this LED before, but can't find the link right now. Still, it seems to be working by my father's in Massachusetts, but we are having a cold spell where I am now, and there's nothing to catch at night.

[dark sponge]

You're welcome! I found some more info at http://www.pestproducts.com/uv_light.htm. There's also a Wikipedia article; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraviolet

[knektek]

be caareful with this, long time exposure to your skin with this light can cause health problems

[zack247]

no way! a uv led cant ossibly cause any harm... can it?

[knektek]

Long time exposure can. The Sun emmits harmful rays too.

[zack247]

oooohhhhh... ok.

[thearchitect]

Excellent instructable! I was considering buying one of these zappers, so when the fluorescent tubes fail I will do the same. UV LEDs are pretty cheap on ebay, you can buy 50 of them for about $4. Have you considered installing a strip of LEDs? Are two LEDs enough for attracting mosquitoes? Did you try? Good job! K.