Glow in the dark keypad

[baybum]

How about it?
That way, you don't use up battery power just to find the key that turns the actual keypad light on.

Oh c'mon, it's not THAT bad an idea.


Mike :lol:

 

[whooey]

Yes it is an bad idea, if your trying to be stealth. You could give away your posiition. :twisted:

 

[K5MAR]

The glow-in-the-dark material just doesn't stay effective for very long without needing to be re-exposed to light. Illuminated keypads are much more effective when done right, and don't use up that much battery power unless you are leaving it on all the time, which wouldn't be, as Mr. Spock would say, "logical"! :lol:

Mark S.

 

[dustin486]

The glow-in-the-dark material just doesn't stay effective for very long without needing to be re-exposed to light. Illuminated keypads are much more effective when done right, and don't use up that much battery power unless you are leaving it on all the time, which wouldn't be, as Mr. Spock would say, "logical"!

Mark S.

If you used Tritium it would stay lit up for 12 years

 

[flyingwolf]

12.5 is the halflife if I am not mistaken.

Unfortunatly then you would have no way to "put out the light" so to speak.

 

[DonS]

If you used Tritium it would stay lit up for 12 years

Mmmmm.... beta radiation...

 

[DonS]

12.5 is the halflife if I am not mistaken.

The half-life of tritium is approximately 12.32 years (4500 +/- 8 days, according to NIST). A tritium/phosphor light source would lose about half its brightness (photons emitted per unit time) in 12 years.

Unfortunatly then you would have no way to "put out the light" so to speak.

Just separate the tritium from the phosphor, or otherwise keep the beta particles from striking the phosphor.

 

[JnglMassiv]

By the time you've paid for tritium light sources (don't they need to be in glass ampules? And what's the legality?) for each button, you could have likely paid for better working LEDs several times over.

 

[DonS]

By the time you've paid for tritium light sources (don't they need to be in glass ampules? And what's the legality?) for each button, you could have likely paid for better working LEDs several times over.

Tritium "paint" has been used in many applications (watch dials, compasses, etc.). It is (was) cheap.

As far as the "glass ampules"... it depends on the application. Some tritium light sources use an exterior plastic vial coated on the inside with a phosphor. That vial contains a glass vial which is filled with tritium gas. Other applications (watch dials are probably the most common) have tritium mixed in a "paint" with the phosphor.

I've heard that the former (used in some "keychain" products) isn't legal in the US, though you can buy the keychains elsewhere - like Europe.

 

[K5MAR]

While we've wandered astray here, the EPA website doesn't seem to consider tritium as a health risk, in fact it says we are exposed to small amounts of it daily.

Now, what's used in the typical glow-in-the-dark items, I have no idea.

Mark S.

 

[mikewazowski]

Tritium "paint" has been used in many applications (watch dials, compasses, etc.). It is (was) cheap.

Are you sure you aren't confusing Tritium with Radium?

Radium has been used since the 40's (possibly earlier) to paint watch dials. It was also heavily used by the military to paint gauge faces. The girls used to lick their brushes to keep a fine point. They also liked to tint their hair with it before heading out to the dances. Most became quite sick from the ingestion.

Most Rolex watch dials are done with Radium. When we needed to calibrate the energy scale on a spectrometer, one of the guys would toss his Rolex on the detector and we would use it.

Exit signs are a good example of tritium based light sources. An experiment was done up north with tritiated light sources at a military base but the polar bears made mincemeat out of the lights and the military was left with a big cleanup.

While an always lit keyboard would be kind of neat, I still think I would prefer to turn the light on and off manually. Something not possible with radioactive sources.

 

[JnglMassiv]

Are you sure you aren't confusing Tritium with Radium?

Apparently both (link) have been used. The linked article goes on to say that radium has not been used in watches since 1968.

 

[DonS]

Tritium "paint" has been used in many applications (watch dials, compasses, etc.). It is (was) cheap.

Are you sure you aren't confusing Tritium with Radium?

Quite sure.

Radium has been used since the 40's (possibly earlier) to paint watch dials.
...
Most Rolex watch dials are done with Radium.

Most watch dials manufactured today, those that use a radioactive substance, use tritium (tritium's been in use in the US in watches since at least 1961). Radium was used extensively before the problems were understood (it dates back to at least 1913, but I'm pretty sure it's been phased out).

Do you have a source for a new, Rolex, radium-painted watch?

Even a small amount of radium is hazardous. Tritium, however, is relatively safe (the beta particles are low-energy, and really can't penetrate the skin).

While an always lit keyboard would be kind of neat, I still think I would prefer to turn the light on and off manually. Something not possible with radioactive sources.

Sure, it's possible. As I mentioned before, just provide a way to keep the emitted particles from hitting the phosphor. Do it physically (block them) or electromagnetically (like my TV).

 

[K5MAR]

I agree with Mike, a controllable light source is preferred by many, I think.

As for tritium/radium, this is also from the EPA webpage on tritium:

It is used in various self-luminescent devices, such as exit signs in buildings, aircraft dials, gauges, luminous paints, and wristwatches.

I didn't think radium was used anymore, perhaps this was an older Rolex? Saw an PBS special on the women who used to paint the watch & clock faces. I think the old building site itself was still "hot", as I recall. According to one website I found on a Google search, the cutoff date for watches sold in the U.S. was 1968, but most uses declined after 1955-1960.

To get back on track, I'm very pleased with the illumination of my Pro-83, both display and keypad. Uniden products have always been better than the GRE units, but that may have changed, I haven't seen the newer models such as the 95, 96, or 97.

Mark S.

 

[Voyager]

Yes it is an bad idea, if your trying to be stealth. You could give away your posiition. :twisted:

That was my first thought. In some cases, it could even be a fatal design flaw. Even Motorola radios have the ability to disable ALL LEDs on the radio.

Joe M.

 

[Mozilla]

Com-net Ericsson Panther series 600 /625P have a keypad that is glow in the dark with no radio power. Especially bright after a day in the Sun... 8)

At one time a shoulder mike for the Saber series was tested ( similar to the one they made for the STX , but the only way it lit up was if you hit one button. Apparently they never did take off.)
But it might be nice as a feature on a scanner, luminescent combined with an actual backlight option...

 

[baybum]

Sheesh!

Damn! tough crowd.
I still think the BASIC idea is a good one.
Or maybe put the keypad light switch somewhere else, other than the keypad that you can't see when it's dark.

Mike

BTW- I meant to post this in "...my next scanner" thread, but messed up.

 

[TomK]

Or maybe put the keypad light switch somewhere else, other than the keypad that you can't see when it's dark

OK, here is my 2 cents worth.
Put the switch/buton on the side (or wherever), maybe next to the "keypad lock" switch/buton, AND have only THAT switch/buton be "glowing". Well, maybe that and also the "keypad lock" one too. Just another thought.
-TomK-

 

[soupster]

glow paint works ok

I put this on my light button on 246t it lasts for several hours.

http://glowinc.com/detail.aspx?ID=1

 

[baybum]

TomK- with the light switch on the side, or top (case issues) it wouldn't need to glow.

Soupster- you are the man with the plan.

Still a dumb idea???