cheapo eprom UV eraser

[hargle]

I hadn't really considered it earlier, but I just noticed that there are some *really* inexpensive UV eprom erasers on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/EPROM-UV-ERASER...lectrical_Equipment_Tools&hash=item27b1d559fd

5 bucks for a new one? Ok, it's in china and will cost me $20 at the end of the day to get it to me, but really? 5 bucks? this is pretty much cheaper than me building my own. the only thing that might be cheaper is me leaving my eproms on the roof of my house to bake in the sun for a few days!

anyone have any experiences with something this cheap?

 

[glitch]

A friend of mine picked one up and said it worked fine...just a wind-up timer and a battery powered lamp from what he could tell. There's really nothing much to them, so there's no reason they /should/ be expensive. Try to get a metal-housed unit though -- the UV will degrade plastic.

 

[Chuck(G)]

These are AC operated, but I agree--there's not much to these and they do the job.

 

[Moonferret]

I bought one of these units last year. You get what you pay for. Its cheap and poorly put together but it works fine and does the job.

 

[modem7]

I have one of these as well. The timer on mine is unreliable, but still, for the price, I'm happy.

 

[hargle]

thanks all! I've got a lead on one now thanks to Lorne.
going through the stockpile of junk at work, i've found about a tube's worth of used eproms that might as well go to good homes. have to do some leg repairing on some of them, but they should still be good.

 

[saundby]

Just a comment from someone who used to use the "Mr. Sun" brand EPROM eraser quite a bit:

The heat on the roof can be too much for an EPROM. What worked best for me was putting them on a ledge outside a window. Far cooler than on the roof.

But then I learned that the unfrosted ends of fluorescent tubes worked better. I hear they don't any more, though. I choked up the cash for a Datarase II many years ago after frying my first batch of 1Mb chips under a medical lamp when I went out for lunch and forgot about them...

It's soooo much better having the right tool for the job.