Conclusions

Improvements:

• Include a relay system to automatically turn light on when button pushed, off at the end of a cycle.

  • I attempted to include this using the relay in the kit and a few backups of the same type from online. These relays appeared to be incapable of driving the UV light after some testing. Currently the UV light is turned on via a safety switch.

• Include a second UV lamp on the bottom of the box

  • Cut decontamination time in half (one cycle instead of two)

• Improve sensor designs (see page for details)

• Physical design improvements:

  • Better circuit housing

  • Easier access to start button

Cost Reduction:

• Swap LCD for 7 Segment display

  • Use as timer only

• Swap Arduino for cheaper microprocessor

  • Arduino is very convenient for prototyping and can handle more complicated tasks, but can be replaced in a final version or for a cheaper variation.

Takeaways:

• UV-C light can be an effective and relatively easily implemented tool for decontaminating facemasks, extending their lifetime during shortages. While the sensors, Arduino, and LCD provide us a quality check that our light is working and a way to safely observe its operation in real-time, one could immediately use the light in the box without these components to decontaminate face masks, so long as the light is UV-C and functions properly.

• However, while it is easy to buy a lamp claiming to be UV-C it is rather expensive to verify that it is such without building your own sensors such as in the procedure outlined in the Germicidal UV and UV Sensors section. The fact that there are no consumer-grade UV-C light sensors available would appear to be one of the larger barriers for anybody who would wish to create similar designs.