This page describes a UV light table I made for exposing artwork for silkscreening or etching circuit boards. The table has 3 UV bulbs with an "Instant Start" ballast and is connected to a timer circuit to control the exposure. The artwork will be printed on UV transparent vellum and then exposed on the light table.
The following table lists the materials needed to build an 18" x 12" light table with an ultraviolet (blacklight) source.
| Quantity | Description | Source | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 bulb GE Electronic "Instant Start" Ballast | Home Depot | $25.00 |
| 3 | 18" Blacklight bulbs | Home Depot | $8.00 ea. |
| 6 | Flourescent Sockets | Home Depot | $1.50ea |
| 2 | 18" 4"diameter PVC Pipe | Home Depot | $10.00 |
| 1 | Mirrored Mylar Film | Party City | $2.50 |
| 1 | Grounded Power cord | old copier | free |
| 2 | 12" Aluminum 1 1/2" angle stock 1 1/2" | Home Depot | $1.50 ea. |
| 2 | 18" Aluminum 4" flat stock | Home Depot | $2.00 ea. |
| 1 | 2' x 4' Commercial lighting grid |
Home Depot | $4.00 | 1 | Black paint | Home Depot | $4.00 |
| 1 | piece of glass | old copier | free |
| 1 | Switch | Radio Shack | $4.00 |
| Total | $89.50 |
(Note that building a larger table for 2 foot long bulbs costs almost the same amount of money. )
Here is a circuit to be constructed to make a timer for the
table: 
You can download the Eagle files here as a tar/gzip file.
