Question about a sunpaq dual actinic pc lamp. 460nm brighter than 420nm?

Radioheadx14

New member
I am building my retrofit 2x65w pc light and when i hook the actinic lamp into the socket and turn it on, the "blue" side is a lot brighter than the 420nm "violet" side. Is this because the violet side has less light than the human eye can detect or is it a faulty lamp? the same thing happens when the lamp is reversed and put into the other socket. the daylight bulb is bright in both sides in both sockets but no matter how the actinic is configured, its always bright blue on one side and a not-so-bright violet on the other side.

Also, do you see any problem using stainless steel as a reflector? i have a piece that has been polished to a mirror that i would going to install instead of aluminum.
 
The 420nm doesnt have the par that the the 460nm does and wont appear as bright either. Its normal.

Im sure the SS will work for a while anyway. Depends on the grade of stainless as to whether it will hold up over time.
 
It seems like pretty good grade. My dad is a carpenter so he got it for free at work. They used it to line donut/cake displays for restaurants. It looks almost as clear as a standard mirror. It's really heavy though.

Should the 420nm look so dull that its hard to tell if its even on compared to the 460? i had to put a piece of cardboard between the two sides to make sure it was emitting light, which it was. It looks very dull compared to the 460 side... but i know my light physics and i could see how it not being bright could still make corals glow. I just want to m ake sure before i hook everything up.
 
I also thought there was something wrong with my actinic when I first got it. Then I remembered that it was split 420/460. I think there's just a big perceived difference between the two sides. It's normal.
 
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