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Is it possible to do this?


gxseries

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Is it possible to modify a typical scanner such that you can remove the normal "light" and replace it with a UV light version? ;)

 

I came across a fascinating banknote (a Swedish 100 kroner banknote) and what I view under UV light is just astonishing. When I tried to photograph it, it just wouldn't show up!!!

 

(of course, this is to deter counterfeiters...)

 

Any ideas what I can do to take decent photos in a dark room with just UV light? :ninja:

 

Edit: I was looking at a 500 kroner note, not 100 ;)

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Man, I wish! - That's one of my big fascinations with paper money is the hidden images. If you find a way, let me know.

Right now I am using a black light from a store called '50% off Card Shop'. I never would have thought to find one there, but I did. It was 5 dollars and is about 7 inches long. This beats the older one i had that was beeper shaped and the light was less than an inch, and not bright at all. What I was planning on doing soon was playing with the blacklight and photographing them to post some photos on a web page of some of these hidden images. The websites out there now don't do them justice. You need a tripod and a longer exposure (and no flash!) but it works pretty good. - A scanner with a black light would be better, though! I tried to manipulate the photo editing software to only receive UV light, but there was no such luck, as the light in my scanner doesn't cross into the UV spectrum.

Good luck!

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You can get nice UV pictures using a camera and a UV light source together. Angle the UV-light into the cameras way, in a dark room and you can get a nice picture as this one:

 

Macau100pUV.jpg

 

Do not see any picture? Then follow this link:

 

http://hem.passagen.se/stockholms.myntklub...Macau100pUV.jpg

 

One more UV-photo:

 

Macau20pUV.jpg

 

Link:

 

http://hem.passagen.se/stockholms.myntklub.../Macau20pUV.jpg

 

Season´s Greetings to all

Joakim

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Joakim: I give up with this UV source that I have - it's just not powerful enough. I think I will have to get a full tube instead of some mini model...

 

The Macau banknote is quite fasicating! Joakim, do you happen to have a Swedish 500 kr banknote and actually checked out it's feature? I tried to photograph that note and actually wanted to show the text and crowns. It's just amazing.

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Hi

Sorry for the delay. I have here a UV-picture of the 500kr banknote, front only.

 

sverige500krUV.jpg

 

The link if you can not se the picture is:

 

http://hem.passagen.se/stockholms.myntklub...rige500krUV.jpg

 

It was not the best of picures I admitt, but you can see the green text showing up from the UV-light source. I think I have to experiment more to get the right balance with natural light and UV-light. To much light do not show UV features and to little you do not get clear details.

 

//Joakim

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I use a digital camera together with a uv-light source, and try to angle the light so that the note lights up. The biggest problem is getting normal light in a right proportion and angle. The camera is a bit old too, and sometimes difficult to get a good focus close up.

//Joakim

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Heavily inspired by Joakim, I tried what I could do with a digital camera that I "borrowed" :cry: Appearently this camera had an manual adjustable ISO 64-800 which helped A LOT ;)

 

Nevertheless, here is the note:

 

Front of the note:

500krfront1zg.jpg

 

Closeup of the hidden text: ;)

500krfrontwatermark7jz.jpg

 

(I really wonder what it says though :ninja: )

 

Back of the note:

500krback7pk.jpg

 

Closeup of watermark: (not too clear right?)

500krbackwatermark8ez.jpg

 

Closeup of watermark in BW :lol:

500krbackwatermarkbw7bi.jpg

 

This is one beautiful note and it is a real pity that I don't know well enough to capture the "darkness" hidden in all modern notes.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Along the same subject here.... Some stores in foreign countries have UV lights at their cash registers so the cashier can look for the UV light will show..... Try searching for one of those, just to see if they can be bought by regular people like all of us here.....

 

 

I just wonder how much those cost though......

 

 

KFC :ninja:

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Along the same subject here.... Some stores in foreign countries have UV lights at their cash registers so the cashier can look for the UV light will show..... Try searching for one of those, just to see if they can be bought by regular people like all of us here.....

I just wonder how much those cost though......

KFC :ninja:

 

Those are not too terribly expensive and hopefully should not be in your area if you can find one. Ask around in electronics or hardware stores for "UV light" or "ultraviolet". If you can't, I guess you would have to hit on the bay and get a cheap one. I just did a quick check on UV light and they don't seem to cost a fortune, in fact less than 20USD, unless you want some kind of professional version.

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I do have a suggestion that may work. Its weird, but here goes.......

 

 

I saw an commercial on tv for this stuff called Urine Gone.... stuff is used to remove urine stains left by pets..... When you order it, you are supposed to get a UV light to help locate the stains <alot like what you may see on shows like CSI>

 

 

That light may be just the thing needed to help find those hidden features on those banknotes...

 

 

KFC :ninja:

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I do have a suggestion that may work. Its weird, but here goes.......

I saw an commercial on tv for this stuff called Urine Gone.... stuff is used to remove urine stains left by pets..... When you order it, you are supposed to get a UV light to help locate the stains <alot like what you may see on shows like CSI>

That light may be just the thing needed to help find those hidden features on those banknotes...

KFC :ninja:

 

Good point, A UV lamp, commonly called a blacklight... they are used in hospitols (Veterinary offices too) to search for ringworm. If any of you have ever had ringworm (Or been to the doc with someone who does) you know it glows in a blacklight very similar to the way the notes are glowing above.

 

[edited to add] Be carefull when buying "blacklights". Ive seen a lot of lightbulbs painted back and sold as a blacklight. This will not do the same as a real UV light [/edit]

 

[edited again to add] Quick google search came up with this $10 UV lamp: http://www.thecatconnection.com/page/TCC/PROD/BEST/ELE-3701 [/edit]

 

Very cool security feature.

 

-Bobby

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This is what the "UV features" of the euro notes look like:

http://www.bundesbank.de/download/bargeld/...erkmale_neu.pdf

 

Two examples - the circle of stars which under UV light is partly orange, and the signature of the ECB president which is green:

 

22562-22568-2-uv.jpg

http://www.quarks.de/dyn/pics/22562-22568-2-uv.jpg

 

Christian

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