UV EPROM Eraser Construction:

The idea is pretty simple, get hold of a strip light holder and circuitry, either a small hand lamp or something like the note checker I used. You can expect to pay between £5 and £10 for this. As long as the holder takes a 4W fluorescent tube it should be fine. I chose from Maplin Electronics order code MW36 for £10 as it means my unit will be mains powered. if you want a cheaper option look at order code ZC11 for £5.

Next you require a dangerously intense UV light source, replacement tubes are available for EPROM erasers. An alternative source are aquatic places, as it seems common to use UV to kill bacteria in water. On this website by searching for 'bulb' we find a '4W Replacement Bulb' when I bought mine they cost £5.95 plus a couple of quid postage.

All that's left is to seal it all up in a box, I chose an aluminium box again from Maplin code XB68.

I decided to incorporate a tray to insert the EPROM's on much like commercially available units. Using a switch inside the box allowed me to cut off power to the lamp when the drawer was not fully closed, an important safety feature. See circuit diagram for details.

Improvements to my design would be to include a timer that would automatically turn off the light after the correct erase time. Maybe one day...