SkyBeam: Specs & performance, every question, answered
36 answers below, written from the manufacturer's manuals and our own bench experience. Prefer to tap through them? The same answers power the live chat in the corner. Ready to buy? See the SkyBeam or request a quote.
What are the model and part number?
Model: SKYBEAM LED Spot, Uvitron part number UV3979, a 4-channel controller with 4 life records. Complete system SKUs add the guide wavelength and cooling type, for example UV3979-365F.
What input voltage does it accept?
The built-in switch-mode supply accepts 90–264 VAC wide-range input with power factor correction, so it runs on 120 V or 240 V mains worldwide without any configuration.
The rear IEC receptacle is labeled 100–240 VAC, 50–60 Hz.
How much current does it draw?
Maximum input current is 1.0 A at 120 V or 0.5 A at 240 V.
What input frequency does it support?
47 to 63 Hz, covering standard 50 and 60 Hz mains everywhere.
Does it need an external power adapter?
No. The power supply is built into the controller, an electronic switch-mode, power-factor-corrected design, so a single IEC cord is the only power connection.
How tight is the output regulation?
LED drive current is regulated to ±1% across line and load variations, which keeps irradiance consistent shot to shot.
Is there an auxiliary voltage output?
Yes, 12 VDC at up to 0.1 A is available on terminal pin 22 for powering external interface circuits.
What electrical protections are built in?
Input side: inrush current limiting and line-voltage surge protection. Output side: open-circuit and over-temperature protection for the LED channels.
What irradiance do the 365 nm lenses give?
Typical initial values at 365 nm: 11,000 mW/cm² with the 3 mm lens at 6 mm distance, 5,600 mW/cm² with the 6 mm lens at 13 mm, and 1,500 mW/cm² with the 12 mm lens at 27 mm.
A 4 mm lens rated 8.5 W/cm² at 7 mm is also offered for 365 nm guides.
What irradiance do 385–405 nm lenses give?
With the 4 mm lens: 10.0 / 12.0 / 14.0 W/cm² at 5 mm for 385/395/405 nm respectively. The 6 mm lens gives 5.3 / 6.3 / 7.4 W/cm² at 11 mm, the 12 mm lens 1.7 / 2.0 / 2.3 W/cm² at 26 mm, and the 15 mm lens 1.4 / 1.6 / 1.9 W/cm² at 28 mm.
What spot sizes can it produce?
From 3 mm up to 15 mm, set by the screw-on lens at the guide tip. Each guide ships with 6 mm and 12 mm lenses; other sizes are ordered separately.
What is the timer range?
Automatic mode runs timed exposures from 0 to 999.9 seconds in 0.1 s increments, set per channel. Manual mode simply follows the on/off control signal while the timer counts up.
What is the power adjustment range?
10 to 100% of full UV power, adjustable per channel from the front panel.
What is the rated LED life?
20,000 hours typical. Life is affected by the number of on/off cycles, the intensity setting, and temperature.
What is the operating temperature range?
+10 to +40 °C (+50 to +104 °F).
What is the storage temperature range?
0 to +60 °C (+32 to +140 °F).
What humidity does it tolerate?
20 to 90% relative humidity operating and 10 to 95% in storage, non-condensing in either case.
How big is the controller?
6.63 × 3.62 × 5.91 inches (168 × 92 × 150 mm), controller only, compact enough for crowded benches and machine fixtures.
How much does it weigh?
3.25 lb (1.47 kg) for the controller.
How is the system cooled?
The controller is convection cooled, no internal fan noise. Light guides are your choice of fan cooled (suggested for continuous duty) or convection cooled (for intermittent duty).
How long are the light guides?
The flexible cable is 2 meters standard. The guide head measures 82 mm on fan-cooled versions and 85 mm on convection-cooled versions.
What's the minimum cable bend radius?
50 mm. Route the guide cable with at least that radius everywhere to avoid damage.
What's the temperature limit for the guides?
Keep the light guide working temperature under 40 °C (104 °F). Each guide has a built-in temperature sensor, and fan speed increases with LED temperature to keep it in check.
Which lenses come with each guide?
Two: a 6 mm and a 12 mm spot lens. Those sizes are included by default unless you specify otherwise at time of order.
What I/O does the rear terminal block offer?
A 24-pin interface (two 12-position pluggable terminal blocks): four channel run/stop inputs, RS-232 lines, an emergency interlock input, plus READY, BUSY1–4, and ERROR outputs, a 12 V auxiliary supply, and grounds.
What are the input terminal pin functions?
Pins 1, 2, 4, and 5 are the stop/run inputs for channels 1–4; pins 3, 6, and 12 are COM1 grounded commons; pins 7/8/9 carry RS-232 TXD/RXD/GND; pin 11 is the EMER emergency stop.
Pin 10 (ALL) is a reserved input, do not connect anything to it.
What are the output terminal pin functions?
Pin 13 READY (ready-for-running feedback), pins 14/15/17/18 BUSY1–BUSY4 (channel-running feedback), pin 20 ERROR (fault feedback); pins 16, 19, and 21 are COM2 commons; pin 22 is 12 V (100 mA max), pin 23 GND, and pin 24 FG chassis ground for cable shields.
What are the signal output ratings?
Each output handles up to 10 mA at a rated load voltage of 5–24 VDC, with a maximum voltage drop below 0.9 V when on. If you power circuits from the internal 12 V pin, keep total load current under 100 mA.
What are the RS-232 port settings?
9600 baud, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit; half-duplex ASCII over a 3-conductor shielded cable up to 15 meters.
What's the RS-232 DSUB pinout?
On the rear 9-pin DSUB: pin 2 send data, pin 3 receive data, pin 5 signal ground; all other pins are unconnected. The same signals are also on terminal block pins 7 (TXD), 8 (RXD), and 9 (GND).
How do RS-232 commands work?
Every command is prefixed with the ASCII string "uvled". Sent alone, the controller answers ":" (hex 0x3A) to confirm the connection; correctly received commands are acknowledged with 0x3A + 0x24 followed by an echo of the command bytes.
What can I control over RS-232?
Per channel: run/stop, UV power (10–100%), running mode (A, M, step, or CLOSE), step number, and irradiation time, plus check-status commands for each of those and the channel's cumulative running hours.
What do fault codes E20, E30, E40 mean?
E20 = light guide open circuit, E30 = short circuit, E40 = overheat. E20/E30 usually point to a connection issue or a guide needing replacement; for E40, let the unit cool below 80 °C and improve cooling.
How many steps can step mode run?
Up to 16 steps from the front panel, each with independent power and time, repeated 1–99 times via the PS cycles setting.
Over RS-232, the step-number command accepts 1–12 steps.
Is the SkyBeam CE marked?
Yes, the controller's rear panel carries the CE mark, as shown in the manual's rear-view figure.
What's the irradiance at 1 inch?
Uvitron rates it from 900 to 14,000 mW/cm² UVA at 1 inch, depending on the lens fitted.
