How do you deal with stray code?

[legacy]

Anyway, I have recently found that germicidal lamps used to clean surgery cutters are extremely good to safely wipe UVEPROMs, and there are interesting opportunity to find one for cheap (got mine for 60 Euro) from little bazaars in Russia. Even online.

It just needs a timer for setting the exposure time 

Once wiped, the chip perfectly works, it keeps a new programming, but it has a weird smell. Can't describe, it's something that smells of the hospital. Maybe the germicidal lamp has a large UV spectrum and some wavelength interacts with some chemical element used in the body of UVPROM.

ROMs wiped by profe$$ional tools don't have this weird smell 

[MK14]

but it has a weird smell. Can't describe, it's something that smells of the hospital. Maybe the germicidal lamp has a large UV spectrum and some wavelength interacts with some chemical element used in the body of UVPROM.

UV of certain wavelengths, makes Ozone. Which has a distinctive smell, even in small quantities.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozone.
If it makes ozone, it is also probably harmful for your eyes (UV very bad), at those frequencies.

Because of the strongly oxidizing properties of ozone, ozone is a primary irritant, affecting especially the eyes and respiratory systems and can be hazardous at even low concentrations. The Canadian Centre for Occupation Safety and Health reports that:

[legacy]

UV of certain wavelengths makes Ozone.

ummm ... the lamp is hosted inside an aluminum box I have homemade; I know ultraviolet light can show aging property of aluminum particles and epoxy composite (these are used in dentistry for fillings), but ... how can it make ozone? 

[MK14]

UV of certain wavelengths makes Ozone.

ummm ... the lamp is hosted inside an aluminum box I have homemade; I know ultraviolet light can show aging property of aluminum particles and epoxy composite (these are used in dentistry for fillings), but ... how can it make ozone? 

http://www.oxidationtech.com/ozone/ozone-production/uv-lamp.html

UV light can also be used to produce ozone commercially for a wide variety of applications. While UV Ozone Generators are only a small fraction of the Ozone Generator market, it is valuable to understand how they work and what applications they may be suitable for.

UV light in the range from 160 – 240 nm will create ozone from oxygen. Ozone is created by the photolysis of the oxygen molecule (O2). This will disrupt the molecule and create valent oxygen atoms (O) that will then attach to any individual oxygen molecules (O2) to create ozone (O3).

[MK14]

If you are using the "wrong" type of UV light. It will makes lots of Ozone, which is dangerous to breath in. I believe.

[legacy]

yup, the lamp covers 180 nm, it's written on the label, hence bingo, it's probably ozone the smell I was talking about.

Definitively this tool must be used open air, or next to an open window.

Thanks for your warning 

[MK14]

With professional UV EPROM erasers, you can get a tiny/slight whiff of Ozone smell from them. If they have been on a long time (30+ minutes), and there isn't much air flow, around the area.
But this is usually only a small amount of smell, which soon dissipates.

Laser printers, especially the really old ones from 10/20 years ago, sometimes gave off noticeable smells of Ozone.
Due to the UV lamp, which erases the laser drum (or whatever it is used for in a laser printer).

EDIT (crossed out section, replaced below):
Please see next post in thread:

Corona wire - High voltage.

[PA0PBZ]

Laser printers, especially the really old ones from 10/20 years ago, sometimes gave off noticeable smells of Ozone.
Due to the UV lamp, which erases the laser drum (or whatever it is used for in a laser printer).

Corona wire - High voltage.

[westfw]

If I were to find un-erased chips, I would simply erase them immediately, since anything else might be morally and legally questionable.
Part of the "big company" mentality that was drummed into me: "if you come across info that might be 'confidential' to one of your competitors", you should NOT look at it.

[james_s]

EPROMS never had any kind of code protection and what sort of confidential information is going to be on chips pulled from scrapped obsolete technology?

If someone doesn't want me to look at their data, it's their responsibility to keep it from getting out. I have absolutely zero moral issues looking around in old ROMs. I have as much loyalty toward any unnamed "big company" as they have toward me, which is to say, none at all.