US Patent 7040308 Device and method for illuminating luminescent paintballs

A hopper device 50 for illuminating luminescent paintballs before the paintballs are projected down the barrel of a paintball gun includes a hopper shell 52, top and bottom rows 54 and 56 of ultraviolet lights 14 disposed at preselected portions of the shell 52 to maximize the exposure of the paintballs 11 to ultraviolet light emitted from the lights 14, a pair of low voltage D.C. batteries 58 that supply power via a switch 60 to an inverter 62 which increases the voltage to a magnitude used by the lights 14.