Fibre Optic Lighting

Well that's an "all singing, all dancing" ebay page! Yet more ideas to consider! I looked through the complete listing and found the answer I was looking for - you can heat up the end of strand and enlarge it.

Ver good Trev.:thumbup:
 
The use I had in mind was flashing illuminated signs with the fibres acting out the part of globes. Simpler to do than with flashing leds....
 
Remember those posh fibre optic decorations like trees which gently moved with the airflow? Funny how my mum's one used to lose the odd strand now and again :bigsmile:

I later moved on to a cheapy one from Woollies with plastic fibre rather than proper glass. They didn't break so easily.
 
tramcar trev said:
The use I had in mind was flashing illuminated signs with the fibres acting out the part of globes. Simpler to do than with flashing leds....
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I know what you mean.......

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ROSS said:
tramcar trev said:
The use I had in mind was flashing illuminated signs with the fibres acting out the part of globes. Simpler to do than with flashing leds....
Click to expand...
Bundle a number of fibres clear (and or colour) to fit a tube and bung an LED in the end. If the fibre is clear, then the light is better retained WITHIN the fibre by painting the outside of the fibre with flat black paint as bundled fibres are usually held within as light retaining cover anyway..
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The biggest light loss from optic fibres is caused by making bends too tight. If the fibre is properly made then the outside is reasonably reflective, so the light will 'bounce' back into line on a shallow bend. On a too sharp bend the angle the light strikes the outside of the fibre can be too great for it to reflect so it (or some) escapes. I cant remember the formula for calculating the minimum bend, off hand, but it is quite a large radius compared to the dia of the fibre. I'm also not sure if the same formula would be as appropriate with plastic fibre, my experience was with telephonic glass. I remember we used to demonstate total loss by lightly gripping a single fibre between two fingers and a thumb.
 
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