OT: Very cheap source for fiber optic

Farnell for sheathed stuff, about 2mm core diameter IIRC.

Try the $2 / crap / bargain / junk / shit shops and see if they have some '70s optic fibre table lamps.

Or the "el cheapo" christmas tree with optical fibers

On Oct 19, 4:41=EF=BF=BDam, "Jon Slaughter" wro= te:

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I think you definitely want to hook up with one of the Chinese Import companies that deal in plastic fiber optic cable. Here's a couple to get you started...

Google keywords: China Import Plastic Fiber Optic. You can also try acrylic.

I think you definitely want to hook up with one of the Chinese Import companies that deal in plastic fiber optic cable. Here's a couple to get you started...

Google keywords: China Import Plastic Fiber Optic. You can also try acrylic.

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have you dealt with any of these chinese companies before? I'm a bit wary about them for some reason.

I might try to track down some of it and do some tests.

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No. And be advised they usually deal ONLY in high-volume. But you can try going the "sample" route with them, and/or find out if they sell to any distributors or value-added resellers, etc...

Anyone in manufacturing these days deals (at least in part) with the Chinese or India. No big deal. Just find a reputable company.

On Oct 19, 3:27=EF=BF=BDpm, "Jon Slaughter" wro= te:

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A lens (note, not spelled "lenz"?) will improve the fiber-optic results tremendously. There was a company I used once before (I'm trying desparately to remember their name....).

They make a lot of fiber-optic safety interlock switch stuff. But they have discrete lenses available. Began with an "S", I think..? It'll come to me, or someone here will know them. Big company. USA.

I actually have a box full of misc plastic fiber optics, parts, fiber reels, etc... If I knew where it was in the warehouse, I'd ship it to you my regular discount offer price: That being, the cost of UPS shipping plus a single bottle of a decent Belgian Ale! Ha!!

I wouldn't write off fiber optic until you marry it up with a flush mount lens of some sort. I think you will be very impressed. Also, just to mention, the human eye is much more sensitive to green than red. (You'll have to play with color/luminosity issues, even with LED's)

And one word of caution, if you're handling glass fiber-optic, brush up on fiber safety first. You don't want that stuff in your skin or eyes. (And depending on what you're driving the fiber with -- you don't want to perform amateur RK surgery either.. :) Though I'm sure you're driving with LED's and not collimated lasers, etc... Besides, I don't think I've ever seen glass fiber at the cross- sectional diameter your project requries, but you never know. Just be aware you can't pluck glass fiber out with tweezers. You'll end up in the E.R. :(

-mpm

It depends on the fiber (optical rolloff), but the type of cable I'm thinking you want doesn't actually have a sheath. That also saves you the labor of having to remove it.

--- Yes, but the sheath/jacket has two important functions: 1. It protects the fiber from the wood(not sure if this is an issue but I read that oils from fingers and change the refraction index along with cuts and such). 2. It helps make a snug fit into the hole. I do not know if fiber will work as well.

=== I didn't make it clear in my last post, but you should definitely be using a plastic or acrylic fiber (not a glass fiber). I didn't get around to completing that thought. Glass fiber will be too much money anyway.

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Yes, I think this is what I'm using now. I'm going to head to the hobby store and hopfully snatch some to work with.

== I'm also wondering (out loud, I really haven't thought it through.....) if you might be able to get by with a silicone lens. You might even be able to prototype these yourself? Google "Liquid Silicone Lens" and drill down through some of the hits. Although focusing might suffer on your protoype, I'm wondering if using a clear silicone would greatly simply prototype assembly -- or whether it would just be a big ugly mess to clean up?

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Google doesn't return anything. What I would be looking for is some type of small cylinder with the same diameter of the fiber optic that is either somewhat opaque(hopefully help mix the colors and increase the angle) or maybe clear but has the same properties. Ultimately it can't decrease the brighness too much though.

======== The company I was thinking about was Banner Engineering. (No "S". Duh?!) Oh well. Call their engineers, because they make a lot of stuff that's nowhere to be found on their web sites. Although, they're likely too pricey to be a practical solution. But maybe they can steer you to the right folks. I do know they carry all kinds of fiber. At least they used to a few years back. Good luck.

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Ok, I'll check them out.

We used a ~1/8" plastic rod that brought out a LED's light through an EMI compliant box. I heated the visible end of the rod to create a dome shaped lens. This looked better than if the visible end of the rod was flat. Dunno if this idea would work with plastic fiber or not.

-Dave Pollum

Go to the trinket & novelty shop, and get one of those fiber optic "mood light" thingies.

Have Fun! Rich

HTH

If only I knew the diameter ;/

I tried that with the fiber optic I had and it didn't work well... actually it didn't work at all ;/ But I might not have done a good job

Generally, for lighting, the bigger the better, until the size causes problems.