fiber optic engines anyone?

[xelaris]

This is totally new stuff to me but it seems very interesting....artificial colored light anywhere; even inside the shower while keeping the light engine in the loft connected to fiber optic wherever one fancy (wow).

Then, I don't understand...I see this filaments seems not more than a couple of meter long....how do these reach other areas which are e.g. 4 meters away? (as the engine sits in the loft) - can these strand be cut and joined at will?

I might be interested in using a led engine to add lights to some glass blocks....

 

[333rocky333]

Ive seen the 1mm stuff installed and they had 100 metre coils, it was like a pvc coated glass tube, i had a length and cut it with sidecutters and it splits like glass so i assume there is special tools,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsqOd5xyQXQ

 

[xelaris]

any link of these long strand systems? It seems there are plenty of shorter fiber optic engines and I don't see much practical use with these.

 

[xelaris]

any link of these long strand systems? It seems there are plenty of shorter fiber optic engines and I don't see much practical use with these.

ok, got that thanks (watching now).

 

[xelaris]

great stuff....my imagination is running wild - all the things one can do....put that alongside glass tiles...under the shower head....underwater, inside a fish tank...

 

[xelaris]

why don't they mention the length of the fibres? It seem the most obvious factor....

http://www.topfreebiz.com/product/7...ED-Fiber-Optic-Star-Ceiling-Lighting-Kits.htm

I've seen many similar adverts and the length aren't mentioned (that's a mystery)....number of strands....thickness....brightness....power rating

 

[333rocky333]

Think its dependant on the light unit in relation to the lenght

The best i got to do with it was cutting about 20 lenghts and shining a torch down it, i was gonna canabalise one of them xmas trees for the light box but never got round to it.

 

[bernardgreen]

look for light guides rather than fibres.

For illumination a rigid clear plastic rod is more suitable than a bunch of fibres

http://catalog.osram-os.com/media/_en/Graphics/00026784_0.pdf has a lot of the theory

 

[IJWS15]

You can join it but these are primarily aimed at low loss telecomms fibres.

http://www.sumielectric.com/fusion-splicers.html
or
http://www.fujikura.co.uk/products/fusion-splicers-and-accessories/

You can also get mechanial jointers but the cut end of the fibre is critical for light transmission.

Fibres are glass and there are safety criteria to follow when working with it and to considering where to locate it.

 

[xelaris]

How difficult would it be to install a led to fibre optic engine up in the loft and lay the fibre optic strands to reach some glass tiles on the floor (an average run of 5 metres).
From what I've seen this isn't a diy job and require some specialized and expensive tools....still, some fibre optics on ebay seems very affordable....

 

[bernardgreen]

Glass tiles on the floor ? Disco dancing area. ?

Better to run ELV circuits and use LEDs in / under the tiles.

Or if you must use light pipes then put the light engine in a piece of bespoke furniture in the corner of the room.

 

[dmiller]

Has anyone here installed one of the simple kits? I have been looking at the fibre optic star ceiling kits in a nursery and wondered if anyone had any experience with them?

The bit thats worrying me is drilling the 1mm holes through the ceiling. Can you then paint the fibres in the future? Do you need to pull them up a bit and push them down a bit?

Do they look as good as the internet suggests?