Fibre optic lighting

Started by Martin555
17 replies 27 likes 0 followers Last activity: 7 years ago
#18

Fibre optic lighting

I agree, not my best effort😔, but also my first attempt with 1mm² LEDs.
There had also been several false starts "ping"😠, and mods to the resistor values.
Hence the jeweller's eyeglass to check for shorts.
When it all worked I didn't feel like risking a tidy up in case it then stopped!
I've since learned to jack up the iron temp to 350°C and work faster!!
Main thing, it proved the circuit and current drain, ca 45mA. QED 😊

Gotta rush now - dinner invitation 😋😉
CU later 😎
Young at heart 😉 Slightly older in other places.😊 Cheers Doug
Liked by Martin555
#17

Fibre optic lighting

Were a flock of geese flying over in pic 3 Doug?😀 Not casting nastertiums on yr soldering at all😀 Sgt, take that mans name and wipe his leg with a cement bag!
JB
Liked by Martin555
#16

Fibre optic lighting

Apropos "Somewhere on the site, under Electrical gubbins?, I posted some info and photos on some LED lighting experiments I was doing,"
Found it😊 It's in Pittsfield Pete's Blog about modding his Richardson tug.
Pics attached. Also showing the 'visual aids needed, especially for inspecting the soldering and polarities before applying power!!🤓
😎
Young at heart 😉 Slightly older in other places.😊 Cheers Doug
Liked by jbkiwi and Martin555
#15

Fibre optic lighting

"Been there, done that Doug, on a number of occasions"
My commiserations JB 🤔
😎
Young at heart 😉 Slightly older in other places.😊 Cheers Doug
#14

Fibre optic lighting

The dreaded tweeze ping is quite entertaining here in my little workshop especially as my shakes have gotten worse.LOL!

Mind you the air dose turn blue regularly.

Martin555.
If it looks right it probably is.
Liked by jbkiwi
#13

Fibre optic lighting

Re- No, sorry JB, tempting but I'm NOT going to do the old one
Been there, done that Doug, on a number of occasions 😉
Liked by RNinMunich and Martin555
#12

Fibre optic lighting

"I too spent most of my waking hours grovelling around on the floor "
Like my old Dad said when he topped 80 and was tying his shoelaces-
"At my age while I'm down here it pays to look around and see what else I can do or find!"
😎
Young at heart 😉 Slightly older in other places.😊 Cheers Doug
Liked by jbkiwi and Martin555
#11

Fibre optic lighting

Re - I have had a lot of experience with a lot of very small surface mount components
Ah yes, the dreaded 'ping', brings dread to the heart of any modeler fitting that last 'impossible to purchase tiny screw or similar. Also applies to cars ! I once lost a very important spring (non purchasable item) while attempting to fit it to a part on my engine, 'PING'. Turned a double garage upside down looking for it for hours.
To avoid going insane, I left it till the next day and then went back to try again. Needed to put my boots on (had been wearing safety jandals the day before), boots were up on a box a few feet off the ground, put one on and felt something at the end, tipped it out and you'll never guess what that was😭😠☹️😀😊
JB
Liked by Rookysailor and Martin555 and
#10

Fibre optic lighting

No, sorry JB, tempting but I'm NOT going to do the old one about loosing a good screw!
As Ronnie said to Ronnie "You can't tell that one on here!"😮
😎
Young at heart 😉 Slightly older in other places.😊 Cheers Doug
Liked by jbkiwi and Martin555
#9

Fibre optic lighting

Jb,
I have heard that like the jet flow high areas of gravity move as well, last week it was where I live and it was an intense gravity shift and I too spent most of my waking hours grovelling around on the floor LOL!

Martin555.
If it looks right it probably is.
Liked by jbkiwi
#8

Fibre optic lighting

Re- Somewhere on the site, under Electrical gubbins?
Grovelling on the floor Doug, I spend 1/2 my modelling time doing that😂 I think that gravity is getting stronger by the day! Now where did that screw go!?😠
JB
Liked by RNinMunich and Martin555
#7

Fibre optic lighting

Hi Doug,
I have had a lot of experience with a lot of very small surface mount components after many years making PCB's, but you never get over the dreaded tweezer ping.

Martin555.
If it looks right it probably is.
Liked by jbkiwi and RNinMunich
#6

Fibre optic lighting

Agreed JB
Works OK over very short distances, and for close observers, and as you say a high intensity source with the the little lens moulded in is essential.
A little Kryptonite always works wonders, as long as it's not RED!!😮 😁
Cheers, Doug 😎
Young at heart 😉 Slightly older in other places.😊 Cheers Doug
Liked by jbkiwi and Martin555
#5

Fibre optic lighting

Hi Martin,
Somewhere on the site, under Electrical gubbins?, I posted some info and photos on some LED lighting experiments I was doing, partly to assist guys wanting to add lights and equip small masts etc. I included a test board with tiny SMD LEDs. They fit nicely between the tracks of a 0.1" (2.54mm) pitch Veroboard 😉 I bought these tiny LEDs primarily with my 1/350 Plastic Magic conversions in mind.
Be prepared to work with fine tweezers and a 1mm temp controllable soldering iron bit, as well as spending time grovelling around on the floor looking for "the one that got away" 😠
Cheers, Doug 😎
Young at heart 😉 Slightly older in other places.😊 Cheers Doug
Liked by jbkiwi and Martin555
#4

Fibre optic lighting

If you can get hold of some acrylic rod, it doesn't work too badly. Used a bit back in the 80s for something (can't remember what it was now) deck light I think. painted black and using a 'grain of wheat' bulb taped to the end. Was only about 4mm and didn't shine like a torch, but transferred the light well.
Was quite often used on toys to transfer light to head/tail lights etc. Boy had a police car which was 'touch and go' drive, and would stop, lift up and rotate etc, and all the lights were resin, and lit from behind by small square stalks to the bulbs. A good bulb to use would be the small 3v focused Krypton high intensity type, - not sure if you can still get them, - (my 'Mag-Lite uses them, - last one I put in about 10 yrs ago. No probs with polarity.
JB
Liked by Rookysailor and Martin555 and
#3

Fibre optic lighting

That's true Doug,
A bit old fashioned now.
I have actually fitted 0201 surface mount LED's in the past and I know there are small surface mount LED's than that but I can't remember there size.

Martin555.
If it looks right it probably is.
#2

Fibre optic lighting

Hi Martin,
"I was wondering if it would be possible to use fishing line instead of fibre optic cables ?"
Short answer: No!
Fibre optic cables are made of glass fibre for minimum attenuation.
They are also 'tuned' for specific light bandwidth and wavelength characteristics.
Fishing line is not! Guess it's usually some form of nylon or similar.
At any rate it's light attenuation and dispersion is much too high.

FO cable was popular some time ago, before cheap rolls / strips of tiny (1 to 2mm) SMD type LEDs came on the market. Now it's not really worth the bother or space required.
Cheers, Doug 😎
Young at heart 😉 Slightly older in other places.😊 Cheers Doug
Liked by Martin555
#1

Fibre optic lighting

Hi Guys,
I am a little surprised that nobody has mentioned using fibre optic cable to light up control panels in there boats.
A good friend of mine has done this and it looks very impressive.
He grouped quite a few optic cables and attached them end on to the tops of LED's using heat shrink tubing and ran them to different positions on his panels.
And by using different colours of LED's it really looks good.

I was wondering if it would be possible to use fishing line instead of fibre optic cables ?

Martin555.
If it looks right it probably is.

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