Hi, thanks for this video! I found a similar product at a auto parts store and was looking for the tubing to purchase in bulk. I've uploaded a prototype of my install as a cup holder ring in my truck....very very cool stuff to work with!
Thanks for the comparison. I've been waiting for individually addressable RGB LEDs to become very small (~1mm?) and on durable strips or ideally strings, for uses incorporating into garments for more subtle, twinkle lighting effects. I'm going to play around with some thin filament fiber optic cable and see if I can at least emulate tiny LEDs for now. The side firing ones look interesting but I think will be less useful for my case.
What is the little tube you put on the LED before the fiber optics? Does the wire still emit light if you just put an LED at the end of it without the little tube?
Great review! Thanks for posting. You mentioned heat shrinking early in the video. Have you had a chance to try heat shrinking the fiber to see what happens? Thanks once again on a excellent review!
Good review! A couple of comments: One, have you tried to light up the fiber with a laser? I bet that will really light it up! Second, those CCFL tubes only consume about 200mA of power. So they won't kill you unless you are sensitive to electricity, but you will get a really nasty shock. I am speaking from experience. Back when I was in college I shorted out its big cousin, a Gas discharge tube. Amperage kills, voltage does not.
If you want side light far from the LED or far end (somewhere in the middle or various points along the length) have you tested reflective tape along sections where light is leaking and unwanted to see what effect that has? I'm needing light far from my source. Other alternative might be to glue lengths of this to standard fibre multi strand cable at points where light is needed along a length as light seems to pass out the end of this quite well.
MMT: When I saw this video, I bought some of these fiber optic strands in 2mm, 3mm, and 5mm. Lasers, for those who may have asked, look cool, but will pass right through the side walls with little attenuation if the beam is not properly centered. (Dangerous!) However, if you place the fiber optic flat on a piece of paper, or white sheet styrene, a very interesting thing happens...It emits more evenly diffuse light along the entire length! This enhanced effect works with LED's too. Hope you enjoy this info.
Question, with an Ultrabright RGB LED, the fiber optic inset above a reflective such as silver leaf with a reflective end cap, what lighting output could be expected, looking for a glow effect plainly visible in avg indoor lighting.
Hi Tom, I need your help.I have a mini cooper, and i want to use these fiber optics on the side doors to have a glow effect. my car already have the ambient package so the car already has a controller to change the lighting in side. i want to extend those lighting and add these to the side. where can i buy an RGB led ultra bright component, and any tips?
I'm sorry to say I don;t have any leads for you on an RGB LED. Perhaps a place like Fry's Electronics or Radio Shack kind of place is my best idea offhand.
The general heat needed for heat shrink is so much greater than fiber that I wouldn't even try it, except to watch fiber melt. Maybe it would be stronger in a bundle of many threads, but I still wouldn't risk it, myself. Let me know if you tried and how it goes.
I heatshrink ends all the time. No big deal really. Way better light output. Slide a piece of tinfoil on inside heatshrink and bam, it reflects awesome without a second led on other end
Your information is very insightful. I'm no expert in fiber optics or their applications. However, what I do know is that the "TTSL" fiber optics are commercially produced and commercial grade fiber optics. Your statement "You are definitely screwing with your life" is an understatement. TTSL fiber optic cable should never be touched by hand. It is extremely dangerous and even toxic because it is made of ultra fine optical glass. Touching it can cause the TTSL cable to break off in tiny, minute, microscopic pieces and burrow its way into your skin and ultimately, into your bloodstream. Once there, the body cannot absorb or break this special glass down and it can cause untold and unseen damage to the body, including and especially the heart, lungs and brain. I have a friend who specializes in working with and installing commercial grade fiber optic cables. She explained the dangers of it and explained that what she was using is known as "TTSL" Fiber Optic Cable. It's what is used to run the fiber optic cables that power our telephones, televisions, satellite systems and more. It is also the cables used in powering the internet all over the world because it provides much faster transmission of information and reduces cable sizes exponentially. You should under no uncertain terms or circumstances, never touch TTSL cable without special safety equipment. It is way too dangerous and the average person should never attempt to use or handle TTSL Fiber Optic Cables, ever! Once in the bloodstream, there is no known treatment to safely or completely remove it. It has also been known to lead to death from mishandling.
Deck accent lighting, like full-size boats? What's the scale and application? The longer the length, the stronger the LED needed to light it -at each end helps.
ModelManTom I was thinking of lining inside rails at the bottom and outside rails at the top. Its big. 4-500 feet is a low estimate I'd say. Or maybe just use to light steps. 50-75 feet. (multi level deck).
charlidog2 There are 10watt LEDs out there and I think you'd need them. You could also do 10ft lengths or others and insert LEDs into the pipeline as it were. Even without, they'd still glow, but you'd have to nix most other lighting to really get a good effect I'd bet. Top-level-waterproof LEDTape would do the trick IP65 would work interior. That runs in 16ft lengths and will be nicely bright. There are AC converters that any licensed electrician can install to power the LEDTape (Such as from my own LED supply company, Modelersbrand dotcom! ;)
+ModelManTom i think it's an old DotA taunt from waaaay back.... that said... my audio is broken so i don't know a lot of details, but i'm trying to mod glowy hair bits on my gundam models and the only wires i can find that thin are end-emitting..... been spending all day googling fiber optics, but i can't find anything on how to convert end-emitting to side-emitting other than bending them and that only makes them glow on that point... i just wanna know if there are thinner side-glow wires out there on the market thanks :3
+RagPen01 There is no way to convert one into the other. Perhaps you could slice an end-glow in two, but I dunno about that. Have a look for www.thefiberopticstore.com. A good fellow named Paul runs the company and provides good service.
Dame dude, str8 to the point and thorough as heck!👍
That's what I'm talking about, u da Man!
Dude, thank you for this. I appreciate your videos and projects.
Thanks for the review Tom. Great info and very in-depth. Very much appreciated!
Way to go Tom. Very usual. Very cool. Endless possibilities.
Thanks!
Wow!! Exactly what I need! Thanks for this video!
Hi, thanks for this video! I found a similar product at a auto parts store and was looking for the tubing to purchase in bulk. I've uploaded a prototype of my install as a cup holder ring in my truck....very very cool stuff to work with!
Very good model man tom !!!
very nice stuff
Thanks for the comparison. I've been waiting for individually addressable RGB LEDs to become very small (~1mm?) and on durable strips or ideally strings, for uses incorporating into garments for more subtle, twinkle lighting effects. I'm going to play around with some thin filament fiber optic cable and see if I can at least emulate tiny LEDs for now. The side firing ones look interesting but I think will be less useful for my case.
Beautiful voice
What is the little tube you put on the LED before the fiber optics? Does the wire still emit light if you just put an LED at the end of it without the little tube?
thnaks sooo much fo the video , verry informative .
Great review! Thanks for posting.
You mentioned heat shrinking early in the video. Have you had a chance to try heat shrinking the fiber to see what happens?
Thanks once again on a excellent review!
Good review! A couple of comments: One, have you tried to light up the fiber with a laser? I bet that will really light it up! Second, those CCFL tubes only consume about 200mA of power. So they won't kill you unless you are sensitive to electricity, but you will get a really nasty shock. I am speaking from experience. Back when I was in college I shorted out its big cousin, a Gas discharge tube. Amperage kills, voltage does not.
hi ! Do you thin that it can be a brakelightstrip achieved with this? I mean in a distance of 8-9cm and lit from bought ends with a strong smd.
If you want side light far from the LED or far end (somewhere in the middle or various points along the length) have you tested reflective tape along sections where light is leaking and unwanted to see what effect that has? I'm needing light far from my source. Other alternative might be to glue lengths of this to standard fibre multi strand cable at points where light is needed along a length as light seems to pass out the end of this quite well.
MMT: When I saw this video, I bought some of these fiber optic strands in 2mm, 3mm, and 5mm. Lasers, for those who may have asked, look cool, but will pass right through the side walls with little attenuation if the beam is not properly centered. (Dangerous!) However, if you place the fiber optic flat on a piece of paper, or white sheet styrene, a very interesting thing happens...It emits more evenly diffuse light along the entire length! This enhanced effect works with LED's too. Hope you enjoy this info.
+Patrick Mullins Fascinating discovery!
Where did you get the short metal tubes that you're using to connect the LEDs to the fiber?
Question, with an Ultrabright RGB LED, the fiber optic inset above a reflective such as silver leaf with a reflective end cap, what lighting output could be expected, looking for a glow effect plainly visible in avg indoor lighting.
Fiber should be 50um diameter. And also standard light is 1310nm so you cant see it .
Would this stuff work on clear resin to light windows up?
hobby shop. local hardware stores should have aluminum or brass tubing as well. Al in difference diameters.
If you cut a notch in the side of the SFT would it be as bright as the end?
Great video. What is the acrylic sheet material you mentioned that has light emitting from the sides when lit??
It was something I saw listed in a Plastruct catalog some years before this video was shot, I think, but never had in person to know for sure.
Hi Tom, I need your help.I have a mini cooper, and i want to use these fiber optics on the side doors to have a glow effect. my car already have the ambient package so the car already has a controller to change the lighting in side. i want to extend those lighting and add these to the side. where can i buy an RGB led ultra bright component, and any tips?
I'm sorry to say I don;t have any leads for you on an RGB LED. Perhaps a place like Fry's Electronics or Radio Shack kind of place is my best idea offhand.
I think if you use a brighter LED , you shouldn't have the dark middle in the middle.
Is that fiber easy to cut and polish?
The general heat needed for heat shrink is so much greater than fiber that I wouldn't even try it, except to watch fiber melt. Maybe it would be stronger in a bundle of many threads, but I still wouldn't risk it, myself. Let me know if you tried and how it goes.
could I get a exact bmw orange color tube.. I believe 610nm is the color
I heatshrink ends all the time. No big deal really. Way better light output. Slide a piece of tinfoil on inside heatshrink and bam, it reflects awesome without a second led on other end
Where I can buy the string?what do you called that?
Do you think is possible to create a simple car fit fiber kit for my car ?
I think you can. FIber optics are very versatile.
Cant put that in a regular SFP!!
Your information is very insightful. I'm no expert in fiber optics or their applications. However, what I do know is that the "TTSL" fiber optics are commercially produced and commercial grade fiber optics. Your statement "You are definitely screwing with your life" is an understatement. TTSL fiber optic cable should never be touched by hand. It is extremely dangerous and even toxic because it is made of ultra fine optical glass. Touching it can cause the TTSL cable to break off in tiny, minute, microscopic pieces and burrow its way into your skin and ultimately, into your bloodstream. Once there, the body cannot absorb or break this special glass down and it can cause untold and unseen damage to the body, including and especially the heart, lungs and brain.
I have a friend who specializes in working with and installing commercial grade fiber optic cables. She explained the dangers of it and explained that what she was using is known as "TTSL" Fiber Optic Cable. It's what is used to run the fiber optic cables that power our telephones, televisions, satellite systems and more. It is also the cables used in powering the internet all over the world because it provides much faster transmission of information and reduces cable sizes exponentially.
You should under no uncertain terms or circumstances, never touch TTSL cable without special safety equipment. It is way too dangerous and the average person should never attempt to use or handle TTSL Fiber Optic Cables, ever! Once in the bloodstream, there is no known treatment to safely or completely remove it. It has also been known to lead to death from mishandling.
Thanks for that great note!
is this real? And also are the PMMA fiber optics cable for model making dangerous? I mean this fiber cable that are sold on modelcar sites ect...?
JW this stuff is plastic not glass like in commercial applications
go through a one way mirror and have mirror on other end.
+charlidog2 Even with an LED at each end, there is still light fall off towards the middle of a given length, even shorter lengths, oddly.
ModelManTom Thanks for the prompt response/ What are your thoughts on SG fiber for deck accent lighting?
Deck accent lighting, like full-size boats? What's the scale and application? The longer the length, the stronger the LED needed to light it -at each end helps.
ModelManTom I was thinking of lining inside rails at the bottom and outside rails at the top. Its big. 4-500 feet is a low estimate I'd say. Or maybe just use to light steps. 50-75 feet. (multi level deck).
charlidog2
There are 10watt LEDs out there and I think you'd need them. You could also do 10ft lengths or others and insert LEDs into the pipeline as it were. Even without, they'd still glow, but you'd have to nix most other lighting to really get a good effect I'd bet. Top-level-waterproof LEDTape would do the trick IP65 would work interior. That runs in 16ft lengths and will be nicely bright. There are AC converters that any licensed electrician can install to power the LEDTape (Such as from my own LED supply company, Modelersbrand dotcom! ;)
store is useless no email, not responding to facebook chats do not waste your time here
Weak!
+Joseph Stokes Whatever that means or references.
+ModelManTom i think it's an old DotA taunt from waaaay back.... that said... my audio is broken so i don't know a lot of details, but i'm trying to mod glowy hair bits on my gundam models and the only wires i can find that thin are end-emitting..... been spending all day googling fiber optics, but i can't find anything on how to convert end-emitting to side-emitting other than bending them and that only makes them glow on that point...
i just wanna know if there are thinner side-glow wires out there on the market
thanks :3
+RagPen01 There is no way to convert one into the other. Perhaps you could slice an end-glow in two, but I dunno about that. Have a look for www.thefiberopticstore.com. A good fellow named Paul runs the company and provides good service.