fiber optics

[Tim]

i scrounged an eight foot piece of 3/16 fiber optic from work yesterday in hopes of making a flashlight extention for a mini maglite.

can you cut this stuff and run a few strands zip tied together for more light?

i know nothing about this stuff except for what we use it for at work (eye spot pick-up)

anyways, i was hoping to make my dumpster diving worthwhile this time

[TObject]

I used to make fiber optic cables for networks. There was a special tool; I don't remember I think it had diamond in it or some sort of ceramic. I would nick a side of the exposed cable with the tool, and then break off the excess. Then look under microscope if the brake was clean, while shining a light on the other end. After that I would polish the end of the cable using a special holder, and progressively finer polishing sheets. HTH

[Tim]

lol!

looks like im going to have an 8' flashlight extention!

[Dome]

.

[TObject]

Well, that whole ordeal was for the computer networks, where it was very important to have good cables with minimum signal loss.

For flashlight purposes, I am sure you'll be fine. I used to have a lamp, that had a bunch of fiber optic cables, like a hundred of them sticking out of it for funky effect. I am sure they didn't have to hand polish every single one of them on each end. Or... did they? Poor Chinese children with their little hands...

[Tim]

it only needs to be 1 to 1.5' long. i stretched this thing out and it was more like 16' long. if i mess it up i will get another when one gets a little ragged again.

[Wind_Danzer]

Actually there is a company that makes one already.

Nite Ize

If you don't feel like doing the leg work to make one, check them out.

[Dan-H]

Originally posted by TObject
Poor Chinese children with their little hands...

I heard the chinese are outsourcing this type of work nowadays.

[JeepGeek]

Damn-it Tim...
Quit steeling my network cabling.

[Tim]

rob you keep things unbolted to the ground for me to steal actually i havent found any network cables yet (yet... wonders if that will work better. hmmm...)

jamie, i have seen them. what i have in mind is [sixmilliondollarman]......better...stronger....faster [/sixmillinondollarman]

besides cheaper is neater. i'd rather tinker than buy something i can get for free and make.

[Daless2]

Hi Tim,

I'm not sure this is going to work for you. It might, but the odds are not too strong.

Fiber Optic Cable is actually made out of two different pieces of glass. An inner solid tube, and an outer casing tube. How it works is that light (at a certain design frequency) is feed into the center solid tube of glass. The light travels into the glass and then try's to travel out the sides. Becuase the casing glass is made of a different material (which passes a different frequency) the light trying to escape is reflected back, and thus continues to travel inside the inner solid tube of glass.

It is something like what happens to light in a swimming pool. Stick a vacuum cleaner rod into the pool and it looks like it bends. This bending happens at the surface between the air and water.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I would do a bit of research to find out what frequency the Laser normally used for fiber optic transmissions operate.

Then again, if you have the flashlight and the optic cable already completely disregard this post and simply try it!

Have a great night, and let us know how you make out with it.

Frank

[Tim]

i was looking at this stuff between posts. it isreally fine strands encased in a reflective sleeve and then housed in a cover not unlike coax for our radios. i dont think it is the highest quality stuff and it works off an led scanner.

i figured i could chop it up and bundle up 7 strands to get more light if possible.

i'll play with it and see what happens. i know i will get some results but probably not as good as jamies link.

[Jays89YJ]

Cut the cable, but then polish the ends. They need to be cleanly polished to get really good light through them. I had to do this making sensors on a robot in college.

Jason