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Thread: Light pipes/guides - bending fibre?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
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    East Sussex, England
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    Default Light pipes/guides - bending fibre?

    Odd question maybe, but I wonder if anyone here has experience of bending light pipes/fibre round reasonably tight radii?

    I've got some 2000um 2mm diameter flexible pipes that need to go around a U turn almost immediately they exit the LED. I need this to happen in as short a space as possible, which seems to be tighter than the natural flex of the pipe.

    Is it possible to heat and bend round a constant radius former like a metal rod or pipe, or does this damage the properties of the pipe?

    I'm building a stage box for my FB3's and I want the status LED to be visible on the front panel. So the fibre needs to run from the 'back' of the FB3, then U turn up over the top to the front panel.
    I only need 4 but could only buy in packs of 10, so I have a few spares to experiment with any way.
    Frikkin Lasers
    http://www.frikkinlasers.co.uk

    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

  2. #2
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    Aug 2013
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    Default

    I'd probably remove the LEDs from the FB3s and run wires to the front panel - might void your warranty though.

  3. #3
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    Default

    They're SMT LEDs for a start, so not easily removed or moved, and I want to be able to unplug the light pipe and remove the FB3 for standalone use when necessary (such as someone wants to dry hire one with a projector). The light you see at the rear panel on the FB3 is actually the end of a 5mm 90 degree light guide rather than the LED itself.

    I've found they can be softened in boiling water and bent round a former, but I'm yet to try with direct heat like a heat gun. But it seems like a possibility.

    I've just ordered a long piece of 2mm fibre to experiement with anyway, its cheap enough.

    Parts for the stage box should arrive next week. Might even offer a kit if people are interested.
    Frikkin Lasers
    http://www.frikkinlasers.co.uk

    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
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    Bedfordshire, UK
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    Default

    Hey Norty...

    I may be interested if you do a kit.

    I've been slowly collecting bits for just such a thing for a while... but they're collecting dust with many other bits on my shelf waiting for me to have free time in the workshop...

    So if you manage to put a nice kit together, I'd probably be interested.
    If in doubt... Give it a clout?

  5. #5
    Join Date
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    UK
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    Quote Originally Posted by WookieBoy View Post
    Hey Norty...

    I may be interested if you do a kit.

    I've been slowly collecting bits for just such a thing for a while... but they're collecting dust with many other bits on my shelf waiting for me to have free time in the workshop...

    So if you manage to put a nice kit together, I'd probably be interested.
    Wookie, Pangolin now do one off the shelf that holds 5 FB3's, 1 TC2000 and 1 Enttec, if cost is no object. Only issue is one Norty raised and that is it's designed to be mounted on the control desk not remotely, thus still leaving a plethora of cabling. Personally, I think it would have been better as 2 modules (speaker and estop on desk and housing remotely) with a .net connection in between:


  6. #6
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    Mine is going to be purely a remote unit for mounting stage side on the end of cat5. It'll probably use a second cat5 to run the estop, and I'm making a small relay board that can be implemented in a few different ways depending on how you run your estop. Mine will lift pin 4 on each of the ILDA outputs, but it could work a few ways, such as via a bank of DB9 connectors if need be.

    Since sending the first design to be made, I've thought about a few changes I would make, but this is needed for a couple of weeks time so has had to come together pretty quickly. I'll no doubt refine it as time permit, but I'll show how it comes along on the forum anyway.
    Frikkin Lasers
    http://www.frikkinlasers.co.uk

    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Bedfordshire, UK
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    Default

    Ok thanks norty.

    I too was basing mine around a neat way of mounting FB3S and a starteck USB over cat5 box.
    I have ethercon snakes/looms to run to FOH which I keep as standard stock items so was intending to make use of them for this.
    Generally they're 3 or 4 lines of cat5E plus 16a power, so using one of the spare lines for e-stop would be ideal.
    If in doubt... Give it a clout?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
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    Default

    Hey Norty

    You can get this type of light pipe for SMD leds

    Click image for larger version. 

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    http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=HP1192
    RTI Piko RGB 4 Projector
    CT6215 Scanners & CT 671 Amps; CT6210 & Medialas Microamps.
    RGBLaser Systems 6000mW RGB Module - 638nm/445nm/532
    LD2000 Pro + QM2000.net + Beyond
    Etherdream + LSX

    Old Projector Build


  9. #9
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    Feb 2008
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    East Sussex, England
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    Default

    Yes, but thats no good if I subsequently want to use the FB3 for a dry hire

    The FB3 uses a 90 degree light guide on the SMT diode which exits as a 5mm circular lens.

    I have an adaptor which is 5mm outside diameter and 3mm internal, so I want to change the light guide for a 3mm diamter exit one. So used standalone there is still a LED output on the back of the FB3, or I can drop it into the stage box, and plug the light pipe adaptor into the hole. Really neat and simple, and covers both uses well.
    Frikkin Lasers
    http://www.frikkinlasers.co.uk

    You are using Bonetti's defense against me, ah?

    I thought it fitting, considering the rocky terrain.

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