Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
surrounded by a cladding and a protective coating. Light injected into the core of a fiber
remains trapped until emerging from the opposite end. This lets you transmit light point-
to-point with very little loss, and even bend it around corners. The light stays in the core
because the cladding has a slightly higher index of refraction than the core.
Silica optical fibers are primarily used to transmit high-bandwidth data over long
distances. Inexpensive plastic fibers are widely used in sensors, illuminators, and toys.
They’re also used to couple light to photodiodes in environments that require electrical
isolation or protection from the elements or a corrosive environment. Plastic fibers are
also used to illuminate displays and to send light through openings too small for a
flashlight.
.
Figure A
Slip a 1″ length of tubing over the LED or sensor and warm the tubing with a heat gun
until it holds the LED or sensor tightly in place. Slip the end of the fiber into the open end
of the tubing and continue warming. Depending on the diameter of the tubing, the fiber
will either be anchored in place or it can be slipped in and out of the tubing (Figure B).
You can keep it in place by applying some adhesive or you can allow the fiber to be
removable.
Figure B
1. Secure the leads of the LED or sensor in a vise or a DIY clamp made from a clothes-
pin and a large binder clip (Figure C).
Figure C
2. Use a fine Sharpie to draw a plus sign (+) directly over the end of the LED. Insert a
3/64″ bit into the chuck of a drill. I prefer the handheld, battery-powered Dremel 7700.
Lightly touch the spinning bit to the center of the plus sign. Let the drill do the work as
you guide it straight into the device while applying very gentle pressure (Figure D).
Figure D
Carefully bore the hole to just above the tiny wire(s) that make contact with the light-
emitting or -sensing chip (Figure E).
The hole produced by a 3/64″ bit should accept the 1mm bare fiber core. If you’re
connecting jacketed 2.2mm fiber, carefully enlarge the hole with a 7/64″ bit.
Figure E
3. Use compressed air to blow away any chips in the hole. Be sure any connection leads
on the top of the chip are undamaged.
4. Insert the polished end of the fiber into the hole, then secure it with cyanoacrylate or
other plastic adhesive and let it dry. Figure F shows a fiber with a bare end inserted into a
blue LED, and Figure G a jacketed fiber inserted into a white LED.
Figure F
Figure G
5. Insert a suitable length of dark heat-shrink tubing over the LED or sensor and 1″ or so
of the fiber, and warm it to secure the tubing in place.
TIP: If you’re using the fiber with a light sensor, paint the exposed base of the sensor
with black enamel to block external light. Additional blockage may be needed, as infrared
wavelengths may penetrate black paint.
Going Further
You can start using your connected fibers right away for illuminating your projects,
props, and models, or for photography — I had fun experimenting with “light painting”
by making 10-second time exposures (Figure H). Pulse the LED to create dashed instead
of continuous lines in the images, and use multiple fibers to add more colors.