2ecc23dd   
   From: MyNameForward@ReplaceWithMyVices.Com.invalid   
      
   In article , kristoff    
   wrote:   
      
   > Hi,   
   >   
   >   
   > I want to learn a more and experiment with optical fibre, especially for   
   > communication.   
   >   
   > Does somebody here have any experience with this (at a hobbyist level)?   
   > There seams to exist a kit called FO-30K, that just uses LEDs,   
   > optotransistors and plastic fibre. So it looks like this is a technology   
   > for hobbyies to play with.   
   >   
   >   
   > Concering fibre, I found something called "POF" (plastic optical fibre),   
   > which seams to be a lot easier to handle then glass fibre, and -hence- a   
   > good start.   
   > What would be a good thickness of fibre to start with? I found   
   > references starting from epef-1 (1 mm core, 2.2 mm in total) to epef-18   
   > (18 mm core).   
   > Anybody any idea on what is easy to handle?   
   >   
   >   
   > On the well-known Chinese webshops, I can buy cable in one batch of   
   > (say) 10 meter.   
   > Can you just cut the fibre at the length I need, or do you need special   
   > tools for that?   
   > (I know that glass-fibre must be cut in a certain angle to be well   
   > terminated. I have no idea if this also applies to plastic fibre.   
   >   
   >   
   > On the FO-30K kit, the holders on which to connect the ends fibre are   
   > just metal rings.   
   > Would it be possible to 3D print a connector for a transmittor and   
   > receiver for an plastic optical cable?   
   > Perhaps a two part housing: one that holds the LED/phototransistor and   
   > one for (the end of) the fibre?   
   >   
   >   
   >   
   > Any help or ideas would be appriciated.   
   >   
   >   
   > Cheerio! Kr. Bonne. (ON1ARF)   
      
   Plastic fiber is very limited, (both data rate and distance) but if   
   those limits match what you need to (want to) do, fine. If your interest   
   extends beyond "within room" or "room to nearby room" you might want to   
   skip it and start learning glass fiber.   
      
   IIRC (it's been a long time since I touched the stuff) you can basically   
   just cut it, but results may be improved by a polishing process of some   
   sort.   
      
   To give an idea of just how crude things can be and work, on a TOSLink   
   (audio, probably the most common application of POF in the consumer   
   space, if the junky lights are not in fashion) I have connected a normal   
   TOSLink cable to a "combined headphone jack and optical out" port by   
   sticking in a section of ball-point pen plastic (from behind/above the   
   ink) to activate the port in optical mode and serve as a crude coupler   
   to the tip of the TOSLink cable.   
      
   So I can't see any reason you could not print a connector. Or drill a   
   hole in the end of an LED and epoxy the fiber in, if you don't need a   
   dismountable connector, source-side.   
      
   Terminating glass fiber is a bit more complex than cutting it at any   
   particular angle, though that complexity may be hidden if using   
   mechanical-splice connectors.   
      
   The vast majority of POF I have seen in the wild is 1000um (1mm) core.   
   1.8mm would get you more light, but with even greater degradation in   
   distance and data rates due to the larger core having even more modes   
   (leading to different optical path lengths and thus transit times, so   
   pulses get "fuzzy.")   
      
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