From: into@oblivion.nothing.com   
      
   "anorton"  wrote in   
   news:0_ydnfbOcd9GDXnMnZ2dnUVZ_jednZ2d@earthlink.com:   
      
   > I assume you want more-or-less the same light in each fiber in your   
   > bundle.   
      
   Yes. Although I can tolerate some drop off to the sides as it   
   won't be noticed on the other end since each fiber goes to an   
   independant location. Since the other ends won't be near each   
   other the viewer isn't going to notice that fiber X is dimmer   
   than fiber Y a foot away.   
      
   One thing that's important is how many fibers can be lit by a   
   single LED. Since the LED emits a light cone, it may be possible   
   to pull the bundle back away from the LED and the bundle can   
   have more fibers at the cost of less light to each fiber. As   
   long as the fibers are still lit enough for my needs, then all   
   is good.   
      
   The crux is that if I need to light 1000 fibers at a specific   
   color and brightness, but a single LED can only light 100,   
   then I need 10 bundles lit by 10 LED's emitting the same   
   color/brightness. However, if I can pull back and get 200   
   fibers sufficiently lit, then I only need half the LED's, and   
   ultimately fewer driver chips, less circuit board space, and   
   a smaller power supply.   
      
      
      
   > Illuminating an area uniformly with an LED can be tricky,   
   > especially since LED manufacturers seem to be mostly EE people who do   
   > not fully grasp the data an optical engineer needs to design something   
   > with their LEDs.   
      
   So I've noticed. I went to school for electronics so I've got   
   that covered, but optics has only been a hobby and therefore   
   my knowledge is spotty, I've learned enough to know what to   
   look for. I've had to eliminate some LED's contenders simply   
   due to their spec sheets lacking the parameters I need. These   
   are usually the lesser known generic Chinese suppliers.   
      
   I've pretty well settled on the Cree CLV6A-FKB series. Seems   
   to have good bang for the buck. And multi-page spec sheets!!!   
      
      
   > In any case, the major electronics catalogs houses   
   > now sell reflectors/lenses   
      
   I'm going for "butt coupled". Reflectors complicate the design   
   and increase costs.   
      
   I am limited by budget, tool availabilty, and workspace. This   
   is very DIY at the moment even though my ultimate goal is a   
   commercial product. I know "cheap" and "quality" are usually   
   opposite ends of the spectrum, but isn't that what "engineering"   
   is all about? Fun, fun, fun!!!!   
      
   Brian   
   --   
   http://www.skywise711.com - Lasers, Seismology, Astronomy, Skepticism   
   Sed quis custodiet ipsos Custodes?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)