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- Fiber Optic Fabric - White (40x75 cm)
Fiber Optic Fabric - White (40x75 cm)
Replacement:COM-12712. The new version of this fabric now comes in a black color making it so light leaking through has a little more "pop," go check it out! This page is for reference only.
This fiber optic fabric is a cool and unique way to add some shine to your e-textiles project. There are optical fibers actually woven into this piece of fabric! Simply shine a bright light into the fiber bundle, which is collected at one end, and the fabric fills with little shining pinpoints. You can make the fabric nearly glow with a little bit of abrasion, just rough it up with fine sandpaper to damage the fiber and make it "leak" light. Selective abrasion is a great way to make a pattern!
- 40 x 75 cm
Fiber Optic Fabric - White (40x75 cm) Product Help and Resources
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If you trying to figure out how to light these sheet, check out what I came up with: http://www.billporter.info/2013/03/31/sparkfun-fiber-optic-fabric-3d-printed-light-box/
Requires a LED and driver you can buy here, and a little fan from Digikey. If you don't have a 3D printer I'm willing to print out a copy for you. See the end of my post.
Bill
YIKES! the price of this stuff! Must be made of platinum! And yet, the only other vendor I could find wants 120 bucks for a similarly sized piece.
I would like to order 2 of these for a project due soon. How long is the back order?
How well does this stuff flex? I'd love to shove this into the interior of a hoodie...
It definitely is very flexible and could easily be integrated into clothing, but as Kamiquasi mentions, you would need to be careful creasing it or rubbing it on coat hangers. However, in general, the more you want it glow along the length, the more scuffing of the fabric you want to do.
Check out the videos - looks fairly flexible and I can't imagine it being an issue on the inside of a hoodie, even when lowered over the back (where flexing would be at a maximum). I wouldn't necessarily want to grab the garment off of a coathanger by the hoodie, though.. that's closer to crumpling and I suspect you'd be adding more than a few extra 'twinkles' to the strands from small fractures.
Any chance of getting other dimensions or ordering some custom sizes? I understand if it can't be wider, but how about 90 cm long instead of 75?
Looking forward to seeing pictures. I have scratched it with lightly abrasive sandpaper and I am not getting much of an effect.
How durable is it with regards to shock and abrasion?
It isn't. :) Abrading it WILL damage it, and damaging it WILL increase light leak. In good news, that's exactly what you WANT to do if you're trying to make it brighter and more twinkly. If it's not bright enough along the length for you, hit it with some sandpaper. Want a pattern? Lay down a stencil on it and THEN hit it with some sandpaper.
Do you have a picture or video of what it looks like lit up after sanding?
as soon as our photo and video guy get back from vacation, we'll work on it.
How much light would you say this loses when you crease it?
One other question - if I was to try cut it to a smaller size for use in a project (which seems sacrilegious to do to something so amazing), would some remaining parts near to the couple lose their light? For example, if a complete cut was made halfway down the 75cm length, would the remaining 40x37.5cm section near the couple stay at 100% of original brightness, or would some parts of it not light completely anymore?
Well as it is a fibre optic, with one end collected in a point, as lone as the parts are still connected withe the fibres ending i the point, it should work as normal, bit the other parts are completely useless, okay nothing is completer, but then not very useful
Great item! What's the diameter of the fiber bundle couple on the side?
good question. it's roughly 5mm, but we'll get an exact dimension up on the site.
Could you take a picture of the sheet of fabric laid flat with the rulers or quarter?
yeah, we're getting a better picture of it. it's just coiled up in the picture. check the product post tomorrow, we have it in the video. essentially, it's just a 40x75cm rectangle.