Corning Fibrance technology for lighting the facelift front T and other stuff

[artsci]

Now that my facelift bumper mod is nearly complete, I've been searching high and low for experimental ways to light the facelift front T and some other spaces in the car. I've tried LEDs but I'm not happy with the results. Today I came across Corning's new Fibrance fibers, which are lit with lasers and have at least 4 times the brightness of EL fiber with no degradation over time. Better yet, they're much thinner, flexible, and bendable that EL wire or standard fiber optics. And there's even an RGB remote control laser device that enables changes in color and special effects.

So I want ahead and ordered the laser and 10m of Fibrance wire for some experimentation. I've already figured out how to wrap it around the front T but I'm going to experiment with other options -- lining the frunk, the trunk, and maybe under the dash. It should be bright enough to light those spaces at night and it will eliminate the pixelation of LEDs.

Let the experiment begin

 

[RichardD]

Post some pictures..

 

[artsci]

Post some pictures..

Will do when I get it set up -- won't have the wire, laser, and other parts for a few days.

 

[HankLloydRight]

You're unstoppable!

 

[artsci]

You're unstoppable!

Maybe obsessed is a better word

 

[HankLloydRight]

BTW, playing with RGB lasers is one of my other hobbies, so if you need help in that department, just ask.

 

[CHG-ON]

I'd say an inspiration is the best word!

 

[artsci]

BTW, playing with RGB lasers is one of my other hobbies, so if you need help in that department, just ask.

For sure I'll need some advice, as this is new territory for me. I have a number of questions --perhaps we can talk when we meet on Sunday?

 

[artsci]

Received two laser modules and about 2 meters of the Fibrance laser fiber today. Rigged up the lasers at both ends of the fiber and fired them up. The photo below is rather crude but it show the fantastic brightness of the fiber. The fiber is draped over the edge of my workbench with the roll of extra fiber to the upper left. All of the light in the photo was emitted by the fiber.

The fiber itself is extremely flexible, kind of like a super heavy duty thread. It has a diameter of only about .65mm, which will make if very easy to work with as a light source for the T. My plan is to thread it around all of the edges of the arch and the T itself. The lasers (each about 4 inches long and 1 inch square) will be easy to hide somewhere under the frunk trim panels. I'll add a remote to turn it on from inside the car.

I expect to have the facelift front T in a few days and I'll get to work on it as soon as it arrives.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Can you post a photo of both laser modules? I'm curious to find out what's inside the each module.

 

[Akikiki]

Artsci is amazing with all these super-neat mods. Can you share where you found and ordered the Fibrance laser fiber and stuff? Maybe source and part numbers, please?

 

[artsci]

Can you post a photo of both laser modules? I'm curious to find out what's inside the each module.

Hank, see the info below in response to Akikiki. Here's a photo of the laser from the Elllumiglow site and another I shot of both next to my phone to show the size.

Artsci is amazing with all these super-neat mods. Can you share where you found and ordered the Fibrance laser fiber and stuff? Maybe source and part numbers, please?

Thanks Steve. I could only find two sources for the Fibrance fiber/laser wire. Ellumiglow and Versalume. This is what I bought from Ellumiglow that's pictured in the photo. It was the only laser i could find on both sites that emits white light.

Item # LWO101

Description DualDrive Ice Cool White OpalDrive Laser Wire™ System

 

[thimel]

@artsci, can you tell if the fiber looks dimmer near the end farthest from the laser? The specs say 90% of the light is emitted over the length of the fiber. Unless they adjust the density of scatterng centers along the length it seems the light would dim. I hope the do adjust it, but I haven't seen anything saying they do.
Thanks. I look forward to hearing how it works out.

 

[HankLloydRight]

The website mentions that you put a laser on each end of the fiber. You can mix/match colors at each end to create a color mix along the cord.

 

[artsci]

@artsci, can you tell if the fiber looks dimmer near the end farthest from the laser? The specs say 90% of the light is emitted over the length of the fiber. Unless they adjust the density of scatterng centers along the length it seems the light would dim. I hope the do adjust it, but I haven't seen anything saying they do.
Thanks. I look forward to hearing how it works out.

Before I found the Fibrance laser wire I experimented with traditional side-emitting fiber optics and was disappointed with the results. Dimming of the light along the length of the cable was definitely an issue. With the Fibrance laser wire and a laser as the light source it's not really much of an issue until the fiber length reaches over 5 meters. And with lasers on each end the brightness is consistent across the fiber and incredibly bright.

 

[rekoh]

i was considering putting an led strip above the T shining down to illuminate the cavity of the front opening.. almost knight rider style.. not sure how that will look, but very inexpensive to try...

 

[artsci]

i was considering putting an led strip above the T shining down to illuminate the cavity of the front opening.. almost knight rider style.. not sure how that will look, but very inexpensive to try...

Please post photos of the results -- we're all experimenting here.

 

[Peter Greis]

First off, thanks for finding this. I have ordered two units, but for outfitting my paraglider with running lights (we do full moon flights over here...)