selfmade Optical cable for flashlight

[АлександрД]

once I bought Sea&Sea YS-27 and had look for cable for it...
special cables had stupid price around 60$ per small piece of plastic....

I take:
Digital Optical Fiber Audio Cable SPDIF Toslink (price could be from 2-4$)
Heat Shrink tubeS (price for set of different diameters is around 1-2$)
knife (I had)
Lighter or Hot air solderer

Cut optical cable to the desired lenght (cut away connectors anyway)
Put on thinest tube, with length 2-4 cm (1/2 till 1 inch), heating it.
Than more thick, and shorter. Heat it.
etc.
at final steps:
Cool it well, than cut front edge with sharp knife.

Heat it again, and then push it in-to connecting hole and bent over, to fit exact size.


Also can bent hot cable.


Wait untill it be cold, and use and be happy

If you got bad selfmade connector - just cut away, and repeat


It takes around half an hour, no more, to build it.

 

[lucca brassi]

nice !

more complicated way but almost PRO :

- made connector mold with https://www.shinetsusilicone-global.com/catalog/pdf/mold_rtv_e.pdf from camera housing

( you can place some O rings on connector for better grip )

- cast some acryl in that mold with glass fiber in the centre

- take it out from mold

- complete connector water grind to get nice flat surface in front of connector

 

[АлександрД]

it is too sofisticated (overspecified)
This way is good, when you have to make many connectors, e.g. for you and your friends, but in case of one cable - heat shrink tubes OR

my favorite matherial: Epoxylin aka Milliput - Epoxy putty

it is two components playdough (plastilina)

I use it for many different applications at home, and also for diving.
For my minimal harness I made selfmade inflator pult:

 

[davehicks]

You can do this with 2mm "End Glow Fiber Optic" that is available online for about $10 US for 5 meters of cable. Much better results and more light transmission than Toslink, plus it is less fragile. Modular end caps for various strobes are available for low cost as well, or just reuse the caps for broken cables.

 

[fmerkel]

Isn't 2mm kind of thick for this application? I think the stock stuff must be 0.25mm. Is the measurement the inner core of the core+housing?

 

[АлександрД]

I used first approx. 2mm wire with shield, than I try more thick approx. 4mm with shield - it was more comfortable to use.
I think more thick core should be better, just flexibility problem could be. In case of more flex cable - it should be better.
But I've never seen here such wires for sale, just audio cables.

 

[davehicks]

Nope, 2mm is perfect. It does not have a sleeve, just raw fibre cable. It runs straight not coiled like the commercial products. I just put two or three velcro strips on each arm to hold the cable in place.

 

[Externet]

Visit an automobile wreck yard.
Cadillac has used light pipes since the 80's to indicate/sense burned lights. Perhaps a web search shows what other vehicles use them.
Once I harvested like 4 feet sections that reach the front hood 'spears' turning indicators. Doubt you will be charged anything if asked properly, even if do not know what you are talking about. They look/feel like hard black wires. Strands of light pipes inside, and for the tail lights may be longer.

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