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UFO Lamps Aren't Logical

Or How to Make a Logic Display out of a Fiber-Optic Lamp.

By Craig Smith

Craig is the clubs resident JAWA, building his R2 out of found items, spare parts, and junkyard debris.

This his is tutorial on building Logic displays out of cheap UFO lamps – Sorry no pictures

Don't completely dismiss the fibers that come with those UFO or mushroom type fiber optic lights.    Those who were at CELEBRATION II saw what can be done with these thin fibers on my droid. Target has in their party favor isle these $7.99 fiber optic lights with a 3/4" bundle of 10"-12" fibers.  One is enough fibers for the rear display, a second one is more than enough fibers for the 2 front displays. 

Use strip board, or Vero board to hold the fibers in place. If you have ever soldered a circuit you know what this stuff is.  It's the plastic board that holds the components in place, with holes evenly spread over the board. Just put a fiber through, and "mushroom" the end using a soldering iron or lighter/candle flame.

I poked 4 strands together through the circuit board grid hole, With a lighter, I put the flame near (not on) the 4 ends. The 4 ends will melt and mushroom onto a ball. If you carefully pull the strands back so the ball cools and hardens while on the circuit board, you have no need for a plexi cover to keep the balls tight against the circuit board.

I did this repeatedly throughout the circuit board grid.  So each point of light is actually 4 fibers. This mushrooming keeps them from pulling back out.  Once done, I had a 2" X 3" circuit board with the fiber cluster attached in 2 rectangle patterns.

Tip: put the circuit board in a holder, like a tiny table vise or a clamp of some kind.  Do it at a comfy chair, it will take an hour or so.

The circuit board grid-of-holes was a Radio Shack circuit board a bit smaller than a playing card.  The fiber bundle has a base socket end that I put at the motor / color-wheel /light-bulb end. 

I pointed out to many people at C II to look closely at the dots of light. The dots looked like a single living cell that divided and divided again.

My color-wheel was a blue circle reflector with holes drilled randomly in it. You know those 69 cent  3 1/2"  round reflectors for marking driveways and such? I took a blue one and mounted it on the gear motor. I have itty bitty drill holes all over it. As it rotates the white light shines through the holes randomly on the fiber optic cluster. I haven't tried a green/red combo for the rear display, but the blue is killer! Just ask Spanky, he's seen it.  The light has to shine from the inside out; it’ll reflect light if it's flipped the other way.

Notes:

You can special order thick 1mm fiber from one or two sources. (Tod's House of Fibers was one I think)  

Finding simple solutions...Craig