posted
Anyone, I have a customer who wants to put fiber optic lighting inside the back of Gemini letters. The letters are 36", 18" and 12" which make up this customer's logo. I'm not that familiar with fiber optic. What I would like to be able to do is apply the fiber optic cable inside the letters before installing, add a connector to the cable end, push the cable through a whole in the sign base and connect to a main cable inside. I have plenty of room to do that inside the base. You can actually crawl around inside this thing. Is this possible? where can I find the cable and connectors? Also a transformer or panel to run this thing. I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks, Joe
-------------------- Joe Birdsong J and N Signs 5094 Columbia Hwy Pulaski, Tennessee 38478 931-424-0800 sign5094@bellsouth.net Posts: 11 | From: Pulaski, Tennessee | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Unfortunately, after visiting a couple of thousand of our Gemini customers over the past year, I have not seen anybody doing that. Wish I could offer more input but though it may well have been done, I haven't run across it.
Gemini is getting close to offering our Channel letters with pre-installed LEDs though. They are not available yet but we are in the R&D/Testing phase and should be ready with this new product within the next few months. You will be able to order the Gemini Channel letters with LED already installed so all you will have to do is plug them in.
Don
-------------------- Don Nelson Gemini dnelson@axcesswave.com Posts: 43 | From: Oberlin, OH | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Thanks Don, That will be nice. I've tried to talk to this customer about LED's but he still insists on Fiber Optic. I think it is because he can get so many different color back lights from it.
Looking forward to the New Gemini letters. I think those will sell good. I really like Gemini and they are very helpful in ordering.
Thanks again, Joe
-------------------- Joe Birdsong J and N Signs 5094 Columbia Hwy Pulaski, Tennessee 38478 931-424-0800 sign5094@bellsouth.net Posts: 11 | From: Pulaski, Tennessee | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
From what I remember from talking about this very topic about three years ago, it can't be done yet. Fiber optic was originally designed to carry light through the fiber for long distances. What you end up with is a pinpoint of light at the end of the cable.
This is not suitable for sign work as you would have to have thousands of cable ends to cast any kind of glow.
They are working on fiber optic that will leak some light along the cable to simulate neon. But the last I heard this was not anywhere near ready yet.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5400 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted
SuperVision Lighting had some great sideglow products in a demo video they sent me a few years ago. Not sure if they've gone 100% LED or if they still offer the F/O systems: www.svision.com
posted
Looked at the fiberstars site and it looks like what the guy was telling me a few years ago. Not enough light yet. On their web site you can see the light looking at the fiber, but put it behind a channel letter and there won't be much light splash behind the letter.
svision looks to me like tubes with LEDs in them. That is not fiber optic. svision might work for what the customer wanted if they can load LEDs of various colors along the tube because thats what Joe said the customer wanted, to be able to change the color.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5400 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted
The amount of light depends on the light source and there are some serious light sources available out there since lighting technology has really rocketed over the past couple years - ie: metal halide, HID.
That said, a sign that size could still get very expensive, requiring multiple illuminators or maybe even custom ones.
LED's would probably cost even more though. In order to change the color it would need custom circuitry so it could be loaded with Red, Green and Blue LED's that could be controlled independently of each other. Then you need controllers that can control the intensity of every individual LED in the sign.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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I'm confused about one thing on this job - are you halo-lighting Gemini letters or trying to illuminate their channel letters? F/O is useless for channel letters but the sideglow F/O stuff should work with the proper sized illuminator.
posted
Fiber optics isn't very good for light dispersal, especially if it's going to be used for a halo effect. It might be kinda cool if they can run the tips of the fibers thru the letter and have it even spaced on the face of the letter. But to halo a 36" letter, that would have to be a large quantity of fibers. How would they lay in? Sideways? Sounds like to much hassle. If he wants to switch colors you'll have to add a couple of colored strips and have animator hooked up to the power sources, that's what I do with neon to fade from one color to another in backlighting
posted
Every example of the side light that I saw on those pages had the same problem I've been saying. Yes they glow, when looking directly at them. But put them behind a channel letter and you won't see much unles you have a LOT of them. Then look at the end point fibers and how much light they throw. I think with the end point fiber it is do-able if they have the budget and you have the patience to set all those fibers in their place.
The problem with getting side glow to work with the brightness of neon is letting an equal amount of light leak through the entire length. That is a tremendous amount of light. As you travel down the length of fiber optic, some light has diminished, so the walls would have to leak more than at the beginning of the cable.
-------------------- Dave Sherby "Sandman" SherWood Sign & Graphic Design Crystal Falls, MI 49920 906-875-6201 sherwoodsign@sbcglobal.net Posts: 5400 | From: Crystal Falls, MI USA | Registered: Apr 1999
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posted
Someone with enough time and budget, if they really really want to go that route, will eventually figure it out.
They might have to have one 500 Watt illuminator for each letter and double-pump the fiber to achieve the brightness they want but where there's a will, there's a way.
I've seen fiber optic systems at work in person, they are very popular here. They get a surprising amount of light from them.
-------------------- "If I share all my wisdom I won't have any left for myself."
Mike Pipes stickerpimp.com Lake Havasu, AZ mike@stickerpimp.com Posts: 8746 | From: Lake Havasu, AZ USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3489 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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