Edge lighting.

[xmastree]

Dunno what to call it, but I have this piece of acrylic which I'm planning to mount in such a way that only the longest edge is visible.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f341/chrispollard/386/acrylic.jpg

Just the edge, neither of the faces. I want to make it glow, so I'm planning to mount two LEDs on the opposite edge. What's the best way to do this?

I was thinking about cutting and polishing the tops of the LEDs tp make them flat, then using cyanoacrylate (super glue) to bond them and get a good optical connection.

Is that the best way? Would the glue work better if they were roughened, or would it spoil the light transfer.

Anyone done this before?

[Nagoshi]

I wanted to do exacly this with my power and hdd leds on my case that I will be shaping a hole in it...

Sorry, can't help you..good luck!

[The Modfather]

I've done this, the best way to do it is this.

Cut notches into the opposite edge of the plexi and make sure they're smooth (no roughness, you want 'em clear so polish 'em up nice and smooth, best way to do it really is to use a soldering iron and just melt the notches) then scratch the facing edge to make it refract the light, it'll look like a laser beam, sort of.

A better way to do it is to use UV reactive acrylic and UV LED's then you don't need to even be concerned about where they're placed, the edges will glow anyway.

[xmastree]

I've done this, the best way to do it is this.

Cut notches into the opposite edge of the plexi and make sure they're smooth (no roughness, you want 'em clear so polish 'em up nice and smooth, best way to do it really is to use a soldering iron and just melt the notches) then scratch the facing edge to make it refract the light, it'll look like a laser beam, sort of.Scratch the visible edge? I've tried holding one LED to the back edge but it doesn't light up the front, so I guess scratching would help there. Something like criss cross scratches with a sanley knife maybe? I know I could experiment, but I'd hate to have to go back for another piece if I screw this one up. (suppose I could practice on another edge.) I'm sure they all think I'm a loony already. I was trying to explain to them what I was using it for, but they only had about one word of english between them.

"I want two pieces, one 14x14 and one this shape [produce template]"

"So, two like this? [points to template, probably wondering where 14 enters the equation]" :(



A better way to do it is to use UV reactive acrylicOh, come on... do you know how long it took me to find regular acrylic? Maybe over there in space-shuttle land they sell it at your local 7/11 but out here it's different. :p

[DaveW]

Maybe over there in space-shuttle land

I know how you feel bud. I live in the biggest commercial and industrial city in Scotland and yet i can't even find this stuff. Then we get the Americans comming on, trying to figure out what's better: Acrylic or Plexiglass, when i'd kill for either :D

Make do with what ya have, eh?

-Dave

[jdbnsn]

You may have better luck getting a glow through that by getting the brightest LED's you can find (the lazer type would be great), then build a metal channel on the inside edge to fit the LED's in so that all the light is channeled through the plastic.

[Nagoshi]

Maybe I will do that, finally, for my power and HDD LEDs for the case I will be digging in... but using WAY shorter plexi pieces (not even 1/2'' long) so the led can light everything. But I was thinking, if you got space pieces, maybe the LEDs could be reflected a bit better if you would paint the two sides of the plexi panel with some reflective paint (something silverish)? Try it first, but by using aluminium sheets instead of paint, so you dont scrap the piece. Maybe it would help in the light conduction. Ill try the same thing myself tonight.

[RangerDanger]

Frost the plexi!!!! frorsted plexi holds light and glows were the light will just go through the normal plexi. And i would touch the leds them self. but use a drillbit the size of the led and make a 5mm hole or so in the side of the edge and coutersink the leds.

[xmastree]

Yeah, I think you're right. I was playing with one LED last night, to find the best entry point for the light. I found that, due to the shape, if I fire one in from the side it comes out from the front but only at the ends, not the centre.
*****-----*****
So, I think I might do that with a blue, and have a red shining straight through to light the centre part.

Edit:
Not quite. I did that, but the blue from the side wasn't very even, so i had a better idea. I drilled two locations (not counting the one I scewed up), one central at the back, one at the side. There will be a blue one central, and a red hdd access light at the side. Should look good...

Oh, and I frosted the front too, much better.

Photos to come.

[The Modfather]

You want to frost that edge, use sandpaper or a sanding wheel or dremel or something.

[xmastree]

See the result here (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showpost.php?p=28064&postcount=49)

[The Modfather]

Looks SCHWEET!

[xmastree]

Looks SCHWEET!
Looks better in the flesh, erm, plastic... Photographing light sources is always tricky. The red only only happens at power on. Seems the disk light comes up immediately, the power takes a second. When they're both on, it's more red on the left but more pink/lilac on the right. I am pleased with the result, and <looks at current unit containing card reader and DVD intended for the modded box> I might just fit it to this box until the new case is ready. :rolleyes:

[The Modfather]

Hehehe, there you go, make use of it while ya got it. And boy do I ever know about how hard it is to photograph lighting, espescially UV lighting, it's a nightmare.

Case in point, my Titan rig, a clear UV reactive case that I hand etched almost every inch of, then tried to get some decent pics, forget it, ugh!

http://www.infinity-customs.com/titan/lit.jpg

[xmastree]

Well, FWIW (and I'm no expert) The method I use is to focus on the thing with its lights off, and get the exposure settings. Then, switch to manual (focus and exposure) and underexpose by a couple of stops, using as small an aperture as possible.

Of course, a decent camera helps.

That titan pic looks like it suffered from camera shake. Everything is double.
Always use a tripod, and either a remote control or a self timer so you're not touching the camera when it fires.

Another thing, we can't see UV but the camera can. It can also see IR. That might also confuse the metering, and give results you weren't expecting. Is that the UV light source at the bottom? Perhaps you could use some UV filter (sunglasses?) but I don't know for sure.

[xmastree]

I know how you feel bud. I live in the biggest commercial and industrial city in Scotland and yet i can't even find this stuff. When I lived in Livingston I remember double glazing my house with it (and polycell DIY frame kits). I bought it at the local DIY centre. Texas, at the time. IIRC they became Homebase. I made a few picture frames with it too, no problems finding it.

[xmastree]

<looks at current unit containing card reader and DVD intended for the modded box> I might just fit it to this box until the new case is ready. :rolleyes:Except that the wires don't reach. :(
Only the blue power on LED is connected. Still looks cool though. 8)

[The Modfather]

Yep, I am limited, I just have a Canon SD100 for my digicam so I can't do all that fancy stuff when I take photos unfortunately. And I didn't have a tripod there, that's over my dad's place and dragging a tripod over there never occured to me, didn't know we'd be taking any final pics, well actually we still haven't finished that build so that's technicaly not a final pic, just a lighting pic. :)

[b4i7]

thx xmas

thi will be helpful for one of my current mods that im bout to finish up and got some acrylic lighting i need to do

[RangerDanger]

frost frost!