Fiber Optic Project for a Science Fair Or Scouts
We have gotten many requests for projects involving fiber optic communications for science fairs, K-12 science classes and scout projects. We thought we'd share with you the project we developed for our own kids in the Scouts and has been used in several science fairs. It is a fiber optic telegraph that sends signals as light and can send Morse code.
The project uses plastic optical fiber (POF) which has a larger core than glass fiber ( ~1 mm ) and transmits light best at 650 nm, or bright red light so it is easily visible. Our project uses a small red LED (available from electronic hobby stores like Radio Shack or online) driven by a 9V battery. The diagram was drawn by Eric Habegger who contacted us for help through this web page, used our idea for his project, then drew this diagram on his computer.