The antithesis to the Dark Internet; the Bright Internet

On Tuesday 22 October 2013 18:41 polygonum wrote in uk.d-i-y:

You could string a bit of neon "string" down the cable under a clear sleeve.

However you would have to knock up a circuit that could control that.

Unless you have access to engineers that could design a pickup that will a) work and b) not bork the signal, you would probably be better off making a little opto-detector that could be mounted over the port LED on the swictch that the cable is plugged into - then put a driver between that and the string.

Also, neon string is probably quite a source of EM noise - it may not matter but it is worth bearing in mind.

Clear sheathed Cat5e with a bloody bright blue LED taped to the end(s) could be another method if you can find clear Cat5e.

It would all be very Heath Robinson - but it would certainly be cool so I for one am not going to disuade you!

Seen these (well some other make, but similar concept) at work

HARTING HA-VIS Smart Patch Cable

On Tuesday 22 October 2013 19:37 Adrian C wrote in uk.d-i-y:

That would have been useful at one place I used to work :)

Nice idea, isn't it?

Particularly nice that it operates entirely separately to the electrical signals. Just a shame we want it to act in concert to with them!

Presumably the LED on the termination of the cable into the switch etc would be a good starting point. Either coupling to that electrically or optically to use it to trigger further lighting...

polygonum scribbled...

You cheat with some fibre optic cable