Fiber Optic Star Ceiling [Text View]

kriscad

06-11-05, 06:00 PM

I agree with Jason. My ceiling is quite light (but not white), and when the other lights are out and only the stars on, it looks very dark. The light from the fiber optics is quite directional and doesn't illuminate the ceiling very much. OTOH, my ceiling is higher than most, so it doesn't get much reflected light. Some pictures of my installation are in the "More Pictures" section of my website.

You answered my question... i just had my ceiling painted - (light mustard) - and wanted to do a star ceiling too...

How did you poke the holes? Drill or Poker (stainless steel wire tool )?

Thanks

jmanthey

06-11-05, 07:46 PM

How did you poke the holes?

In the "Construction" section of my website you will see my main guy drilling holes through the paper template from below using a high speed drill. While he was doing that, I was above the ceiling color-coding the hole so that it could be found later and supplied with the appropriate fiber. Drilling went fairly rapidly; running the fiber took me several weekends. (I ran out of fiber.)

kthomson

06-11-05, 11:26 PM

I looked into a star ceiling about 3 years ago. The cost for my room, which is about 800 sq.ft. was about $3500.00 for equipment/materials, with me doing all the installation.

Kirill

07-07-05, 10:07 AM

What will happen if you'll install it in drywall ceiling and will need to paint it later ?

Nov

07-11-05, 02:13 PM

When you snip the fibers, leave 1/4" - 3/8" sticking out, so if you want to paint later on you can go back and cut all the fibers down again which will leave a clean end. I just finished my ceiling, an area of 6' x 17', using black suspended tiles, and about 550 stars. Quite a bit of work but it gets a huge "WOW" factor.

dchilders

07-11-05, 10:39 PM

We intended on doing one of these but it would cost a little more than I want to spend. My wife and I recently went to several home theater show rooms here in atlanta and saw several rooms with stars and clouds painted on a black ceiling with flourescent paint. It looked very good. Actually we liked the look better than what I think the fiber optic would look like (as I havn't actually seen one). The price was about $500 I think. I'll try to dig up the guy's card if anyone is interested.

Lisalynn

07-12-05, 01:53 AM

StarTiles (http://www.stardomes.com/product.html) -Check out the StarTiles. Different sizes and colors available here.
Lit with LEDs and they just plug in.

thericky

07-12-05, 10:16 AM

Those StarTiles are pretty cool... but pricey! ;) Are there any star field solutions that are powered via a standard ceiling fan pre-wire with light? I really want to hang a star field centered around the existing ceilling fan pre-wire but am not sure where to begin.

Are there even any fiber optic kits that can be wired in to a ceiling fan pre-wire? I'd hate to have to cut off the end of a plug and "rig" it.

Patrick TX

07-12-05, 12:01 PM

There is a place in Grapevine, TX (D/FW) called Stacy Furniture that has an awesome looking star ceiling done in black velvetish looking fabric. It is super impressive! It even has shooting stars at different intervals. My kids sat there in amazement looking for them, too cool! It looks like it would be much easier on the install as well.

thericky

07-12-05, 12:43 PM

I don't see it on their web page... do they sell it?

Lisalynn

07-12-05, 12:47 PM

Yes you can.

Is there a red and a black switch leg?
Lis

thericky

07-12-05, 04:31 PM

Yes you can... buy it from them?

Lisalynn

07-12-05, 06:14 PM

Sorry about that thericky... time warp.

I was responding to the '?' about wiring it from the existing fan wiring.

BTW you can also get shooting stars in the panels. They can be timed or random to your specifications.

thericky

07-12-05, 09:18 PM

Lisalynn - Thanks for the response. Shooting stars are good... but the tiles are still a bit heavy on the price for me!

Stefan Young - I don't understand. What are the StarScapes? Are they glow-in-the-dark paintings?

Rob K

03-27-06, 09:46 PM

I am new to this forum and i know that this is an old thread but if your questionabout installing a fiberoptics in a drop ceiling has not been answered let me know. I have been installing these all over florida fro yearsand have also been in the manufacturing field for many years now.

KenWH

03-28-06, 06:52 PM

Imo dropped tile ceilings are very easy to install the fibers into. I first painted my 2x4 tiles a dark blue. Then with a large needle(included in the fiber install kit) me and another person took two days to "thread" over 800 points of light in my roughly 22x24 room. This was about 3 years ago. Newer led stuff is out now but seems very costly from what I've seen.

Rob K

03-29-06, 12:31 AM

I posted a similar response on here earlier.There is a company in Miami Fl that manufactures a prefab fiberoptic panel

Rob K

04-30-06, 03:38 PM

Is there anyway to install a FiberOptic ceiling without drilling the holes in the ceiling? The reason that I ask is that my ceiling is complete and I don't have access to it from above.

Thanks,

Brian
I know i posted this once before but it was a while ago. There is a Company in Miami that makes a prefab fire rated panel that is complete with the fibers installed. The fiber tail is located on the back and it is relativly flat so that the panel can be attached with drywall screws or Tapcons. then it just connects to an illuminator

bugman72

05-01-06, 03:00 PM

After seeing the LED based star panels, I started doing some research into making my own LED panels.

I overshot my estimate of the amount of LEDS that I needed at around 800 (10'x20' area x 4 stars per sq. ft). I went to a good LED resistor calculator (http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz) and determined that I could drive 800 LEDS (3.3V, 20ma each) with a 12V power supply, as long as it has at least a 5.5A output.

I also found a supplier that sells a 500 unit lot of 6000mcd 5mm blue LEDs for $20! :D They also have really good prices on 3mm LEDs. I was planning to mix 3mm white, 5mm white, 3mm UV (violet) and 3mm blue LEDs in my ceiling.

So, it seems as though if you're a DIY'er, you could potentially make an LED star ceiling for less than $100.

nickbuol

05-20-06, 11:16 PM

Sorry to jump into this thread, but I am looking more and more at the idea of a DIY LED starfield. Questions are:

Do you wire the LEDs up in series?

If I get a power supply that converts the standard household AC to 12V DC, do you still need resistors of some sort?

Thanks all!

bugman72

05-21-06, 08:35 AM

The best thing to do is to first decide on an approximate number of LEDs (sq footage of ceiling X number of stars per sq ft desired) and then what power supply voltage you wish to use (12V in your case). Then, go to the LED calculator that I have linked and input the total number of LEDs, what the forward voltage is of each LED (usually between 3.0 and 3.3V), the ma rating (generally 20ma), and what your desired power supply voltage is and it will show you exactly how to wire them and what resistors to use.

One thing to note, your power supply MUST be capable of giving out a fair amount of amperage. With my estimate of 800 LEDs, my power supply must capable of giving a 5.5A, 12V draw.

And yes, you will still need resistors, regardless of your input voltage.

nickbuol

05-21-06, 11:09 AM

Thanks BugMan... I am looking at a much smaller area using about 130-150 LEDs. I found some LED tutorials online and am learning more about the forward voltage, etc so that I can use the calculator correctly.

Anyone use any of those "blinking" (on/off) LEDs? I'm not talking the color changing, but on & off. Thought that a few of those mixed in might add to the otherwise non-existant twinkle effect.

Don Bond

06-05-06, 02:09 AM

Not sure why you guys want to use LED's for the stars. Typically, the light source is either LEDs or a halogen bulb driving a bunch of fiberoptic strands. This is BY FAR the easiest to implement.

LEDs, being 5 mm in diameter, would be more like PLANETS! The fiber strands are from 0.5 - 1.00 mm, and make better stars.

Don

Lisalynn

06-05-06, 03:00 AM

I agree with Don; -unless your ceiling is 50' high... You want fibers ranging from 1mm - .25 mm for a good effect.
As far as LED vs halogen... the LED starfields are nice because they don't need a cooling fan or ventalation, you can have the LED light source right behind the tile. -

Check out the LED kit at the bottom of this page
TriStar Kit (http://www.numinus.com/installations.html)

nickbuol

06-05-06, 09:25 AM

Yeah, after more thinking about it, I starting moving towards a fiber optic ceiling about a week ago. DIY LED light source, and a fiber bundle. I am still working on how to make a twinkle wheel, but I am pretty close with that too. The Tristar kit looks interesting.

I will have to check out their price, which is usually where I find out that I still want to go DIY, but I'll give them a try.

lektern

06-05-06, 10:42 AM

For an out of this world starfield ceiling, (excuse the pun), see Sandman's construction thread. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=6586433&&#post6586433) His design would work with a drop ceiling or attached to a drywall ceiling. I believe he stated it cost him less than 1500.

Colton

06-05-06, 10:47 AM

nickbuol

06-05-06, 11:08 AM

Question: Do these fiber optic starfields need a huge transformer? I have a light fixture on the ceiling that I would remove and use that as a power source with no long cables running down the wall to hook into some transformer. What are my options?

- Colton

Depends on the are you are looking to cover. LED illuminators use a LOT less power than other lighting options, but again, it will depend on the size of the area you are looking at.

Lektern, I am only doing an area about the size of a single 4x8 sheet of drywall. This is more like a "window to the stars" effect vs. an entire starfield ceiling, so I am going to be well under $1500, but I will definately check out that thread to see what tips I can pick up from it. Thanks!

Colton

06-05-06, 11:33 AM

The area I want to do a starfield is 10x10 on a ceiling that is 25 ft. high.

- Colton

Lisalynn

06-05-06, 01:30 PM

Question: Do these fiber optic starfields need a huge transformer? I have a light fixture on the ceiling that I would remove and use that as a power source with no long cables running down the wall to hook into some transformer. What are my options?

- Colton

If you go with an LED illuminator, then no huge xformer, only a power-supply about the size of a cell phone charger. I cut out the existing light fixture, and recess a junction box into the stud bay. (home depot 6"x6"x6" indoor-use box) then fed the switch leg to a single-gang outlet box and outlet inside for the power-supply.

A halogen illuminator needs ventilation so it can not be recessed into a sealed stud bay.

Colton

06-05-06, 02:28 PM

richh

06-07-06, 09:42 AM

If you go with an LED illuminator, then no huge xformer, only a power-supply about the size of a cell phone charger. I cut out the existing light fixture, and recess a junction box into the stud bay. (home depot 6"x6"x6" indoor-use box) then fed the switch leg to a single-gang outlet box and outlet inside for the power-supply.

A halogen illuminator needs ventilation so it can not be recessed into a sealed stud bay.

yes, i'm worried about finding a good spot for a halogen lightbox. you want it close to ceiling to limit the length of fiber optic cable, but then you need to hide it somewhere with good ventliation. i've seen some of the lightboxes even have a cooling fan in them. probably not a good idea to try and hide one of those in a column or similar small space. the led lit fiber solution seems like a great idea, how's the brightness compared with a halogen light box system? that would be my only concern.

nickbuol

06-07-06, 09:50 AM

richh

06-07-06, 12:50 PM

I've been researching the LED illiminator vs. the halogen and I can tell you this. The LED options is so far looking not only promising, but a better way to go. The better illuminators seem to use a Luxeon (or several Luxeons if you have a REALLY large space) LED to provide the light needed. These LEDs are not expensive, and run at 1, 3, and 5 watts depending on the size needed. I have been thinking about a DIY illuminator using the 3 watt Luxeon, but for my application, I am actually wondering if it will be *too* bright.

At first I was confused about LEDs, resistors, and power supplies to run them (it is actually easier than you may think), but there are great resources that I have found for getting the information needed to build a LED illuminator for about $50 with no fancy circuits to build, and very readily available parts ordered from the web.

please share...

the more i think about leds, the better i like them. multiple leds might have an advantage. think of a setup where you have say a 10 x 10 starfield. you have 4 leds each lighting up a 5 x 5 area. you should be able to place the leds right on top of the star panels with very short fiber runs. then just have a longer run from the power supply to the leds. i would think the longer wire run would be a lot cheaper than a longer fiber optic cable run, easier to route as well (a fiber optic cable, i imagine, has some sort of minimum bend radius). also, not sure if there is any sort of light output dropoff with fiber optics, but if there is, then with the leds up on top, the fiber optic runs should only be a 2 or 3 feet versus the 20+ feet you might need with a conventional halogen light box remotely mounted.

mavromatis

06-07-06, 02:52 PM

Here is my attempt at a "TRUE" night sky... it is made by FOSI (http://www.fosi.com), the folks that do the Rain Forest Cafe's and their Illuminator uses A 39W Metal Halide Par 30. It has no fan and is silent... you can barely hear the effects motor (sounds like a little stepper motor)... I can't hear it at all after installation because it's behind the stage and the stage curtain dampens the sound.

http://www.mavromatic.com/archives/000559

I will be posting the final photos end of the week, as I just installed the final panel last night.

Danny

Lisalynn

06-07-06, 07:07 PM

how's the brightness compared with a halogen light box system? that would be my only concern.

The brightness is actually great with LEDs coupled to fiber optics -in fact the it is a better color for stars than halogen. There is some light loss in fiber length, but you are fine up to 20 ft.

There is no need for a high brightness LED in a home theater; less is more in your periphial vision. To create the look of depth use 3 sizes if fiber, like 1mm, .75. and .5mm. (.25 if you want some tiny stars)

If you are thinking about a true starfield check out this website:
www.heavens-above.com (http://www.heavens-above.com)
You can enter in your city or lat/long and any date you want to...

If twinkling is not a high priority, Fiber Optic Products makes a small black box with a single LED and a compression fitting in front of the LED to terminate your fibers into. Kit includes some fiber too. It runs about $35. Inventors Kit (http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/Kits.htm)

nickbuol

06-08-06, 09:47 AM

Monoplex

06-08-06, 09:47 AM

nickbuol

06-08-06, 09:51 AM

Everyone has their own idea as to what expensive is, but for the "wow" factor, nothing has come close to the Numinus Startiles. Great fit, finish, and customization.

I bought two and then went back for another and then one more.

I'm happy to recommend them.

I like how their examples are usually designed to look like a "window to the stars" as opposed to a star ceiling. That has been my design all along as well since I am not doing the entire ceiling, and by putting a frame around it, it looks more like a window.

Their products look nice, but I like a little more of a hands on approach (this is a hobby for me) and I can't afford a lot of what is out there because it is designed for a much larger area.

Thanks for the input!

Lisalynn

06-08-06, 01:06 PM

I was just going to ask the question about fiber size.

50 strand .75mm fiber bundle
vs.
48 strand (34 at .57mm, 10 at 1.0mm, and 4 at 1.5mm)

Ceiling is 8 feet off the ground. Lit by LED light source (possibly single Luxeon III LED, or ten 5mm LEDs).

I've heard some people say that anything above .75mm is too big. I like the idea of variations in the size, but don't want it to look stupid.

The 3 pack is clearly a better scheme, however I would recommend 1.5mm only for one of the most visible planets. I like up to 1mm for starfields at an 8' ceiling ht.

Another key benefit with LED starfields is the bundle will have a varying light intensity due to the focal beam spread if the LED.

Caerbannog

06-10-06, 11:22 PM

richh, that's a very interesting idea about using a "distributed" as opposed to a centralized light source. For large ceilings, it sure seems like an easier installation, and should save major $$$ on fiber.

I've just started designing my own star ceiling, and I'm going to seriously explore this option.

Caerbannog

06-10-06, 11:37 PM

OK, now that I've read through this thread, a question come to mind.

What kind of ceiling surface do people find works the best? I've seen some posts that swear by royal black velvet, but I'm a little worried about the surface sheen. I really want the panels to have a seamless appearance with an 8' 4" ceiling...

I ordered a few sheets of black flocked paper from Edmund Scientific just for experimenting, as it's supposed to absorb 99% of incident light, but I'm not sure how nice that will look up on the ceiling.

Whatever surface I end up using, it has to look good with the room lights on AND it can't show any seams. Any recommendations?

lektern

06-11-06, 06:52 AM

Caerbonnog,
Depending on the size of your room, I don't know how you're going to get away with no seams unless it's a drywall ceiling. I assume your room is at least 8' wide. I don't know of any common fabrics available in a roll larger than 96". Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Caerbannog

06-11-06, 12:07 PM

Lisalynn

06-11-06, 03:00 PM

You can get 4' x 8' rigid fiberglass panels that are wrapped in black fabric. The material used to wrap the tiles is a Guilford of Maine coarse weave with very little reflection. It is a fabric often used to face speakers. If you incorporate a 2"+ molding you can eliminate that seam.

The bolts come 60" wide. If that will help minimize your # of cross seams -you can make your own framework.

I have a source for both. PM me if your interested.

Chiahead

06-13-06, 04:44 PM

Yeah, my room is too big to try to cover with a continuous piece of fabric. I'm going to make a drop ceiling, and put the fabric (or whatever I end up using) over masonite boards before the panels are installed.

My hope is that if I use a very black light absorbing material and carefully align the panels as they're installed, the seams will be invisible in normal lighting. Both the velvet and the flocked paper have a fuzzy surface, which might make it easier to hide a seam than a flat surface would.

SandmanX's thread gives me some hope that this will be possible. His installation seemed to get unobtrusive, but not completely invisible, seams. He used black GOM, so I'm hoping velvet or flocked paper will reflect even less light...

Invisible seams at 8' 4" might be asking too much, but I think I just have to get some materials and try them out. I'll post my results, in case anyone is interested.

One thing Sandman had talked about if the seems were going to bother him was a stained wood over the seems kind of like a nice window you would be looking out.
Another thought was to wrap a thin strip of wood or something (wood might not be thin enough) with the same fabric and attach it over the seems, that way the seems would be more horizontal than verticle and possible help to hide the seems more. I don't think he ever tried it though because he was happy with his results. Let us know what you decide, because I was going to probably try the same method Sandman used when I get to that point (which will be a fwe years cause the house is only a hole in the ground right now).

richh

06-13-06, 11:10 PM

a question for those who either have or are looking into an led based system... can they be integrated with a grafik eye dimmer?

Lisalynn

06-13-06, 11:26 PM

Yes.

They can be triggered to turn on and off with out any problem.
You just need to program the load type as an on/off.
(you can choose either first on last off or last on first off;
This sets the LEDs to come on at the start of the fade cycle or the end of it.)

Caerbannog

06-13-06, 11:38 PM

Hmmmm. The wood window idea sounds pretty good. If I can't make the seams invisible, I'm pretty sure I'll just go for the "window on the ceiling" look. That probably adds some realism, at least how I'm envisioning it.

In fact, even if I do end up with invisible seams, I'm not sure how a totally black expanse of ceiling will look... maybe kind of "heavy"??? If I don't like the look, then I can just try out various wood pieces until I find something I like.

That's what's so cool about these forums - there are a LOT of good ideas flying around!

lektern

06-14-06, 01:12 AM

ToneDefJeff

06-14-06, 10:11 AM

nickbuol

06-14-06, 11:24 AM

Instead of going with a black ceiling, you could try a midnight blue. That slight amount of color might help a little. It also might look cool as the lights come down (like the sun going down).

So has anyone posted a how-to for an LED starfield ceiling? I'm having a hard time justifying the 1k it's going to cost me to do what Sandman did. If there is a reasonable way to create an LED system with still having some type of twinkling (shooting star optional) that would be awesome. I'm big into DIY so wouldn't have a problem if I have to do some extra work.

I was looking into doing a LED for each star in the starfield, but then realized that even at 3mm, those would be HUGE and very bright stars. Another thought I had was to take whatever material I was going to use for the ceiling pieces with the stars in them, drill a "socket" for each LED, but don't go all the way through the ceiling matterial. Then, use a really small drill bit to "poke" a small hole all the way through. Then the LED would sit in the socket, but only a small (size of the drill bit) amount of light would get out. If that small pin hole was too bright, a fabric could be stretched over the panel, or some sort of semi-transparent material could be added inside the small "socket" to help reduce the light output.

Shooting stars would be run off of a seperate "chaser" circuit. I know that they can be bought online, but I think that most are limited to like 10 LEDs.

Twinkling would also require a special circuit of some sort, and may not be worth the hassle. I was toying with using a bunch of 3mm blue "blinking" LEDs, but I am not sure how that would look. May come across as a bunch of "flashing" lights instead of twinkling. I was thinking blue to represent further, fainter stars that would , obviously, seem to twinkle more.

I am deciding between that method, or going fiber with an LED illuminator. The all LED method is cheaper, the fiber method is easier (less time consuming).

You will also need to find a LED resistance calculator to find out what type of resistors you will need to get and how to wire everything up if you go all LED. There are some really good ones out there that I stumbled across when I was just starting to look.

Let me know what you are thinking or modifications to what I stated above. Maybe, between the two of us, and the other great resources here, we could come up with a cheap, but good, solution to the star ceiling.

lektern

06-14-06, 11:48 AM

Nick,
I was thinking of going fiber with an LED Illuminator. I like the way Sandman let the fibers stick farther out for brighter stars. I don't know much about the LED portion of this, for instance, what type of LED illuminator would you need and how many fibers would it be able to supply. Localizing the illuminators should save quite a bit on fiber cost. Not sure if that is outweighed by the cost of additional illuminators.

nickbuol

06-14-06, 01:37 PM

Sorry, I misunderstood what you were asking. When you said that you weren't afraid of a little extra work for DIY, I thought that you meant for what I was talking about.

I've seen LED illuminators, but for my case where I only need about 4'x8', they are all pretty pricey except for one I found on the e bay place. But I am still looking for an even less expensive option, which is back to a full DIY solution.

Lisalynn has some good sources if you check with her.

lektern

06-14-06, 03:07 PM

Nick,
I'd be interested in building a DIY illuminator if it's feasible. The area I'll be illuminating will be about 10 x 17. If you've got some ideas regarding a full DIY solution using fiber, I'm very interested.

nickbuol

06-14-06, 05:04 PM

lektern

06-14-06, 05:32 PM

Got the PM Nick, thanks.
I'll start researching.

Lisalynn

06-16-06, 12:58 AM

So has anyone posted a how-to for an LED starfield ceiling? If there is a reasonable way to create an LED system with still having some type of twinkling
Here are our instructions for 48 fiber LED illuminator DIY project. It twinkles but pricey. ($175)
LED illuminator installation DIY (http://www.numinus.com/pdf/productsheets/TriStar%20Tips%200606a.pdf)
Non twinkling kits from FOP run about $35 non twinkling LED illuminators (http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/Kits.htm)

superflysocal

06-19-06, 11:44 PM

I have been thinking about this for a while but don't have that much building experience. I have a 1st floor home theater under construction (New construction). There is a room above it so above ceiling access is limited once sheetrock is up. I was debating between a.) a sheetrock ceiling conserving (making a starfield on a board and placing on existing sheetrock) or b.) doing a starfield on a sheetrock and then having them install that sheetrock. I am looking to do the "window to the stars" look instead of entire ceiling.

If I go with a.) then I was thinking of just getting a piece of sheetrock and doing the starfield, then placing furring strips on them and attaching to the ceiling followed by a surrounding wood trim. Several pieces of sheetrock could be put together and when it's drywalled there would be no seams. Different shapes could be made ..oval, rectangle with eyebrow arches, etc. Will this work? Why is everybody doing mdf boards? Why wouldn't sheetrock boards worK?

If I go with b.), again I would put the fibers on the sheetrock. i would draw out the final shape i desire without cutting the sheetrock and put the stars within the drawn shape. the shape can span multiple sheetrocks if necessary making sure no fibers are put near the edges where it will be obscured by the drywall tape. I would then have them install these baords up as my ceiling as they would with regular sheetrock but centering these to the room. After drywalling, I would then paint the area I drew out...oval, circle, rectangle w/arches, etc. Then I would have then put wood trim at the borders to hide the paint borders. This way I can have a shaped "window" without cutting sheetrock to that shape.

Is my logic silly or could it work?

Again, I am a newbie and this takes nothing concerning acoustics into account.

superflysocal

06-19-06, 11:47 PM

So what are best but cheapest places for LED twinkling illuminators with decent light output? Do they have to specify Luxeon LED?

nickbuol

06-20-06, 09:09 AM

Wood (or MDF) vs. drywall. I ran into that question myself. Wood is easier to shape than drywall... By that, I mean that the wood may take more force to cut to shape, but it can be smoothed and sanded to make a perfect circle or oval. Drywall will become somwhat rounded, but keep in mind that it is made up of varying densities of the gypsum, and this cuts unevenly and is very messy.

For the LED only idea I mentioned above, drywall doesn't make good "sockets" for the LEDs to sit in, where wood does.

MDF is a very smooth type material. It seems, to me at least, to be more rigid and solid at thinner thicknesses than drywall, and most people here seem to be covering the MDF when they are done with some sort of fabric. Try to staple fabric to drywall. :(

Anyway, I have seen pictures of fiber ceilings done on drywall, and they look nice too. Not sure if there are any extra tips or tricks when using drywall, but for a rectangular piece anyway, or a "window to the stars" I would think that drywall is a viable option.

Good luck.

Also, the Luxeon LED is SO much brighter than even a group of regluar, exra bright LEDs, that for large areas it is the only way to go (if using a LED illuminator). You would have to rig up a twinkle wheel like the regular metal halide and other light source illuminators (vs. using a little circuit or group of "flashing" LEDs in a small group for smaller areas).

How big of an area are you trying to make?

Lisalynn

06-20-06, 12:59 PM

I have done starfields out of wood, drywall, fiberglass, acoustic tile, ABS, and mineral fiber. The only time I recommend drywall is if you can work on a finished surface. The tape joints are min 6" wide, and that is pushing it for a seamless finish. Any fibers in the path of the trawl get eliminated . If you are creating a 'window' then you might consider black ABS. It is very easy to work with. I am not an acoustic wizard, but if you need some sound dampening you may want to use fabric wrapped rigid fiber glass panels. If you want to PM me I can get you a quote for plain panels. you can choose from a variety of colors (There is a new material available that looks like black suede). In my bid to keep my posts unbiased please call around for comparisons.
As far as which LEDs to use, Luxeons are very bright, and brighter is not always better, especially when you are watching a movie...

superflysocal

06-20-06, 02:38 PM

i am just worried about seams with these panels. i would rather not put a grid in.

so do you guys think non-luxeon LED illuminators would be fine for a 4 x 8 to 6 x 8 area starfield?

nickbuol

06-20-06, 03:04 PM

i am just worried about seams with these panels. i would rather not put a grid in.

so do you guys think non-luxeon LED illuminators would be fine for a 4 x 8 to 6 x 8 area starfield?

Oh gosh, yes... I am planning a 4x8 "window to the stars" and I was going to go Luxeon, but I think that it will be way too bright for that small of an area.

I have some links I can send you if you shoot me a PM about it that will take you to other forums where you can discuss LEDs....

superflysocal

06-23-06, 03:23 PM

i decided to do a much bigger area than I initially anticipated. It will be approximately 16 x 12 ft, or basically six 4 x 8 ft panels (two rows of 3 panels).

I am still debating between going with a halogen illuminator vs. LED illuminator.

Fiber optic Products has aLED illuminator with twinkly effect at a good price but also a halogen illuminator at a good price. The halogen is about 3 times the price of a led illuminator but is still reasonable.

In my case, the fiber runs will be a minimum of 11-12 ft maybe up to 15-16 ft.

If I go halogen, I know I need a minimum of 2 illuminators, one on each row of panels.

The question is, Is LED a viable option in this case with fiber runs of 11-12 ft? How many LED illuminators do you think I would need? 1 per 4x8ft panel? 1 per 2 panels? LED would be more ideal since I don't have to worry about heat, but I also don't want too many illuminators because i will have to put a trap door box for each illuminator.

Lastly, with LED illuminators, are the led replaceable?

superflysocal

06-26-06, 05:34 PM

nickbuol

06-26-06, 05:52 PM

i am thinking about getting this LED illuminator...i see many websites selling this unit

http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/danise/cart.pl?db=stuff.dat&category=Multiled

It has twinkle effect but not a luxeon.
What is maximum fiber length do you guys think I can run with this before it gets too dim (10t?15ft?)

What about the maximum fiber length you would run on a 75w halogen?

I was looking at that same one. Again, I only need about a 4 foot x 8 foot area, so it is probably sized right for my needs, but I am trying to get more information before spending the money. Not that it is expensive, but no need to waste money if it isn't any good.

Keep in mind, though, that for a star ceiling, you don't want it too bright, but I do wonder what the length of fiber is too.

nickbuol

06-26-06, 06:06 PM

I'm doing something crazy here and emailing the company to ask them directly. Hopefully they will know their products unlike a few other sources for this device online. I will share what I find out.

nickbuol

06-27-06, 11:54 AM

Well, I didn't get any help from them. I asked about the recommended fiber length, if the device comes with the 9 volt power supply, and if there was a list of the 16 effects that it does. Here is a quote from them in response....

Buy one and see, more information on webpage !!

FOP

The information on their web site doesn't answer any of these questions, and the guy's answer was just plain stupid.

superflysocal

06-27-06, 12:11 PM

nickbuol,

this is the email i sent them:
>I guess my decision will boil down to this:
>
> At what length of fiber run, would you definitely say
> "No" to your LED twinkle illuminator (when it would
> get too dim for starfield on a 10ft ceiling)?
> At what fiber length would be the limit of your
> FOPSV75 halogen illuminator (when it would get too
> dim)?

this is the response i got:
Our answer is this: If you home theater is costing more then $3000 to
build
then you the best go with a Halogen unit for brighter light, since you
can
not compare the 2 side by side then led units will look good, but I
would go
Halogen !!
No would be around 25-30 ft and more. (for LED)

btw, they did answer most of my questions. They probably didn't answer you becuase it was the same questions i asked and they are probably tired of answering it (thinking it may be me or someone assicated with me).

nickbuol

06-27-06, 03:06 PM

I pushed back telling them that their answer was not helpful, and they came back with 2 responses for me as well.
I would order the Twinkle only version The Multi does not sell as well or
look as good for ceilings keep cable under 20 ft if over order the FOPSV75
with twinkle

And in response to if it came with the 9 volt power supply...
You select power YES

Of course they are going to try to upsell to a halogen illuminator. They cost more, and the place would make more money off of it. I am looking at a 4x8 section, and my maximum fiber length will be about 5-6 feet for the extreme edges with the illuminator in the middle of the starfield. 20 feet would do almost a 40 foot diameter area (circular of course afte ryou account for extra length needed that gets trimmed off, etc)...

I think that I might just have to pick one up and give it a whirl. I was trying to find out with the 16 effects were for the one model (it cost like $10 more than just the twinkle effect one, but I might find that I like them just to be "on" and no twinkle as well) but no information on that. Either way, that site seems to be the cheapest source online for them.

superflysocal

07-04-06, 09:59 PM

did you get it yet nickbuol?

nickbuol

07-05-06, 12:29 AM

did you get it yet nickbuol?

Nope. Haven't ordered it yet. I am so deep into the drywall stage right now, I am not in a hurry to get it since it will just sit around waiting for me to finish everything else. I am probably not going to order it until mid-August.

qthai99

07-06-06, 09:59 PM

I have the FOPSV75 illuminator lighting up my 8'X8' drop ceiling. Fairly bright with my 200 75mm stars. The fan is a little noisy though. Anyway, I was wondering, has anyone bought the remote for this unit? I would like to setup so the unit can be controlled with my Harmony 880. Is it possible?

Don Bond

07-14-06, 11:30 PM

This thread inspired me to design and build my own starscape. I started out with a 4 x 8 ft x 1/4 in. MDF. I reinforced it with 1 x 2's, and covered it with black velveteen. I added a redwood frame for a more finished look.

I'm using 0.75 mm fibers, being driven by a LED light source of my own design. I programmed up to 6 patterns, and the patterns are changeable by IR remote control. I've included a pic.

Don

nickbuol

07-15-06, 12:33 AM

Don Bond

07-15-06, 03:30 AM

Hi Nick-
I bought 500 feet of fiber from FOP, and I think I've got about 140+ stars. I use a uP to drive the LEDs, and I can drive up to 24 LEDs. Since each LED is 5mm, then each LED can illuminate about 8 fibers. Theoretically then, I can drive 192 fibers.
I am using 16 LEDs in this design.

I use heat shrink tubing to couple the LEDs to the fibers.

This was a fun project, and all the work was done myself except lifting and hanging the panel from the ceiling. I then went to HD and bought some redwood to frame the outside. The frame really adds alot of pizazz.

Don

nickbuol

07-15-06, 10:31 AM

Wow! 500 feet of fiber! That seems like a lot. You must have the illuminator somewhere "remotely" located from the star panel???

Don Bond

07-15-06, 12:54 PM

nickbuol

07-16-06, 12:44 AM

Nick-
You'd be surprised on how much a large starscape will consume. I didn't measure the runs exactly, which consumed more fiber. Also, I will be using more localized LEDs to reduce the fiber length. Wire is about 0.02/ft., while the fiber is .12/ft.

Don

I just realized that you most likely meant a total fiber length of 500 feet, not a 500 foot bundle (multiple strands) of fiber. That makes more sense. I was looking at a 50 strand bundle and getting about 10 feet, so that would be 500 as well.

Don Bond

07-16-06, 10:59 AM

Hey Nick-
Just thought I'd show ya the completed starscape.

Don

Caerbannog

07-24-06, 11:03 PM

Hey Nick-
Just thought I'd show ya the completed starscape.

Don
Very nice! With remote control no less... it really looks good. Which micro did you use, if you don't mind me asking? Did you try to add a twinkle effect via PWM, or some such?

I'm working on a design now for my own illuminator, probably based on a PIC4620. But I have to get out of the nifty-feature-creation stage and on to the actual building of the darn thing. :)

How does the black velveteen look - shimmery, or does it soak up the ambient light? And, while I'm asking all these annoying questions, I might as well add: how do the exposed fiber ends look with the illuminator off and the room lights on?

The pictures look good, and you get extra points for designing your own illuminator!

Colton

07-25-06, 11:44 AM

Why not do blacklight star ceiling? Cheaper and just as pretty.

- Colton

nickbuol

07-25-06, 12:13 PM

Why not do blacklight star ceiling? Cheaper and just as pretty.

- Colton

Do you mean using "glow in the dark" paint or something, and then a black light? If so, the black light can mess with the colors of your screen in a front projection room, and it will make anything "white" stand out and can be annoying.

I am not slamming your idea, just posting what I have found from personal experience and experimentation.

Mntneer

07-25-06, 04:18 PM

What do people do if they're drywalling their ceiling and don't have access to it from above, such as in a basement? Casements that you install the fiber into and then lift into place?

nickbuol

07-25-06, 07:08 PM

What do people do if they're drywalling their ceiling and don't have access to it from above, such as in a basement? Casements that you install the fiber into and then lift into place?

I am going to build the "window to the stars" type where it looks like a framed window or portal open to stars. I have heard that some people have put the fibers in to some of the drywall before isntalling it, but then you have the issue of not being able to have stars at each of the trusses that you are attaching the drywall to, plus you have to mud/tape and feather the mud which can be difficult with the fiber there.

Other options are using a drop ceiling, and putting fibers in the ceiling panels. Very good option in my opinion if you don't want a "window" look. You would put the fibers in each of the panels and put them in place. No mud/tape, and the "joints" on each edge are fairly small with the smaller metal brackets used with drop ceilings. Some of the newer drop ceilings mount just below the ceiling trusses, so you don't lose much headroom in a basement.

Don Bond

07-25-06, 10:12 PM

Caerbannog

07-25-06, 10:40 PM

Wow! Did everybody just get back from vacation or somethin'? :)

Caerbannog:

I use a Z8 uP. The illuminator has 5 patterns, all changeable via IR remote, including "off". Next step is shooting stars, comets, and COLORS! Can you spell RGB? ;)

The black velveteen is VERY light-absorbing, and produces a nice "deep space" look. Just wrap around the MDF panel and staple on the back side.

This project turned out so well, I'm putting one in the theater (current one is in the office).

Don
We're speaking the same language! I just received a supply of Nichia RGB LEDs. Based on what I've found in data sheets, reviews and such, these have the best color rendition.

My first task is to get a realistic twinkle effect working. Did you add that sort of effect in your system?

My plan is to have my micro implement a slew of PWM channels in firmware. I'll need a lot of channels: there will be a lot of LEDs since I'm covering most of the ceiling, and each LED needs 3 channels. With precise control over the brightness, I should be able to cobble together a twinkle brightness "profile" (with random elements of course) that will be quite realistic. I'd rather not have to add a twinkle wheel or some such; I'm really motivated to keep it all solid-state.

And with precise control over the color and brightness, there's no limit to the effects. I can just imagine listening to "Dark Side of the Moon" with the star ceiling presenting a wild light show... :)

I've seen video of shooting stars that looked pretty good; how do you plan on adding a comet?

Don Bond

07-26-06, 09:25 AM

Caerbannog-

Where are you sourcing the RGB LED's? Are they bright enough? I probably won't go the PWM route, but rather a matrix. Although varying the intensity with PWM sounds intruiging. Looks like a fun project! Keep us posted on the progress.

Yes, I have a nice twinkling effect. You just have to play with some patterns. The shooting star can be done with a a series of shift registers. The comet is brighter and leaves a contrail. Plus, it's something that will travel across the entire sky.

Dark Side Of The Moon? Never heard of it. :rolleyes:

Don

Caerbannog

07-26-06, 12:16 PM

Where are you sourcing the RGB LED's? Are they bright enough?Google "Nichia America" and you'll get a link to their online site. The brightness is a really good question... They seem to be plenty bright, based on just lighting up some fiber on the bench. The data sheet says the RGB output is 125/540/140 mcd typical. It's no Luxeon, but it's easy enough to go the matrix route if needed. I have some of the lamp style and some of the surface mount LEDs. Not sure yet which I'm going to go with (they're the same price).

I probably won't go the PWM route, but rather a matrix. Although varying the intensity with PWM sounds intruiging. Looks like a fun project! Keep us posted on the progress.PWM with so many channels is an interesting problem, and might be complete overkill for this project. But one of my mottos is "Anything worth doing is worth overdoing" so I have to give it a shot. If the PWM approach doesn't bring anything to the party, I'll go with a matrix.

Yes, I have a nice twinkling effect. You just have to play with some patterns. The shooting star can be done with a a series of shift registers. The comet is brighter and leaves a contrail. Plus, it's something that will travel across the entire sky.Very nice. I'm really curious about the comet! You'll post pictures when it's done, right?

Dark Side Of The Moon? Never heard of it. :rolleyes: It's from an obscure British outfit called "Pink Floyd". :cool: I hear they had some modest chart success back in the 70's. But I still don't know which one's Pink.

nickbuol

07-31-06, 02:40 PM

Just ordered my fiber and illuminator (LED) this weekend. We'll see how well the LED illuminator works for a smaller 4x8 area. Hopefully it will look nice when I am done. Now back to touch up/finish painting, staining and prepping for tile and carpet installation this week. Getting close now! I hope to be calibrating everything in the new home theater by the weekend. Won't have all of the baseboard trim down, or the wall decor (or star ceiling) by then, but the room will be usable at least.

Pagash

08-01-06, 11:49 AM

Does anyone have any experience with the Pegasus ceiling:

http://www.pegasusassociates.com/FiberOpticStarCeiling.jsp

I am looking at installing it, but would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks.

nickbuol

08-07-06, 01:27 PM

Caerbannog

08-09-06, 03:17 PM

Fiber optics and LED illuminator showed up on Saturday. I still have a lot of other work in the home theater and basement to do before I start the star ceiling, but the illuminator is pretty bright actually, and I should have no problems with enough light. Possibly too much, but if I cover the ceiling in GOM or some other material, it will mask the light. Maybe when I get all of the strands spread out it won't be so bright. Right now it is in one long fiber bundle, so it is like having a flexable flashlight.
Very cool! It sure is fun to get supplies in the mail...

Can you see how many LEDs (and maybe even which kind) are used in your illuminator? Does it use a Luxeon?

If the illiuminator is too bright, are you thinking of not having the fiber ends go through the GOM? I haven't seen GOM before, so I don't know how sheer it is...

nickbuol

08-09-06, 03:48 PM

Very cool! It sure is fun to get supplies in the mail...

Can you see how many LEDs (and maybe even which kind) are used in your illuminator? Does it use a Luxeon?

If the illiuminator is too bright, are you thinking of not having the fiber ends go through the GOM? I haven't seen GOM before, so I don't know how sheer it is...

I got this one:
http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/danise/cart.pl?db=stuff.dat&category=Multiled

It has tex 5mm white LEDs in it. It will easily be bright enough for a star ceiling with runs of 10 feet (probably too bright). I would *guess* that it would be bright enough for 15 foot runs too. That would be a 30'x30' circle.

The twinkle effect seems pretty good. Random LEDs flicker at random intervals to prevent a pattern look.

superflysocal

08-10-06, 04:50 PM

nickbuol,

do you think the flicker is too fast or about right?

nickbuol

08-10-06, 04:59 PM

nickbuol,

do you think the flicker is too fast or about right?

Really hard to tell at this point. I most likely won't even start building the star ceiling for another 10 days, and I am probably 2 weeks out from running the fiber and testing it. There is a "good amount" of "flicker" to it, but since there are multiple light sources inside the illuminator, it isn't like the fibers are completely "off" and then completely "on" again. I think that it will be a good effect.

foolsandkings

08-24-06, 03:13 PM

Great thread!

Has anyone ever tried to make panels out of rigid foam insulation? It seems like it would be pretty easy to re-inforce from the back to prevent sagging. It also should be easy to poke the fiber through, and to cover in black fabric. And it don't weigh much!

Any thoughts?

nickbuol

08-24-06, 10:05 PM

I have heard of someone doing that (with the good ol' pink foam stuff) and covering it with GOM fabric. I may go that route. I thought by now I would have mine done, but no. I have been so busy with work and being out of town, I haven't even started. The poor fiber optic cables are staring at me right now, crying to be installed...

jdg345

09-07-06, 12:09 PM

I posted a similar response on here earlier.There is a company in Miami Fl that manufactures a prefab fiberoptic panel

Do you have the link/name of the company? I'd like to check it out ... I want to put a star field on the ceiling of a bedroom. ;)

jdg345

09-07-06, 10:30 PM

http://www.thefiberopticstore.com/star-ceiling.htm

This seems to be closed?

nickbuol

09-07-06, 11:09 PM

This seems to be closed?

Hmmm... Their domain is still registered to them for another month or so, but it looks like either they are having serious server issues, or went belly up....

jdg345

09-07-06, 11:28 PM

Hmmm... Their domain is still registered to them for another month or so, but it looks like either they are having serious server issues, or went belly up....

Bummer ... I'm trying to find an inexpensive way to do this ... ;)

jdg345

09-08-06, 11:47 AM

Okay ... I have a bunch of questions after doing some preliminary research. Seeing as a few people in these threads have succeeded in putting up one of these ceilings, I was hoping I could get some feedback on my thoughts? Anyways, here goes:

(1) This is going to go into a very bright and lively room, so I'd prefer to use a light color (perhaps a fabric that even has a light blue / white / cloudy pattern to it). The room isn't huge, but it's about 10x12x8 so I'd have to do multiple panels -- how do I handle the seam between panels? I figure it's easily hidden with the darker fabrics?

(2) I don't have very easy access to the 'crawl space', so this would be panel-based. Can I do something with 1/2" Styrofoam from HD backed by some 1x2's? If that works, I'd probably do panels that were 6x10 ... I'd probably need a few 'ribs', no? Also, is there a recommended foam? I think they have the regular sheets, and they also have the stuff lined with a silver foil/paper on one side. What can I use to attach the 1x2's to the styrofoam? Doesn't glue melt the foam?

(3) Is there a way to print the star maps on a bunch of smaller 8.5"x11" paper and then piece them together? I don't have a plotter.

(4) Are there any LED based modules for creating shooting stars? I'd like to add them in as well.

(5) I like some of the kits, like FOSI and StarTiles, but they just seem soooo expensive. I'm on a budget here. ;)

(6) What glue should be used to stick/attach the fibers? I was doing some reading and noticed some concerns that some glue actually melts the fibers -- which we dont want.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone!

Lisalynn

09-09-06, 03:51 AM

[QUOTE=jdg345] *Cheep advise from one of the expensive companies... :)
(1) how do I handle the seam between panels? I figure it's easily hidden with the darker fabrics?
*If you dont want seems you can create a star 'window' say 4.5'x8.5' -get fabric 60" wide, then build a wood frame with 2x2/2x4s, staple wrap the frame, bolt to ceiling (fir down as needed to aliegn with trim) and trim with a crown type molding.

(2) Can I do something with 1/2" Styrofoam from HD backed by some 1x2's? *1/2" is too thin even with ribs, 1" minimum. What can I use to attach the 1x2's to the styrofoam? Doesn't glue melt the foam?
*The regular strength spray adhesive does not melt the stryrofoam -77 works good. You may want to adhere it to the fabric, then wrap the fabric around the wood and staple.

(3) Is there a way to print the star maps on a bunch of smaller 8.5"x11" paper and then piece them together? I don't have a plotter.
*Yes. Set your printer in multi-page format. ie 4 pages per sheet.

(6) What glue should be used to stick/attach the fibers? I was doing some reading and noticed some concerns that some glue actually melts the fibers -- which we dont want. *Just use a small amount and walk away for 24 hours.

Don Bond

09-13-06, 10:10 AM

Anybody know where to get a shooting star module for a "starscape"? Prices?

TIA-
Don

dtebh

09-17-06, 06:26 PM

Pardon me for jumping in....

I am planning on building one of these just as you guys seem to be. My area is 8x8 feet. I am leaning towards the foil covered 1/2 inch foam boards from HD, with some reinforcing ribs to save weight. Then I will cover with a velveteen type fabric, spray adhesive with corners wrapped. I have a 9 1/2 foot ceiling, so I have some room for a hang down - I am estimating 4-6 inches.

I really like the ideas about LED generators, from a lifetime and maintenance perspective. I have a light controlled room, so only a small light source is needed, and not the more expensive, noisy and higher maintenance halogen units.

In my case, 2 - 4x8 panels will be used, so I have more space to cover than many of you. I have read that Don Bond was using or considering a design where individual LED's were used to power fiber bundles, shrink wrapped together, and placed where needed. The idea being locate the source close to where it's needed and use lower cost electrical wire to run the power to each LED. This seems like it would reduce the fiber cost, at the expense of being more difficult to wire electrically. But then again, if wire is not used, fiber must be used from a centralized source, which is probably just as difficult to wire, possibly more so.

I would also like to incorporate a remote control feature, but that may not be as difficult as I think, if I can just switch the powering outlet remotely - easily done.

Am I off base here, or does this seem feasible? Opinions needed.

Also, if anyone has any ideas about sourcing the LED's, or preferred LED generators, I would appreciate it.

Thanks in advance,
Ed.

LewisCobb

09-25-06, 09:48 PM

This is a great thread - I am glad I stumbled across it as it's answered a few questions I have had for some time.

Has anyone come across some pics of a diy approach to star panels like Sandman has done in the dedicated theater thread that shows how to do the panels with rigid fiberglass panels? He did it for his first relection points on the ceiling but only shows the mdf panels that he built for the rest of the ceiling.

Lewis

marjen

12-13-06, 07:31 PM

Anyone know how much those StarTiles go for?? They look cool.

High Def 03

12-14-06, 10:33 AM

Are there any installers that would do this?

GLB131

12-15-06, 12:50 PM

Have you checked out this site?
http://www.htmarket.com/lighting--signs--decor---carpeting-home-theater-lighting.html

G

Monoplex

12-23-06, 10:21 PM

Hey, it's a picture of my home theater (albeit V1.0) under the "Star Tiles" picture!

MrArmyAnt

12-25-06, 12:19 AM

pkoren

01-27-07, 08:13 AM

from my exprience the star tiles are $90 per 2x2 tile up $800 for a 4x8 tiles.
there is a company who make all kind of new lighting product fro home theater.
impactlightinginc don't forget the inc.
I just used them for LED cove lighting and it is amazing.

pkoren

01-27-07, 08:17 AM

installition is from 500 to 1000.

JeffyB

02-06-07, 10:55 AM

Hi everyone, I am new on this forum and I am looking for some information on fiber optic star ceilings myself. Does anyone have a current star ceiling that can give some suggestions?

LewisCobb

02-06-07, 10:59 AM

Hi everyone, I am new on this forum and I am looking for some information on fiber optic star ceilings myself. Does anyone have a current star ceiling that can give some suggestions?

Check out Sandman's construction thread in the dedicated theater build forum - it's got the most detailed DIY instructions on this I have found to date. The search function is you best friend on this forum - welcome aboard!

Lewis

JeffyB

02-06-07, 11:14 AM

Thanks Lewis, I will do that.

larryep

03-09-07, 07:34 AM

hello star field builders.

i connected this led unit but would like to extend the adapter wire from my equipment room to the starfield. do they make power conversion extensions?

led light engine (http://www.del-lighting.com/led_mini-light_kits.html)

here is some picks:
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1986/im000941mediumui3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/1827/im000966mediumjt2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

the 2x4 mont for starfield. notice there is outlet and a pvc run to a empty work box.I would prefer to run a low volt extension to the light engine from equipment room. i could then turn the light engine off with a inseteon app. module.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4040/im000948mediumyn7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Lisalynn

03-09-07, 01:21 PM

You can go to radio shack and get male and female ends plus some 2 conductor wire (18 gauge). The wire just solders on the terminals. (It looks like it is a 2.1 mm jack, but I would bring the cord with you to be sure)

honestlink99

03-15-07, 11:40 AM

glad to see topic aout fiber optic star ceiling ,

larryep

03-16-07, 08:15 PM

i found the teminals to connect to the low volt ends. i got the starfield up and running.
thanks for input Lisa Lynn .
i odered a second light engine to fill in the rest of the field looks real nice.

pinkfloydz

03-29-07, 02:01 AM

I have just finished my star ceiling and my total costs were about $30..And I am serious. I used:
2 fiber optic night lights that had one color changing led in each - $3 total for both at flea market

1 1/8 inch wood board 4 foot by 6 foot or so- Free

very small drill bit - $2.49 at sears

1000 feet of fiber optic wire off ebay - $10 ...well $20 after shipping

tons of fiber optic threads that came with the nightlights...also included in the $3.00 above

Hot glue sticks $2.00

extension cord- $1.00 at the dollar store

black paint- $5 at sears

Thats it I believe soooo.... about $22 I think.. It took about 20 hours to put together though 2 days of hell... But man it looks great for the money I plan to post pics of it and the rest of my budget theater this week.

LewisCobb

03-29-07, 07:52 AM

pinkfloydz

03-29-07, 10:21 AM

I will take some ppics today as I am going to finish the ceiling today I hope that is. LOL

okay heres a few pics:

Front view :

Remember the room is dark so that you only see black on the ceiling you cannot see the holes or anything else just darkness other than the lights of course:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/atomheartmother/th_PICT0555.jpg (http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/atomheartmother/PICT0555.jpg)

Back wiring thousands of fibers here and many moons of hours:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/atomheartmother/th_PICT0559.jpg (http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/atomheartmother/PICT0559.jpg)

I have many different size stars and some planets I created by grouping many wires together and by melting some as well. I also grouped a few strands together then seperate them to create little clusters that resemble galaxies.

Heres a terrible video of a planet changing color:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/atomheartmother/th_PICT0567.jpg (http://s11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/atomheartmother/?action=view&current=PICT0567.flv)

Lastly a few pics with them lit again its real hard to photo these but they do look spectacular once lit up in my opinion, varying sizes and placement really gives the illusion of depth and the color changing is well....a bit psychedelic as well.LOL

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/atomheartmother/th_PICT0561.jpg (http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/atomheartmother/PICT0561.jpg)

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/atomheartmother/th_PICT0562.jpg (http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a179/atomheartmother/PICT0562.jpg)

chrisrice01

06-28-07, 04:00 PM

Check out StarCeiling123 for fiber optic supplies and do-it-yourself instructions.

nickbuol

06-28-07, 04:46 PM

Check out StarCeiling123 for fiber optic supplies and do-it-yourself instructions.

Wow, what a rip. Sorry, but those prices are crazy. I used an LED illuminator like the one listed on their site but paid less than half of that cost.

Mine IS done and has been done for a couple of months. It turned out pretty darn well. I ended up using a lot more fiber than I thought I would, and it took a long stinking time to get the fibers in place, but it was worth it. I went with a midnight blue flat paint on the panel and actually found that I got a really cool effectwhen I painted right over the fibers. I scratched off the dry paint off of a couple of the smaller fibers, and added an extra "layer" to some of the biggers to give them varying brightness, and set the LED illuminator for twinkle and it turned out great. Mine is the size of a 4'x8' sheet of foam insulation material with a nice wooden frame made of crown molding to give it a "window to the stars" look.

waterlogged

06-28-07, 06:33 PM

LewisCobb

06-28-07, 06:44 PM

I used a small LED from Weidmark, 1/8 inch mdf panels with 1x2 border and Black Velveteen for a buck a yard from the evil empire(Walmart) There are approx 300 stars divided among 6 panels 3ft by 6ft. My wife came up with a good idea to get a random pattern, i attached the 1x2 to the MDF and then took 50 grains of rice and dropped them on the panel, then marked each location with a sharpie, drilled the hole and used a Hot glue gun to attach to the panel. Has been up on the ceiling for 2 months with no problems.

That's one hell of a good idea on the random pattern using the grains of rice. It would also result in "bunches" of stars in some places with sparce stars in others - just like the real night sky......

I'll add this one to my list for when I get to build my star ceiling. Thanks for sharing :) :)

Tutmos

07-01-07, 05:22 PM

larryep

07-01-07, 05:41 PM

that is a good idea. as long as the projector is perpendicular to starfield. you can zoom in and out for star spacing. We have done this at work for tracing cartoon goofs on plywood.

quickplace1

07-05-07, 08:49 PM

I used to buy ceiling stencils from this company that sold to the 'discovery stores'. They have the tiny holes (for winter or summer sky) that you blot on glow in the dark paint thru. You use a tooth brush for a fine splatter to get the milky way. People are always amazed at how real it looks. Down side is it only glows brightly for 20 minutes. It is visable for a few hours though. I am thinking the stencil could be used to drill through as well. I have the 12 ft and 8ft versions. I just cut a panel and repeated the outer edge for a room that was 18 ft long. They quit selling to stores but I ordered from them directly over the phone a whlie back. I will post back with their number when I can dig it up if anyone is interested.

LewisCobb

07-05-07, 09:26 PM

nickbuol

07-05-07, 09:35 PM

Since I'm assuming most people have projectors here anyway couldn't you just hook up a PC to it and project a jpeg of an authentic star map onto a panel leaning against the wall and then mark the star points just like the poster above with a sharpie. The benefit is you could download what the night sky looked like at any point in time from any place in the world. One person I know was doing the sky to match the date and location of his birthday : ).

I just printed out a star pattern on many pieces of paper and then taped it together and then had a starfield that was the size of what I needed. I thought about the projector method, but my projector is hung in my theater room and was calibrated prior to starting the star ceiling project, so I didn't want to take it down. It is an option though.

Oh, and I picked the sky over head of where I was on May 25, 2006 at 2:56pm... I know that it was daytime, but it was right when my wife and I were announced as married (gotta do a few things to keep this crazy home theater stuff, and my other toys, "OK" in my wife's eyes...)

quickplace1

07-05-07, 09:42 PM

Took a bit but I found a web link. My receipt was over a year ago so hopefully he still sells them. I thought about using them for the fiber optic star field option, but I have used them in several rooms as well as most of my families houses and the glow in the dark paint really is amazingly realistic. I think more so than the fiberoptics but maybe not as much 'wow' factor....
Another benefit to the paint - did the whole room in less than 4 hours.

http://www.usmapstencil.com/night.htm

Maria

rockola404

09-23-07, 09:53 AM

Please forgive me if I did this wrong, this will be my first posting on this website I eventually hope to have photographs as well if I ever figure out how to do it. We just finished installing fiber optics in a drop ceiling, with limited ceiling height of 7'4" and approximately 4 inches above the ceiling. I used a very rough texture (glacier) type of tile that has a tan color and the grid work is tam as well. This would hide all a finished diameter holes that fiber optics go through. My actual dimensions are 10 foot wide by 16 feet long, this is 40 tiles, and I used to fiber optics systems, one system with 100 fibers changes colors, the other has 400 fibers with only white lights and they twinkle. I drilled approximately 13 holes per tile as to evenly distribute the stars in the ceiling. I used a dremel tool with an 1/8" inch drill bit and very quickly and randomly drill the holes in the tile as not to form a pattern. The fiber optic lamps need cooling so allow for air moment above the ceiling. After putting up the grid work for the ceiling I stretched out to fiber optics, approximately 13 per tile opening this takes about two people, one person holding the tile, one person drilling the holes and inserting the fiber optics, and I used a little dab of caulking to hold the fiber optics in place. The fiber optics will be hanging out of the openings like spaghetti, and it takes one person to put the tile in place and one the two people to push the fiber optics above the ceilings. After the tile is in place use a small clipper to cut the fiber optics of two about half an inch or less below the ceiling. We even made the extra effort to put three of the constellations in the ceiling this is a worthwhile idea, however the problem is that these lights twinkle randomly and it is hard to see the constellations. This would require a separate fiber optics system that does not twinkle. The whole project is lot of work but it is well worth every minute when you're finished

chrisrice01

11-07-07, 07:46 PM

A friend recommended starceiling123.com so that's who I used for my star ceiling. They carry pre-wired modular fiber optic star panels for a reasonable price. They also sell a LED illuminator + fiber optic combo pack.

chrisrice01

11-07-07, 07:47 PM

Does anyone have any advice on how to install a shooting star?

chrisrice01

11-07-07, 07:49 PM

A friend recommended www.starceiling123.com so that's who I used for my star ceiling. They carry pre-wired modular fiber optic star panels for a reasonable price. They also sell a LED illuminator + fiber optic combo pack.

tradewinds

11-08-07, 12:06 AM

Does anyone have any advice on how to install a shooting star?

Look up Forum member StarDesigner, they build a Shooting Star module for their system.

Here is a thread with more info:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=911313

porsche951

11-08-07, 11:33 AM

Nothing against starceiling123.com, but the led twinkle illuminator that they sell for $89.00, can be purchased for $59.95 at fiberopticproducts.com. I'm building a star ceiling now.

outcast_p

11-09-07, 12:05 PM

porsche951

11-09-07, 12:34 PM

Outcast, let us know how your idea works out.

nickbuol

11-09-07, 01:19 PM

Outcast, back on page 3 of this thread, I had a similar idea using LEDs. Here is a link right to my post:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=7829596#post7829596

It was based off of buying a lot of LEDs, having to put resistors on them, wiring them up, etc... It would have been a lot of work, but with cheap LED christmas lights, it would be a lot easier.

Your basic plan for holding the LEDs and the light allowed is exactly what I covered in my post, and it still seems like a viable plan.
1) Make a socket (doesn't go all the way through the panel)to glue the LED in to
2) Make a small hole (can use a couple of different sizes) per each socket that allows whatever amount of light you want through.

The real trick will be getting small enough drill bits as the LEDs will be like little "lasers" of light shooting down. While cloth will diffuse it a little, they will still apear to be larger then they really are just due to light output of LEDs being so high.

Should be a very simple project. I say go for it. It should work out very nicely!

outcast_p

11-09-07, 03:56 PM

I will head out to target/walmart tomorrow, I know they make them where they are the square shaped LEDs and Round shaped ones. The square leds might work.

I will make a test 2x2 panel or something and see how it works, Hopefully I can get some time to do it.

I have plenty of small drill bits, but it also might work if you just take a finishing nail and poke out the hole in different sizes.

I hope this works out well, it would be a very different way to do an old idea.

Maybe I should put this in a different thread, since this might take this thread off topic from using fiber optics.

nickbuol

11-09-07, 04:29 PM

If you do start a new thread, please post a link to it back here so people can continue to follow your progress.

jim rich

11-09-07, 05:15 PM

i'd like to know if that idea works.

chrisrice01

11-09-07, 07:36 PM

A friend recommended www.starceiling123.com (http://www.starceiling123.com). He did a very large custom project and I went with the pre-wired modular panels that dropped right into my existing drop ceiling grid. I did lots of research and they seem to have very good prices.

chrisrice01

11-09-07, 07:39 PM

Seems pretty difficult in comparison to fiber. It's extremely easy to work with. My friend recommended http://www.starceiling123.com. He did a large custom project and I used the modular star panels in my basement where I have a drop ceiling.

StarDesigner

11-10-07, 07:47 PM

Has anyone ever tried to go the non fiberoptic route?

I was thinking of getting several strands of the LED xmas lights (60 lights for ~$8) and then just drill holes into the wood to hold the leds, and make varing size holes on the viewing side. then cover it in speaker grill cloth. so all that will be see is the light through the cloth.

I was going to pickup a set this weekend, get out the drill press and give it a shot

If it would cost me only $30 to get 180 stars, and all i need to do is plug the panel directly into an outlet, I think that might be the easiest idea.

Hi, i use some leds as stars in huge custom ceilings. Some times white for example the north star or a RGB led conected to our controller to set special fx stars. But if i would have to wire up 200 -300 leds thats hard work, and
a lot of power to feed in. And the other bad side is when they are all on you will be blind. 100 leds what we use standart 5mm with 55000 mcd brings as much light as a 100 whats flood light. But keep us posted on how it turns out , when you try it.

Best regards
Stardesigner
www.starceiling-designer.com (http://www.starceiling-designer.com)

outcast_p

11-11-07, 11:16 AM

But if i would have to wire up 200 -300 leds thats hard work, and
a lot of power to feed in. And the other bad side is when they are all on you will be blind. 100 leds what we use standart 5mm with 55000 mcd brings as much light as a 100 whats flood light. But keep us posted on how it turns out , when you try it.

It will not be that hard to wire up, they are xmas lights, already on a string and wired, no need to solder each LED on its own. And it shouldent be that bright, but I can put them on a dimmer, to cut that down.

I got a box of LEDs yesterday, but I spent the rest of the day getting the bare walls ready for paint.

I will check to see if i have a scrap piece of MDF around to test this on.

outcast_p

11-11-07, 01:04 PM

To not derail this thread, I started a new thread on LED star ceilings.

Link (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12186300)

nickbuol

11-11-07, 06:40 PM

Thanks Outcast. As for the comments about wiring up an LED ceiling, yes, it oculd be a lot of work, but so is a fiber optic one. Just different kinds of work. Power for LEDs is really low, so a power supply would be easy to get. And as long as you aren't using all super bright LEDs, you would be fine. I actually worked up the parts list a long time ago and I was going to use LEDs with a very wide projected angle so that they woulnd't be so "pinpointed"... After all, you only need a small pin hole of light, and a lot gets wasted, why not have it be the more "diffused" light that is desired.

There are a few really good (and technical) web sites about LEDs and projects using LEDs. they have calculators to figure out resistors, power supply needs, etc... But again, that is for the LED Ceiling thread.

starceilings

11-26-07, 08:25 PM

If you go for a twinkle/flash effect the results can be excellent, particularly in kids' bedrooms etc. Always make sure you get enough stars to cover the whole area of your ceiling. Most kits will have about 150 fibre optic star lights, with the fibres being about 6ft in length. Place the LED unit in the centre of the ceiling for best coverage (it goes above the ceiling and can be controlled by a switch in the room).

We have a site called Star Ceiling Kits which sells 150-fibre kits for $184 US + shipping

http://www.starceilingkits.net/usa

:)

marldonnaharris

12-08-07, 10:24 PM

Has anyone tried the new LED illuminators from FiberOpticProducts?

How do these compare with other types? They seem far less expensive, and would run very cool but do they make enough light?

Also, what is the difference between the "cool sky" and "muilt LED unit"?

I'm ready to make my order for cable & get started and this may be a way to reduce illuminator cost by several hundred dollars... even If I buy a couple of LED units and split the load. My ceiling in me theater room is pretty large... 14x16.

Thanks in advance

Mark

smithnz

03-20-08, 09:40 AM

Found some good tips on starfield installation.

http://www.del-lighting.com/starfield_installation.html

rockola404

04-01-08, 09:47 PM

I have installed a fiber-optic star ceiling in my theater room. It is quite a bit of work but it is well worth the extra trouble and it looks fantastic. I purchased all my items off of eBay. I have 400 fiber-optic twinkle with white light, and 100 fiber optics a twinkle with a variety of colors. I installed this in a drop ceiling using 2’ x 2’ tan colored tiles. Plus tan grid, The size of the ceiling not including the soffit is 10’ x 18’. This would be 40 tiles now divide the tiles by 500 fiber optics and this is how many fibers go to each tile. First of all and put up all the framework for the fall ceiling then I installed the two separate light housings above the ceiling these are self-contained units with cooling fans. Then I ran a fiber optics to each tile opening. This would be 10 white fiber optics off of one light housing, and two the three color bar graphics per tile opening. This takes about three people to install this ceiling so I put my children to work. They range in age from 16 to 9 years old.. I would hold the ceiling tile and use my dremel tool with a 1/8” drill bit randomly drill the holes in the ceiling tile tring not to form a pattern. My children would then place the fiber optics through the tile, and using a caulking gun with any type of adhesive put a small dab of glue holding each fiber optic through the hole. I ran fiber optics through the tile a few inches and later on cut them off when the tile was in place. It takes about three people to hold this tile and put it up in the framework with all the fiber optics cables. all these fiber optics look like spaghetti hang from the ceiling tiles when you are trying to put the tile in place.
This can be done in a weekend by a couple people and again this ceiling looks beautiful. It’s kind of like at a drive-in theater sitting in a convertible looking up at all the stars. I was on a pretty limited budget, but I did all the work myself except for laying the carpeting. And someday when I figure out how to submit pictures to this website I will.

RestlessRealm

04-02-08, 10:21 AM

My husband loved this starfield idea so much that we have tried and tried to figure out how to implement it into our theater. So far, between the limitations of our rooms ceiling and the cost of the proceedure, we've had to all but eliminate it from our hopes. I could probably deal with the cost eventually, but our theater has an angled ceiling with no attic space above the drywall.

We live in a loft style home and turned an upstairs room into our theater. We thought we'd have to build a secondary ceiling to create the head space to make this starfield effect work. Once we measured for that option, we found that it would bring the ceiling way too low, and a low ceiling in an already small room just isnt possible.

We ended up painting the drywall ceiling a shade of black and gave up on the stars. If anyone has any suggestions to pull this effect off in our room, whether it is using a kit, panels, or something totally differant, please post them. We need something on that ceiling, its just so blah. (haha)

rockola404

04-03-08, 07:06 AM

You did not mention how tall your ceiling was. Our theater is actually in the basement and my ceiling height is 7'4" and this would allow me to have 4 inches of clearance from the bottom of the tee bars to the floor joist. And I had plenty of room above the ceiling for running the fiber optics. This dimension could even be reduced very easily but I would think you would have to have a minimum of 2 inches above the top of the tee bars for sliding the ceiling tile in place. Even if your ceiling slopes like it may and a bonus room a false ceilings can still be very easily install. I did this in one of my daughters rooms and that ceiling slop of six and 12 inch pitch. In my application because subminimum ceiling height I did not put any lights in the ceiling only the stars. I have four walls mounted lights. My total room theater size is 18' x 15' across in this allowed me a 10 foot horizontal screen. My actual false ceiling is 10 foot wide by 16 feet approximately. I have built-in sofits on all four sides. All equipment and speakers were built-in. I just have to learn how to submit pictures this website.

jesse_99

04-30-08, 03:16 PM

This is a great site with tons of helpful information. I just finished working a large star ceiling project in basement theater room. For anyone looking to get started take a look at StarCeiling123 first - STARCEILING123.COM. They have been extremely helpful in providing great information as well as all the supplies necessary for the project. Just wanted to share my good experience.

porsche951

05-01-08, 09:29 AM

"jesse...self-promoting your site is not allowed on this forum."

naevity

05-01-08, 06:45 PM

Just in case anyone is interested, and hasn't seen the other star ceiling thread, I just finished installing on in my basement. You can find a ton of pictures in my thread linked in my signature.

rockola404

05-04-08, 02:37 PM

naevity, your home theater looks phenomenal and it is something to be very proud of. I really appreciate including all of your photographs.
I have built a home theater and our hope is well and I will try to include some photographs. But the size will that I had available was 18 feet long 14 1/2 feet wide with 7'4" ceilings. All of my walls and ceilings are heavily insulated to control sound and vibration. Both of the leather sofas half buttkickers which are really quite impressive especially in war type movies. Each sofa has its own amplifier and I am using built-in wall mounted speakers to improve upon the aesthetics. The left and right front speakers I built the walls in approximately a 30° angle as to direct the speaker towards the rear sofa, the left and right rear speakers the walls were built at a 45° angle to direct the sound towards the rear sofa as well. I am running a 200 W self powered subwoofer that is built into the wall as well.
The screen his 10 foot wide, and 68 inches tall from the top of the radius stage. I have also built-in starlight ceiling that measures 10 feet across by 16 feet. I am using two separate fiber I think units, what unit has 400 white lights that twinkle, the second unit has 100 lights and the lights twinkle various colors. I used and acoustic all false ceiling
tan colored tile and track. Iwill try to include some photo's
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26272205@N02/[/IMG]