Create Your Own Fibre-Optic Cable Company

This is a fun project that will provide hours of fun and amusement on those rainy days, and be very useful too. Ask mother if she's ever had trouble getting father in for dinner. If she answers 'yes' tell her you'll solve this problem once and for all, and for only a very modest fee!

Fibre-optic cables are useful because they can send lots more information, with much less energy loss than copper cable. This means that fibres can carry more information over longer distances and with fewer repeaters. Our project today will be to create a fibre-optic cable and install it between the kitchen and dad's den, with a videophone at both ends.

The first step is creating the cable. Take a fistful of sand from sister's sandbox and heat it in a saucepan on the stove until it starts to melt. Using tongs, pull out strands of glass. You'll notice the glass is very brittle. To make it more flexible add clear (pineapple) gumdrops and a bit of corn syrup. Pull off as many strands as you think you might need. Fuse their ends together with a butane torch (father will have one in his workshop) to make one long cable. If you have enough sand make three or four threads to your cable, tying them together with twist-ties or bread clips.

Next, to protect the cable, melt an old running shoe sole and pour the rubber over the cable. Hang to dry.

There are several options on how to run your cable. The best solution would be through the attic or walls, but since that might be impractical or impossible, you may instead have to staple it to the ceiling or run it along the ground. If you have to run it over the floor use lots of duct tape to keep it from being tripped over and thus damaging the cable.

We're just about done! Create video phones using old video cameras and that "486" you still have hooked up to the garage door opener. Attach the video phones to either end of your cable.

Now, create a billing system based on a flat rate or a fee per megabyte transaction.

Mother and father will be so pleased, they may even raise your allowance!

Kent's Archive of Science

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DISCLAIMER:

Kent's column is intended for amusement purposes only. Never heat sand without proper protective eyewear, and never take sand from your sister's sandbox unless she's over at a friend's house.

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