Fiber optic communication between Arduino
🚀 Arduino Fiber Optic Communication Project – DIY PETG Light Pipes!
• # 🚀 Arduino Fiber Optic Communication Proj...
In this video, I take on a unique challenge: creating *fiber optic communication between two Arduinos* using **IR LEDs, photodiodes**, and **homebrew PETG light pipes**!
Instead of traditional wired serial links, I built a simple, elegant system that sends and receives data through light — using scraps of PETG filament as optical fibers, and 3D-printed holders made from green EPLA.
At first, I designed the receiver with an LM339 comparator, but thanks to the short distance and clean signal through the PETG, the photodiode worked directly with just a pull-down resistor—no amplifier needed! The Arduinos exchange real serial data over light, using SoftwareSerial and custom-built optics.
This was a really fun weekend project, and the results turned out better than I could have hoped. It’s simple, it’s visual, and it opens the door to bigger ideas like full duplex fiber comms, data integrity experiments, and maybe even multi-node optical networks in the future.
If you enjoy electronics, Arduino experiments, and creative problem solving with 3D printing, you're going to love this!
🔵 *What you’ll see in this video:*
Fiber optic data transmission between two Arduinos
DIY PETG light pipes and 3D-printed holders
Direct photodiode interfacing without a comparator
Serial communication with real data transfer
A fun and visually satisfying electronics project!
🔵 *Gear used:*
Arduino Uno
Arduino Mega
IR LEDs and photodiodes
PETG filament (light pipe)
EPLA filament (holder)
10kΩ pull-down resistors
Breadboards and jumper wires
Hope you enjoy the build — and maybe it sparks some fiber optic project ideas of your own!
🎬✨