Often, when we see a colorful lamp project, it’s something that makes use of RGB LEDs and all manner of lovely animations and fading effects. This project from [Raymond Power] features beautiful shifting colors, but foregos fancy LEDs for the magic of dichroic film.
Dichroic films work with thin-film interference, with the wavelength of light passed through the film changing depending on the angle of incidence. Thus, as the observer’s viewing angle changes, the apparent color of the film changes, too. It creates particularly beautiful effects when several layers of film are laid on top of each other.
[Raymond] happened to source some of this film from a fancy IKEA lampshade. At the time, he’d been experimenting with folding paper cubes and similar constructions, and decided to meld the two ideas.
The result was a cubic dichroic lampshade, which looks truly fantastic. Sitting on top of a simple white LED light, the structure lights up with a rich blend of complementary and shifting colors.
It’s a beautiful thing, and something we’d love to have in our own home. Dichroic materials find themselves being used in some more scientific uses, too. Video after the break.
Shut up and take my money!
Any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
I’m 85, and while I understand most of its technology, my Pixel XL is magical. It’s a special kind of treat to have started my tech. life with octal–based tubes, and to own and use it.
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Dichroic films are cousins of Polage(™?), quite beautiful works of art based on colors created by polarized light and dichroism.
Cool…Iʻve been working with dichroic filters since the early 80s but hadnʻt run into the cut / fold version yet.
Time to go shopping. Mahalo for the update!
Time to go shopping.
https://www.amazon.com/dichroic-film/s?k=dichroic+film
If it weren’t for that strobing video background, the stills looked real good. Video fail though.