Electroluminescent wire, often referred to as EL wire, is a thin copper wire coated in phosphor which will produce light when alternating current is applied to it. The light emits a similar feel as if it were a neon light or a very bright glowstick. Since they first hit the maker scene the types and colours have seriously expanded. It is now common to see every colour under the rainbow. Some of the types that have evolved from the original EL wires are strips, panels, chasing/flowing wires and sewable wires.
Aside from their light emitting properties these products have a great toughness and are very energy efficient. Thus they have many potential purposes. They make for an excellent way to highlight the edges of furniture or vehicles. They will give off intense Tron vibes in that application. Great for creating custom wall pieces such as faux neon signs or large Nixie-style displays. Can be utilised as safety lights when out bike riding and are great as an emergency light source. They are also swell for creating stand out burning man fashion pieces or Halloween/Christmas decorations. So how exactly do they work, how do you get the best result from them, what types are there and how to best to cut/shape EL products? Ask no more as this guide will answer all your questions. The contents are below
- Overview on EL Wires
- EL Product Types
- Ways to Energise EL Products
- Cut and Shape EL Products
- Other Options for Similar Effects
EL products are very different compared to LED strips. LED strips have multiple nodes that emit light uni directionally whereas EL wire illuminates along the entire length. To get a similar effect using LEDs you would need to connect a node to optical fibre. This would blast the light contained down the fibre however this is a more delicate and invested solution.
As always if you have any questions, queries or things to add please let us know your thoughts!
Overview on EL Wires
Electroluminescent wire is likely the simplest way to add light to a project. They are thin, flexible, durable and when powered glow across the entire length. They are bendable like normal wire thus it will stay in the shape that you have formed it. It remains cool to the touch and will not shock you so long as the soldered joints are properly insulated. To top it all off it is a very efficient lighting type. For example, 2 AA batteries will power 8 metres worth of EL wire for 8-10 hours. Rechargeable batteries can be also be used to power EL wires.
The blue-green/aqua colour is the brightest of all the colours as this is the natural colour of the luminescence.
When kept indoors or with limited outdoor exposure the lifespan of the EL wire will last as long as three years. Keeping your EL wire outdoors in direct sunlight will cut the life span to one to two years. The voltage is applied to your EL wire also affects its lifespan. EL wire is water resistant but should not be submerged in water or be used in high humidity applications. The driver and power supply are not waterproof unless stated.
Now to run EL products they need an inverter. Run of high voltage however the current is very low. Not dangerous at all, however these inverters do make a light audible buzzing. They remind me of mosquitos. And if you stack several inverters together the sound multiplies.
EL Product Types
There are heaps of EL products. Below is a list with links and a brief explanation of them each. Keep in mind many different colour types are available for each of them.
- EL Wire - Lots of colours and sizes available.
- Chasing/Flowing EL Wire - The glowing light will appear to move down the length of itself as though it was flowing out the end.
use of the larger surface area of glow.
- Sewable EL Wire - Similar to EL wire however instead of being just a wire it is encased in a welt piping. This means it is perfect product to sew directly to fabric. The welt piping allows it to easily be added to seams for a very clean look.
- EL Tape - This has the same glow effect but with a flat wide shape instead of a round shape. The other side has adhesive enabling it to adhere to a surface. This requires more electricity than EL wire because it has a larger emitting surface.
- EL Panel - This has the same glow effect but with a big flat sheet that emits an even glow over the entire top surface. It is flexible but will crease and damage if folded. This the most more electricity than EL wire because it has a larger emitting surface.
Ways to Energise EL Products
To light these products up an AC source is always required. Specifically, an inverter with an output that is a sine-wave with no DC component is required as this will excite the phosphor coating which emits the light. To transform the electrical juice from the wall into what is desired for EL products a 12V EL wire/tape inverter or equivalent is required. This inverter can be powered by any 12 Volt power supply.
For application where you do not want to be limited by wall connections or desire a more streamlined final result, battery power using products such as the EL wire 4xAAA pocket inverter or the EL Wire Pocket Inverter 2xAA are excellent choices. For reference two AA batteries will power 8 metres worth of EL wire for 8-10 hours. If your using a chasing wire often the inverter will be supplied but if not the EL Inverter - 3v (Chasing) will give a great success.
Want to have a numerous EL products all connected from the same transformer? Look no further than the In-line wire 1-to-4 splitter. Ultra-easy to set up just plug in and play.
Another cool piece of tech to energise your EL products is the EL Wire 6V Sound Activated Pocket Inverter. Much as the name implies this inverter has a microphone built-in which is used to light the connected EL product according to the audio volume of the environment. This makes for a really easy and swell reactive project.
Cut and Shape EL Products
You can cut EL products to any length or shape however you then must take the time to reseal the cut ends correctly. Cutting is easy done with a pair of scissors. Reattaching the end on the other hand is a delicate job. Importantly you must reattach the two thin copper wires correctly. Here is the best guide on cutting EL wire with lots of pictures.
If you do not have an end cap for your EL wire, you can seal the ends with hot glue or epoxy.
You can also attach multiple EL wires of different colours to each other and they will function perfectly. This set up will display multiple colours utilising a single output from the driver unit. Heat shrink would be perfect to help shield the connecting point.
The EL panels and EL tape can also be cut to any shape and scissors are a great tool for the job. Take the time to seal exposed edges which can be done with tape or epoxy. This isolates the panel from the outside environment whilst preventing it from internally short circuiting. The electricity is very low current so do not worry. It is not enough to injure yourself and is equivalent to static electricity. The same intensity as when you scoot along carpet with socks and zap your friend.
Utilising garden mesh as scaffolding a great way to make large art pieces with the wires. A perfect way to get some handcrafted Halloween/Christmas decorations on your lawn. And sewing EL wires onto clothes has never been easier with the sewable wires.
Other Options for Similar Effects
To increase the range of colours, give more brightness and not have a high frequency buzzing noise, LED lighting is the way to go. An option worth exploring for wearable involves utilising optical fibres in combination with LED Strip/Node/Bulbs. When the fibre is attached to the LED it will illuminate the entire wire. This presents a very similar effect to EL wire and is the preferred choice when it comes to wearables for our in-house wearable expert.
