Why does El wire need an inverter?
It is not as bright as LEDs or Neon but provides a very nice eye-catching light and illumination. EL Wire requires an inverter to light up. The inverter’s function is to convert the low DC voltage into higher AC voltage necessary for EL Wire operation.
How long does EL wire last?
Although EL wire has great staying power, its color will eventually fade from sun exposure. Keeping your EL wire outdoors in direct sunlight will cut the life span to one to two years. When kept indoors or with limited outdoor exposure, your EL wire’s color will last as long as three years.
How thick can you get EL Wire?
EL Wire has a copper core coated with the glowing phosphor and covered with a protective sleeve. The sleeve comes in four different thicknesses: 1.5mm, 2.3mm, 3.2mm and 5mm as well as a ‘welted’ sleeve that has a thin tag running along it.
What is an EL Wire inverter?
EL Wire Drivers (or EL Wire Inverters) are the magical lifeblood of the EL Wire’s glowing power. They are Plug-in Units or DC inverter that allow your EL Wire to glow. They come in a variety of sizes and power, and allow your wire to glow where you need it, when you need it.
Why is my EL Wire not working?
If your EL Wire stops working, it probably means its time for some new batteries. 2. If you can only hear the frequency your EL Wire isn’t plugged in, it means there is a short in your wire. If you cannot hear your inverter, with or without wire, it means your inverter is not in working order.
Is EL wire any good?
EL wire is best known for producing a neon-like continuous line of light. It is flexible enough to be fashioned into delicate shapes, and can be sewn onto clothing. However, it has many limitations, and I used to spend a lot of time explaining why I did not recommend it for certain applications.
Does EL wire burn out?
EL wire is thin and flexible, can be bent, wrapped or even sewn into clothing. It runs off of high-voltage, low-current, high-frequency AC, which is typically supplied by a battery pack with an inverter, also sold by the same companies. EL wire will eventually “burn out”, depending on how hard you drive it.
What is the thickest EL Wire?
5mm
The EL wire is now also available in a larger 5mm diameter! The 5mm EL wire is thicker and brighter than its 2.3mm counterpart. Note that this item requires more power than the 2.3mm EL wire therefore you can only connect 1 5mm EL wire to the standard battery pack. Good news everyone!
What is the brightest EL Wire?
As with all electroluminescent technology, because the EL naturally glows blue/green the brightest colour of the wire is the Aqua, Lime Green and White. The least bright are the red and purple as they have to be filtered the most to get the colours right.
How thick can you get EL wire?
How Safe Is EL wire?
Electroluminescent Wire Safety Information Electroluminescent Wire for the most part is a very safe product. It is water resistant in its enclosed plastic housing, and uses a low operating voltage. It converts the voltage into a high frequency (around 2000Hz) which gives a slightly audible sound.
How far can a pocket inverter drive EL wire?
The inverting circuitry is inside the box part to the left. This pocket inverter can drive approximately 1 to 15 feet (0.3-5 meter) of ‘classic’ EL wire such as LyTec. Since we are using higher-brightness EL wire in the shop, it can only drive half as much, 1 to 7.5 feet (0.3 to 2.5 meter).
Can I power El with batteries or a wall adapter?
To power EL, an AC source is required. It is not possible to light up EL with DC such as batteries or a wall adapter! The output of the inverter must be a sine-wave with no DC component. It is not unusual to have an inverter run from batteries, such as this ‘pocket’ AA driver.
What is the output frequency of a pocket inverter?
For example, this is the output of our pocket inverter with no loading. It is about 7KHz and 120V, the frequency is a bit high because the output is expecting a capacitive load that is not there. (Don’t do this yourself, it can damage the inverter!)