Possible to run EL-wire accents off PC 3.3v pad?

[TuxedoCartman]

This might be an incredibly dumb question, but I've never worked with EL-wire before, and there's a ton of conflicting info out there.

Would it be possible to run EL-wire accents off of the 3.3 volt accent LED pads on the Petite Crouton? Seems to me that if I could put a small inverter in line between the pad and the wire, then the voltage should be just right (as I'm seeing a lot of "EL-wire costume kits" that run off of 2AA or 2AAA).

Anybody tried this, or have some good insight as to why it couldn't be done?

[Silver Serpent]

If your power requirements don't exceed 3.3v and 20mA, then you should theoretically be able to run most anything off those pads. I don't know how much current draw there is on EL systems, as I got into this hobby after we'd all moved to LEDs.

I have seen sabers using EL wire as accent lighting on the hilt, so I know it's possible to have both technologies in the same saber. I just don't know how it was done.

[TuxedoCartman]

Hmm. Hmmmm...

Okay, so I found a place that sells 1.2mm EL wire by the foot, and a 1.5v inverter that is teeny tiny (like, 1/4" x 1/2"), that is supposedly good for illuminating up to a 1.5' of wire. Both of them together costs me a whopping $6.50 (plus shipping to Tokyo, which is OH DEAR SWEET MOTHER OF GOD!!!) So I think it's worth picking up, to test and see if nothing else.

But please, if anybody has any experience wiring this stuff into a hilt as accent lighting, I'd love to hear tips/ pointers from you. Especially if you did use a PC/CF board in the process.

[FrankM]

While the LED is providing enough power to light up the wire, it is not creating the proper frequency. EL Wire is not like LED's in the sense that you need a current. Rather you need a high frequency which powers the wire.

Basically what I'm trying to say is, EL Wire and LED Lights are not compatible using the same driver. They would need two different drivers, but they could use the same power source by splicing the wires. When ordering an EL Wire inverter, make sure you select one that powers the right amount of wire. I believe one of the battery packs you were talking about is something like this: http://www.ellumiglow.com/Electric-O...-p/eoaaa6s.htm

[Rhyen Skytracker]

You can use the 3.3V pad to run a low voltage EL inverter to light the EL wire. (Be sure you get the low voltage inverter for 3Volts or it will not be enough voltage to run it.) Like this one: http://www.coolight.com/product-p/ifw-3294.htm

[TuxedoCartman]

FrankM, Rhyen... thanks a ton for the input, guys!

Last week I purchased one of these, and three foot of 1.2mm red EL wire. Figured it was worth a few bucks to experiment with.

Now, I'll admit to being EL wire dumb; I arrived on the saber scene WAY after people stopped using it in sabers. Since the inverter was listed as a 1.5 volt, I thought it meant that was the maximum it could handle, so I put a 100ohm, 1/8 watt resistor on a 2AA battery pack and hooked up a foot-long section of EL wire. If my math was right, that should have meant that the wire would be getting 1.5 volts at 20ma. To my surprise, it did manage to light up. Not very bright, certainly, but bright enough for my purposes. Then for a laugh I took the resistor off and hooked it up again, and wow! Way brighter, for sure. I sat and watched it for a while, and the inverter never got even slightly warm, and the wire seemed just fine. So does that mean the 1.5v rating it has is for output, not input? If that's the case, then do I even need a resistor on there at all? (Yes, I know... ALWAYS use a resistor! I'm being rhetorical). I've spent the last four days off and on trying to track down info, but those tiny inverters I could only find at that one site, and they aren't very forthcoming with technical specs on them. Question I am now stuck with is I keep hearing that voltage is what determines EL wire's brightness; so if I just go with a 1/8 watt, 1 ohm resistor, then would I be fine?

But Frank, you say that the board wouldn't create the proper frequency. I'm afraid I don't understand; could you explain more? I mean, LEDs and EL wire both light up (for better or worse), when you connect the leads from a couple of AA batteries to them. Why is the power coming off the accent LED pads of the Petit Crouton different? I'm not planning on having it do flashing or sequenced effects, if that has any bearing on the problem. Basically just using them as a power source that comes one when the saber's ignited.

Rhyen, the reason I went with the 1.5v inverter as opposed to the 3v, is because I'll be using probably no more than a foot of the stuff. Just the tiniest bit of accent lighting for a special effect I've been working on for a while, so I had to go with the smallest one they had. if I should only feed the inverter 1.5 volts, I'll make due with that; but if it'll take all 3.3 volts just fine... hee hee hee. Shiny!

Sorry for all the questions, guys... but thank you for all the help! I hope this works out, because I think it could make for some very interesting accent possibilities on future sabers of mine.

[Strydur]

He meant without a driver it would not power the EL wire. With a EL driver it is converting the DC voltage to a high frequency AC voltage to power the EL wire.

[TuxedoCartman]

Ah, thanks so much for the clarification on that, Stryder. I think I'm starting to understand now.

Hmm... I think, given the lack of space in my hilt, and current lack of skills in all things electrical, I'm going to have to abandon this plan for now. I think I'm only going to get myself in trouble if I overreach on this. <sigh> And I had such a great idea planned for it too. Oh well...

Thanks for the help, everyone!