Don't have a clue how to manage EL tape

EL Wire/Tape/Panels, LEDs, pixels and strips, LCDs and TFTs, etc products from Adafruit

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EvilTessmacher
 
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Don't have a clue how to manage EL tape

Post by EvilTessmacher »

I have a bunch of questions about EL tape, and not enough knowledge to even begin to know where exactly to start asking. So, let me explain what my application will be, and maybe someone knowledgeable will know what to do.

I am attempting to create a light for a parade float, so the electrical power will come from the vehicle towing the float, which would make it 12v power. The EL Tape will be continuously illuminated, so it can be wired directly to the parking light power wire at the trailer hitch. So far, so good.

Here is where I reach the limit of my knowledge.

The shape that I need to have is not perfectly rectangular, but is rather more crescent-shaped. Can the tape be cut to fit the shape needed, or does it have to be perfectly rectangular? I've attached a sketch of the final shape needed. It is a recessed shape inside a plywood component. I originally was going to just cut all the way through the plywood and have it illuminated from the rear, but there's a structural problem created by doing it that way. I can take a router and cut a shallow depression in the plywood (about 1/8" deep in 3/4" thick plywood) and fit the EL Tape in the depression. Cutting a smaller hole through the ply for the connections and wiring will allow a pathway for the connections.
Image01.png
Image01.png (8.75 KiB) Viewed 360 times
So, can the EL tape be cut in a shape like this, and still illuminate, or would I have to do this another way?

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adafruit_support_rick
 
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Re: Don't have a clue how to manage EL tape

Post by adafruit_support_rick »

When you say "cut to fit", do you mean to serrate the tape so that it can be bent into that shape? I don't think you can do that.
Can you use EL Wire instead?

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Don't have a clue how to manage EL tape

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Are you trying to create an outline, or a solid crescent shape? I don't know of any EL panels as large as 6x29".

The tape or panel can be cut - as long as you keep the factory connectors on one edge. If the connectors are cut-off, it is nearly impossible to re-attach them.

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EvilTessmacher
 
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Re: Don't have a clue how to manage EL tape

Post by EvilTessmacher »

Wow... Thanks for the fast replies!

When I say "cut to fit" I mean that the blue outline shown on the drawing is the shape of the recessed area in which the EL tape has to fit. I can't imagine other way than to take a flat piece of material, and cut it into a shape.

I would certainly have indicated I was going to use EL wire if I only needed an outline, but I rather need a solid block of illumination, so a panel, or two segments (or three even) of tape will have to be merged together, or arranged in such a way that the edges come close to overlapping. I have seen panels as large as 36" x 10" on ebay, but they're from Chinese sellers, and seem to me to be of dubious quality. I really don't think it matters how many panels, or pieces of tape, I'd have to fit together, as they can all be wired separately, and then laid in the recessed opening, or they can be connected together, as I have seen on the video linked from the EL tape main page. There is going to be a 3/32" piece of translucent Perspex placed over the surface, to make it appear as if this crescent is just appearing from nothing. And since the whole thing is only 3/4" thick, (the thickness of the plywood) it would make people wonder how it was done.

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Re: Don't have a clue how to manage EL tape

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

That should work then. Panel will probably work better than tape, since the tape has a non-illuminated border on both sides.

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EvilTessmacher
 
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Re: Don't have a clue how to manage EL tape

Post by EvilTessmacher »

Since it's going to be on a parade float, will that little non-illuminated border be all that noticeable through the semi-translucent covering?

Now that we're all visualising the same thing, what do I do with it?

What parts and components do I need?

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Re: Don't have a clue how to manage EL tape

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

It will depend on how well your covering diffuses the light. But given the tight spacing, I would expect tape to result in a striped effect.

You probably want to start with our larger panels: https://www.adafruit.com/products/414
These come with a matched 12v inverter and are 15cm (5.9") x 20cm (7.9") Not sure how tight your tolerances are, but 4 of those would cover 5.9" x 31.4".

As mentioned above, you can trim these to shape, but you need to keep the factory connector on one corner to power it. One potential issue is that the brightness will be inversely proportional to the surface area of the panel, so the more you trim, the brighter it will get, so some segments may be brighter than others. You should be able to balance that by wiring some capacitors in parallel with the smaller panels to match the load of the larger panels.

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