El tape connection help...

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

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Newtothehobby
 
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El tape connection help...

Post by Newtothehobby »

So I have a project car and I am making a sub-box/bar setup in the trunk. The project includes 6 el tapes/ribbons. Each one is about an inch wide and 3ft long. Problem is I don't know how to power them. They came with battery pack. Each battery pack came with connectors for just one ribbon. I later bought a harness which I think the way to describe it is a 6 to 1 harness. It works but with every wire that get attached to that harness the brightness/intensity is weaker and weaker.

What I want to do is connect all 6 ribbons to the car. The car being the power source. And have it function the way it does with the battery pack. Consistently on, slow flash, hi flash, then off. And to also have a button up in front to operate it. It doesn't have to be like that but it would be nice. I've read there are power inverters for powering el tape with the car, but it's only for connecting a single strip andto a certain length... furthermore they have adapters that plug into the car lighter. which I don't want to do. I want to connect directly.

I am new to this so I am not sure if my description helps but I am new and I am stuck.

Thank you for your help I look forward to your reply

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semegraph
 
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Re: El tape connection help...

Post by semegraph »

I'm guessing you are working with an inverter like this one: https://www.adafruit.com/product/448

Different inverters have different output capacities. This one will drive 1 meter of 1cm wide tape.

You can find heavier duty ones... I am not endorsing this one, I've never used one of this size, its just an example of what exists - https://www.ebay.com/i/263069571550?chn=ps They are probably bulkier, noisier, and more painful if you accidentally shock yourself.

I would instead use separate 12v inverters for each meter of tape, and wire them all in parallel to your 12v accessory connection. The ones adafruit stocks, though smaller, are reliable and safe and shipped with care, I certainly woudn't say that for ebay-sourced parts.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: El tape connection help...

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Some good advice there from semegraph. You need either more inverters or a higher-capacity inverter. The 12v 'brick' inverters are good reliable converters. Each capable of driving 1 meter of tape.
https://www.adafruit.com/product/448

Getting them to flash as they currently do with the battery pack is more difficult. You could use multiple battery pack inverters, but they would not be in synchronization. And I don't know of any high-capacity inverters that do flashing.

You could use a small microcontroller like an Arduino with a FET to control power to the 12v inverters. Then you could program them to flash in unison.

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