Electroluminescent Wire

[@Mr.Unacceptable]

These and special shaped sticky back molding from an autobody shop makes an awesome way to create accent lighting for your baseboards or under cupboards. Made a nightlight in the bathroom that makes the floor glow. They don't have longevity though. You have to replace them once a year if you are using them this way. You need to protect them in some fish tank tubing if you are mounting them out in the weather or under your car. They get damaged or kink easily otherwise. I hot glued the ends to keep the water out.

[@llantup]

I'm very glad I found your video. I'm working on a project and thought of el wire, but never used it before. I'm realizing it's going to be too dim, for starters, but that high-pitched buzz? That's a great big NOPE. Thanks for helping me make a decision!

[@FaTeDev_com]

I was considering it also until I heard that pitch tone.. fibre optics it is!

[@Fire-in-the-sky]

The noise wasn't there with mine

[@dodopod]

@@Fire-in-the-sky Maybe it's just a very cheap inverter?

[@johncoops6897]

I didn't back-read all comments below, however the thing that immediately came to mind was the possibility to drive the duller colours harder by cutting the wire shorter. Or hopefully there is some kind of variable current driver that allows tweaking of the brightness levels. Either of those would solve the obvious issue of making a good looking multi-colour display.

[@97Giorgos97]

I got one of these (green) with a 2 double A power supply, around a year ago from eBay. It's great fun!

[@lostyraul]

I like the piano..yu seem to be a very neat and organized person.

[@h7opolo]

such a great invention. very suppressed in favor of LED industry profits. This seems very efficient and resourceful. Invented in 1998! Thanks for sharing.

[@KevinJohnson-yu4qp]

Thank you for your video. It was well explained. I bought some of these from the dollar store. I'm going to try to outline my coat. A Tron looking jacket

[@vartikcsaba]

Wow, never saw such wire. Looks good!

[@fuppetti]

Sounds horrible :(

[@stephenrowley4171]

el chepo inverters have heard much quieter drivers

[@Klutech]

Yeah, 1 Khz is well within the range of human hearing, so a switching frequency of 20 Khz or greater would be better.

[@jwflame]

Very cheap drivers, £1.40 each including delivery.

[@gustavgnoettgen]

Very similar development like light bulbs and neon tubes.

[@oobihdahboobeeboppah]

Thanks for demonstrating these. I'm not going to use them because at 1 kilohertz I can only imagine or harmonic transients this might generate and interfere with other sensitive electronics in my home. Thumbs up nevertheless.

[@jeremiahnelson6577]

John you Da man! Thx for all your awesome videos!! Nice to know I’m not the only one dilly dallying around the house doing this type of stuff!!

[@luthiao]

I made the guitar neck for this system, but there are noises induced by the controller for the pickups, how do I solve this problem?

[@indarteweguitars]

@luthiao have you found the solution? I also put it on the guitar and it makes noise

[@mattclarenzmendoza7127]

I know its 5 years ago. But can a driver unit power multiple strip of light? Thanks.

[@s10blazed]

I came here searching out the same info. If the multiple full lengths of wire are cut to be less than the single length, do you wire the segments in series or parallel off the driver?

[@drkastenbrot]

typically theres 3 wires wrapped around to make it light up in every direction

[@lordjoshuarobindumbleton275]

drkastenbrot The three wire variant is for when you wish to make the wire appear to be stripy. One wire wrapped around should light the whole cable up.

[@drkastenbrot]

Its always 3 wires in parallel, with one wire it wouldnt light evenly.

[@paulholla]

I want some of this to illuminate a flagpole!! I remember the old el wire it was terrible

[@PlasmaHH]

The noise of the PSUs is already annoying in the video, must be worse for indoor lighting at home (in a silent night ^^) ... also funny that the frequency changes for different colours, are they different lengths?

[@ianharrison6597]

Good video. Thanks. I look forward to the completed decoration/display.

[@mashurshalehin4972]

Can this be connected to wall power directly?

[@oknahh]

Anyway to bypass the use of that lil black box on the adapter. I have several but the high pitch sound from the box is insane and ruins the product

[@LocalAlien]

Would it be possible to connect to a flat batteries support? The one most of them come with is an AA battery support but it's quit bulky if I want to wear the wire.

[@jebronekitty]

Can we add more power into it to make it brighter (even if it's at the cost of longevity)

[@zecoh]

How to make inverter at home (Diy)? Can you help me on this..,

[@patty-okees9597]

can you spice it into 12 volt directly without the black little box?????

[@jwflame]

No, it requires a high AC voltage to work. Connecting directly to 12V DC will do nothing.

[@uA_1905_hY]

Makes the blue one less noise or its me thats thinking that?

[@TheGregWallace]

Comment.....can you cut this stuff to different lengths?

[@thommytwotoestimesthree847]

Will it bother my dogs,cats, horses and foxes? They got sensitive hearing apparatus on their heads. I think they are called EARS.

[@UberAlphaSirus]

never knew about them. bloody handy to know and perfect for what i need. cheers big ears

[@Zombuertocarlos]

I got one of these foe my car and I’m just wondering am I able to cut it to fit the door panel or do I have to feed it through all the interior ?

[@jwflame]

Yes, it can be cut. The cut end should be sealed either with a glue-on plastic cap, heatshrink or similar.

[@Zombuertocarlos]

@@jwflame but the part cutter can only work if you add a connector to it isn’t it?

[@lightbulbgonewild3205]

I love that purple colour

[@mattigi]

how sharp of a bend can I put on this? I bought one from the dollar store and I'm looking to get a "V" angle but tighter so it doubles back into itself so it would be a tight "I" and I'm wondering if that would snap it or not.

[@DjResR]

Is it possible to use capacitor dropper to drive these from mains directly?

[@TheChipmunk2008]

They require the high frequency, 50 or 60 Hz wouldn't light them very brightly. Interestingly the 400Hz on aeroplanes lights EL stuff quite well, so they used to use them for the 'no smoking' and 'seatbelt' signs

[@markh5210]

How long would these last in regular/constant usage? Is electroluminescent wire for life and not just for Christmas?

[@jeclark]

Mark H I bought some of these from Ikea many years ago. They come out each Christmas and still work fine.

[@simonmasters3295]

Funny you

[@rolandsequeira]

how much watt do these take actually?

[@jacquesbadenhorst4471]

I love the white one best in the last shot. it looks more like glowing wire than the rest, the green one in the center looks like a very small ccfl lamp. it is so much brighter any current draw difference on it?

[@J22-m1q]

Hi , Great explanatory video thank you. I've used these in my vehical in the past and they look pretty cool however without a rocker switch I found these stopped working after 3 months or so 😆. So I've installed some with a rocker and my question always remains, will the EL wire or transformer set fire if embedded deep into the dash board of a car?

[@DasIllu]

Can one drive it with frequencies above normal human perception? i.e. 22kHz. I mean it certainly looks nice and invite creativity. But stray RF feeding into audio equipement is probably a major issue. I possible see applications in bars, discotheques and the such. But interferring with audio is a huge problem, i guess. Would love to put oscilloscope probes on the outputs of that 'black box'. There is hopehully room for improvements.

[@mechanic101]

Hi, can it works with a 9Volt battery source? BTW, really good video

[@doctorclaw8232]

1 source, multiple lines needed, in parallel. So does that mean I only need more amperage from the source, right? For clothes and need minimal wiring as possible for energy saving

[@jwflame]

Yes, longer total length = more current required. For clothing and other portable applications, you can buy ready made drivers which include battery holders.

[@doctorclaw8232]

Just seen there's Laser Wire too, seems more durable and easy to work with for clothing

[@mostwantedpakbusu]

thank you for showing the breakdown of wires . i have a halloween mask and i found out the wires are broken , its soldered back now thanks to you . but how is it mine is operating at 3 volts using 2 pcs of AA batteries ?

[@jwflame]

The batteries power an inverter, which converts the 3V DC to high frequency AC at a much higher voltage.

[@GadgetAddict]

Great vid JW :)

[@I-T-S-M-E]

Reminds me of the Rubix rings puzzle

[@yeru1975]

Hello John! Please help with my Q! How long these EL Wires last if they been used - compare to led!?

[@patrickhendriks3204]

I have a question: How much milliampere consumes 10 meters of Neon wire

[@jwflame]

Depends on the manufacturer, but it's normally about 10mA per meter, or about 100mA for 10 metres. Some high brightness types may be more.

[@station240]

Wonder why these were never used as an alternative to CCFL in laptop LCD backlights. CCFLs something break as they are just thin glass.

[@jwflame]

They are not bright enough, even the bright green one is fairly dim compared to a glass fluorescent tube.

[@eddyfontaineyoutu100]

You can find it as sheet ( china of course ! ) , that you can cut to size. Not very bright indeed. It was used as backlighting in audio equipment and LCD displays before generalization of led diodes for that purpose

[@teebear3036]

could you connect all of them to one of those 8 AA battery holders or would they burn up?

[@jwflame]

8 AA is still 12V so that could be used with the 12V drivers.

[@andyramone8497]

interesting video. i am planning on coping the interior of the new BMW 7 series design interior with the lovely lighting on the inside. i have a 2008 Nissan Versa which i am planning for a project. I am living in Jamaica and i would like you do direct me on how to order and with all the technical support and "know how", given that i live so far. thank you

[@marconeill9510]

Hi mate, great vid. I am currently doing a project that requires 3 lengths of this. I have the three lengths plus three controllers, what’s the best/easiest way to power them up? Can it be done off one supply? Or daisy chain them? I have no electrical experience or a soldering iron. So off to a great start 😂

[@jwflame]

Depends on the length - the controller will have a maximum length that it can supply, you can connect several pieces provided they don't exceed the maximum stated.

[@marconeill9510]

John Ward cheers mate, got three 5m lengths connected into one supply and seems ok 👌

[@volcaniadread]

hey john thanks for the vid i just got a 10M EL wire, i want to connect it to the wall socket and i don't know how, maybe you can help, is it 12V?

[@jwflame]

EL wire usually operates at about 100 volts AC, frequency about 2kHz. You will need an EL driver to run it.

[@volcaniadread]

@@jwflame hey john thanks for the replay, i also got from ebay a driver (In the description it says: 1-10 Driver) and it looks like that: www.ebay.com/itm/DC-12V-EL-Wire-Neon-Glow-Strip-Light-Driver-Unit-Inverter-SY-AU-High-Quality/183569580141?hash=item2abd99806d:g:ygMAAOSwe9FcCAJ4:rk:1:pf:0

[@nathanalaneller]

Is there a way to run this wire on a 1 or 2 9v's?

[@jwflame]

Yes, you just need the appropriate driver, such as elwirecraft.co.uk/product/9v-driver-for-5m-el-wire-2/

[@joeya5438]

I like that shirt, my man.

[@AwesomeShotStudios]

Do you know of a way to reduce the high-pitch transformer noise other than putting it in some sound-absorbing box?

[@jwflame]

No other way, the wire has to be driven with AC at or near that frequency so some noise is inevitable.

[@MUJONYC]

🧐What is maximum length that can be used 12v or up

[@jwflame]

Depends on the driver but usually 5 metres, sometimes 10.

[@AdammP]

thanks for sharing, would this over power a short length with one of those drivers? say 10cm. also it's interesting the frequency changed with different colours

[@keitho77]

Hi John. Off topic, but do bench power supplies regulate current accordingly when you choose your required voltage? Thanks for the excellent videos. Keep up the good work.

[@edachariankumar4033]

Can you send price list

[@marcusbrasilite]

Would be nice if we could use only the desired lenght, but cut the wire is not so simple. XD

[@joshcast89c88]

If you cut it. Will the cut piece still glow?

[@jwflame]

Yes, as long as the wires at the cut end are insulated (not shorted together).

[@Blinkey99]

Any reason why the coils whine at different pitches?

[@jwflame]

Probably due to each coil having a slightly different capacitance. The driver unit is not well regulated so the frequency will vary as the load changes.

[@pcuser80]

Is this wire temperature sensitive? Less light in colder climate?

[@Mr.Unacceptable]

Nope. I've run them outside the house and in the trunk and under the hood of my sons car. No difference in the cold to -15C. I have them in fish tank tubing and that may be holding the heat to keep them warm. They just get barely warm to the touch after running for a short time.

[@sasysasa3184]

Si e rotto il regolatore come le accendo ?

[@aqualibrium545]

Hi do you have a link for this EL wire? I just received some but it's no where near as bright and I think what I bought is a thinner diameter.. any info on these Ines would be helpful. Thanks

[@jwflame]

This is the one I purchased: www.banggood.com/1-p-1063046.html however the reviews for it suggest that people are not receiving exactly the same stuff, some may get better types than others.

[@aqualibrium545]

Ahh I see yes I purchased from the very same link, but what I've recieves is nowhere near as bright. What your have appears to keep its shape and be thicker. Do you know what diameter the el wire you have is? Really need to find some like yours.. thanks for the link 👍🏼

[@bryteofficial]

Could you run approx 1m of this wire from 2x 12v AA batteries? If so, how long would it last?

[@jwflame]

You can buy ready made AA battery holders containing the driver for EL wire. Current is very low, several hours operation should be possible even with just a 2 AA batteries.

[@GateKommand]

I LOVE Cool White!

[@chompchompnomnom4256]

How long do you typically wait for banggood deliveries? I've been waiting almost 3 weeks for my soldering gear.

[@jwflame]

Varies but usually 3-4 weeks. If buying more several items, it's worth checking the shipping options on the checkout page, as although you have to pay extra for faster shipping, the extra is often only a few pence or sometimes even free.

[@edachariankumar4033]

Red is very nice

[@Blax_pl]

Great video!

[@krrish_vlog]

I want black box how to buy

[@simeonbanner6204]

Hi john, Maybe I'm an idiot (serves you right) but I bought a kind of heating mat from ebay (from China). The idea was to build a seed propagator. Basically plugging this two pin (US) style plug end into a UK adaptor. The mat is a flat piece of plastic with tiny wires imbedded inside rated at 7w. They are used for reptiles or strange pets some people have to provide them with warmth. I was so annoyed to plug it in and it doesn't work. There's a faint hum. Also a heat regulator in the form of a rotary dial. Maybe I just got ripped off. If you can think of any reason why it wouldn't work that would be helpful.

[@jwflame]

The controller being faulty is most likely, unless the mat/wires have been physically damaged.

[@edachariankumar4033]

How much per meeter

[@blosgames4492]

Thanks.

[@adamfarmiloe]

Could you run this on let's say 8 x AA batteries so you could decorate your bike at night 👍

[@joshuabest100]

adamfarmiloe yes

[@joshuabest100]

adamfarmiloe they actually sell ones that take a 9v battery

[@adamfarmiloe]

RC MAD thanks .. Nice video like always

[@lrdraghavendra7834]

where it's is buy in online. el wire

[@jwflame]

Ebay, Amazon, Aliexpress, Banggood, Gearbest and hundreds of other places.

[@sagarbokandi2266]

sar avatar ka price kya hai aur kha sai milagi please contact number please

[@paulamolina1929]

hi! Do you think that these lights can be fitted with a dimer?

[@madmaxhan]

can anyone say what will be its lifetime

[@jwflame]

Fairly short, a few thousand hours at most. The light output reduces over time, so eventually it's too dim to use.

[@arrowstheorem1881]

Is it based on the fibre optics concept?

[@julianh5744]

how many amps ?

[@jwflame]

Very little - about 110mA per 10m length.

[@vithalmore3269]

Market with India

[@PhobosTV1]

Be careful with this driver. It nearly set my car on fire. It caught fire without any reason.

[@lrdraghavendra7834]

tq

[@kjm-ch7jc]

Your voice is energy sapping.

[@koelecat2755]

Hi :) first

[@itskimochidesu]

What do you call that transformer? I need to buy some.