Using an Arduino Uno to switch/control EL Wires

[andygif]

Help....

I'm trying to switch/control some El wires via an Arduino UNO and a small circuit on a breadboard.

The Arduino code is the fade example and I've put a debugging LED in the circuit and that's pulsing nicely, the El wire is just not doing anything.

I adapted the circuit from one I found online for a guy using a toggle switch for left and right indicators on a bike, but I couldn't source the exact parts in the UK so I ordered what RS & Farnell told me were equivalents.

Any assistance is gratefully received.

[Grumpy_Mike]

You need a series resistor in line with the LED in the opto isolator otherwise you could blow up the opto's LED or the Arduino port pin.

Also R1 is in the wrong place, move it to the gate in place of the anode.

Also there is no power being supplied to the gate of your triac.

Why have that external triac anyway, is the triac in the opto not sufficient to drive the EL wire?

[andygif]

Thanks for the answers mike.
I'll change the circuit, later today, to include a resistor and include  an LED in it permanently so i can monitor what its doing.

This is the page I based my  "non working" one on.  http://www.dongiverse.com/2012/04/26/switching-el-wire/

It's been years since I've needed to do any electronics like this.

[Grumpy_Mike]

Yes that circuit you linked to should work, it gets the power for the gate from the top anode of the SCR and has the right resistors in. Just use that circuit.

[andygif]

Thanks mike,
Updated circuit works now.

Luckily on the actual bread board I messed up the jumper wire placement on the Arduino input to the  Optocoupler connected the wire to pin 3 (NC), so the fact I left off the resistor didn't matter as the circuit wasn't made through the internal LED so I didn't blow it or burn out the pin.

Did discover that the one inverter I have turns itself off if there appears to be no EL wire connected , so swapped it for one that's not so smart!!