So I'm trying to make something similar to iLuminate, the dance group that has light shows on there costuming and everything. So I am using the EL lighting, they have inverters, my biggest issue is that I can't figure out how to hook up the inverter to the Arduino, perhaps I just couldn't get the pins connecting, the inverter is a battery pack with a wire with two pins that takes two pins plugged into it from the EL tape. Is there a way to hook that into the Arduino, or do need to break open the case to change take the inverter's button off and replace that with the Arduino? The inverter makes a buzzing noise if the EL tape isn't plugged in. Oh and also, I would like it so that I can use an inverter for a whole stream of lights, like for example, if one person has 18 feet of lighting, 9 being blue and 9 being red. I wouldn't have them lit up at the same time, I want to make it so that I could use one inverter for both sets, so that only the red lights are on or only the blue lights are on. I'm realizing now that even if I got the lights to be able to alternate it would still be neccasary for there to be a switch hooked up to shut the inverter, unless that buzzing noise isn't a bad sign..
Yes, this is a bit more complex than it might first seem.
If the inverter has a switch attached which needs to be pressed in addition to simply inserting the batteries and is not simply a mechanical push-push switch which can be left in the "on" position, then you would arguably need to control it by a connection inside. It sounds as if, the whole module being one unit with the battery pack, you are going to need to do that anyway
And since the output is AC at high voltage and high frequency, if you wanted to switch that, you would arguably best do it using a relay and avoid any possible connection with the Arduino. It probably is not healthy for the inverter to continue running with no load connected, either. It is probably easier all up to use two inverters.
It is probably easier all up to use two inverters.
Unfortunately, I just used 2 colors as an example, it'll probably be 4 inverters for one color to cover the body, at minimum.
But a relay is an excellent idea. Thanks, I'm going to break open the inverter and see where I can connect it, if I assure that I have 9m of wire on at all times per inverter could I have part of the circuit switch after the inverter?
Yea, the limits on the inverters I have are 3m. I actually just cracked one inverter open, I have seemed to find a relay. The way the board is laid out appears to have an IC (Which I think makes the inverter work), it has a transister, a capacitator, and a bunch of resistors, it might have more, I'm new to electronics so I don't identify parts instantly, and then it has a button. The button pressed once will get me a solid light, if I hit it again it will go to a slow blink, one more time a fast blink, and then it turns off. Is there anyway to use the relay that is on it to coordinate the blink? I'm guessing that the way it works is that the button goes into the IC and that tells which circuit to go on and it might have capacitators that get the delay so that it can delay how long the blink is, and then the relay turns it on and off. I could be totally wrong on this. But I would imagine that I just need to take out the switch and somehow bypass the resistors and have the Arduino be in place of the capacitators, I am about to go out and buy myself a desoldering iron, so that I can take off the switch. I think I just need to hook into the Arduino where the switch is, does this seem right?
OK, well the thing with the yellow tape on it is of course, the transformer which actually steps up the AC voltage.
The blue thing is a high voltage capacitor (2.2nF) which resonates with the transformer secondary. The other capacitor buffers the battery voltage (and reduces RF radiation form the device).
I think that label tells you not to operate the thing unless it is connected to the EL wire.
The IC apparently generates the frequency to drive the transistor and controls the blinking functions. That means to switch it on and off, you have to imitate the switch function and know which mode it is in at any particular time to know how many "presses" it needs to do the thing you want next. That is the tricky bit!
Paul__B:
OK, well the thing with the yellow tape on it is of course, the transformer which actually steps up the AC voltage.
Alright, I just looked that up, and then saw how obvious that could have been. So I'm way off on how I thought this worked.
The IC apparently generates the frequency to drive the transistor and controls the blinking functions. That means to switch it on and off, you have to imitate the switch function and know which mode it is in at any particular time to know how many "presses" it needs to do the thing you want next. That is the tricky bit!
Is there a way that I can put it on the 'always on setting' and then hook up a relay to somewhere on the circuit? I'd rather not have an exposed button that someone could hit. I'm thinking if I can get it so that it is always on that setting from the components inside then I could just put a relay between the battery and the board.
I just realized what I think I should be able to do, although I'm not entirely sure how it would work or how to go about it entirely.
Basically I'm thinking I'll just leave the lights on always..but have it so that the batteries disconnect and reconnect to turn it on and off. So I will have two batteries that have a wire that can be switched to compelte circuit or not..I just don't know exactly what that means, should I be using a relay? A relay is just a switch that can be controlled by Arduino right?
If I want to change the colors I'll just have a relay up near the colors, right?
My concern though, is what if I want to light up something like 1 foot of EL wire, the inverter does 9 feet, so that would probably blow it out, is there anyway to control that? Or should I just keep to invervals of 9 ft?
El Wire has more in common with Neon lighting than it does with LED or incandescent lights . As others have said- its no simple matter to light the tube directly. I would strongly encourage you to google EL Wire and do your homework. It would be easier to control the power (switch the battery supply on and off) to the inverter. A relay could work but a transistor is a better solution; it uses much less power/more efficient and a transistor is often required to switch the relay anyway.
you will also need to do a little reverse engineering to interface the arduino with the other controller. my approach would be determine which pin on the switch triggers the mode setting and whether it requires a logic high or low. then connect it to an ardiuno pin and toggle it as i wish.
...so that would probably blow it out,..
maybe , but it will probably wear prematurely. I could be wrong (it has been awhile since i played around with the stuff).
seanz2003:
my approach would be determine which pin on the switch triggers the mode setting and whether it requires a logic high or low. then connect it to an ardiuno pin and toggle it as i wish.
I'm not sure what you mean exactly, can you explain that more?
maybe , but it will probably wear prematurely. I could be wrong (it has been awhile since i played around with the stuff).
So I could light up an inch of the like and it might buzz louder but it would still last a while? (At least that's your suspicion?)
I just found this part called the TRIAC, it looks like a transmitter for AC..is that what I would want to use if I wanted the stream of colors to change? So that two wires can be hooked up to the same inverter with only one wire going at a time.
Logic switches are usually either connected between vcc and the input pin or ground and the pin. Basically you need to figure out what signal triggers the pin, hi or lo.
The triac approach might work. Other than high frequency, I don't see why it wouldn't work in theory. Someone else might chime in with a more definitive answer. You might look up a few data sheets to get an idea about the frequency response for triacs