how to add EL wire to a coat or other garment

Step 7: Finishing steps

First, you will need to deal with wire management inside the garment. There should be enough slack for the non-glowing connector wires to reach back to the inverter and battery without being pulled tightly when you move. But, you also don't want so much excess wire that it will get snagged when you put it on. I recommend using a big stitch to sew these wires to the seams on the inside of the garment. If your jacket is unlined, this is especially helpful. If your jacket has a lining, it may be sufficient to make some anchor points at key locations where the wire bends, like the armpits.

After all the wires running back to the inverter and battery pocket are stabilized, reconnect them as needed. They can be hard-wired to the driver, or joined to a plug if you want it to be easy to change it later. Use heat-shrink tubing or other insulators to ensure that you do not short out the two conductors to each other.

Advice for the battery pocket:
Use an existing pocket in the garment or add one, if necessary. The pocket should be close to the size of the battery pack. If you will be dancing or moving a lot in the coat, you don't want the battery pack to bounce around too much, or fall out. Closing the pocket with a zipper or velcro can be helpful.

Clip a small part of the pocket seam, pass the wire through, and re-sew the seam closed so that the parts don't fall back into the lining. If you do not plan to change the inverter, that part can be hidden in an inaccessible part inside the lining, or sewn into a separate closed section of a pocket. Run the wire for the battery connector to that pocket. There should be enough excess wire to easily access the end and change batteries.

Many EL drivers run on 9V or 12V. A standard 9V battery is good for many applications. If you want longer battery life with a 9V system, you can also use a 6-pack of AA cells.