Introduction: Make an EL Wire Display

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What you will need

  1. One EL Sequencer https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11323
  2. One FTDI 5v Programmer https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9716
  3. up to 8 EL Wires https://www.sparkfun.com/search/results?term=EL+W...
  4. One EL Inverter https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10469
  5. Two JST connectors https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9914
  6. Two 9v Power Bricks https://www.sparkfun.com/products/298
  7. One break away headers https://www.sparkfun.com/products/116
  8. One project box https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8601

Tools

  1. Soldering iron
  2. Electrical tape
  3. Wire strippers
I made it at TechShop (http://techshop.ws)

Step 1: Choose Your Colors

EL Wire comes in many different form factors and colors. Here is a list of some colors and links on where to buy them:

Red: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10191

Yellow: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10192

Green: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10194

Purple: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10196

Pink: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10198

Orange: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10193

Blue: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10195

White: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10197

Fluorescent Green: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10200

Blue Green: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10199

Step 2: Attach the JST Connector to the Bare Side of the Inverter

Take the JST connector you got (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9914) and attach the red to red and black to black on the EL Inverter (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10469).

Step 3: Attach JST Connector to the Power Brick

The power brick will be powering the EL Sequencer. Cut the wire off close to the DC barrel jack end of it. Strip the wire and separate the red and black. Attach the black lead to the black wire on the JST connector by soldering it and then covering it with electrical tape. Do the same for the red wire.

Step 4: Solder Headers on EL Sequencer

Take your breakaway headers and break off 6 of them. Then solder them in the holes marked 5vFTDI.

Step 5: Attach Everything Together

Plug the JST connector connected to the power brick into Batt in.

Attach the JST connector from the inverter to AC in

Attach each EL wire to an output (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, or H)

Attach the programmer to the headers you added.

Put everything in the box and route wires out the hole in the front.

Step 6: Your All Done

Turn on the sequencer and inverter (aka. plug them in) and your EL wire should turn on and go through each wire. This is the default program. Using the Arduino IDE, you can write custom programs to have the EL wire play back in cool patterns and/or interact with other devices.