electoluminscent has to be the most eficant?

raggie33

*the raggedier*
Joined
Aug 11, 2003
Messages
13,453
i mean the night lights i use only use .03 watts and there pretty darn bright is there a place to get real big ones? and why aint they more poplaer?
 

Zelandeth

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 28, 2002
Messages
1,194
Location
Northeast Scotland (Aberdeenshire)
Electroluminescent sources are actually pretty inefficient electrically speaking as I recall. The reason the nightlights seem to be bright is going to be at least partially because your eyes will be dark adapted when they're in use, and the bluish green is more or less bang in the middle of the response curve for scotopic vision. As a result, though the actual efficiency isn't much greater than for incandescent lamps, the "apparent" efficiency, in terms of how much light you're observing will be much higher if your eyes are dark adapted.

They can get pretty big, a lot of old laptop screens for example were lit with EL panels, I've got a white one here which is about two thirds the size of an A4 sheet of paper, but the driver's broken, and I'm trying to sort it. I've seen some really impressively sized sheets on eBay now and then though.

Beware though, that EL panels don't last forever, the higher the frequency they're run at, the faster they'll dim. Also, they all need a pretty high voltage, at least 20V for small ones, but generally far, far higher (usually greater than 100V ac squarewave), and they can give you a pretty nasty (at least painful) zap, so they're to be treated with utmost respect when turned on if not in a housing.

Not actually sure where to get them from, but I'm sure someone else can help there.
 
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