EL backlighting ,anyone experiment with these?
- Thread starter tonyb
- Start date
batterystation
Enlightened
When I worked at Motorola we repaired mobile data units that had an EL backlit display about 1 inch tall by 6 inches wide. They ran on a very low current high voltage stepper supply about the size of a sugar cube. They were really neat. I never came up with a practical use for the ones that were scrapped, but they were neat. You did not touch the power leads though. Ouch!!!
future lights
future lights
INRETECH
Flashlight Enthusiast
The problem with EL is that its brightness slowly goes down over time, that is why most new applications are using LEDs instead
tvodrd
*Flashaholic* ,
I built a "flashlight" out of a surplus 2"x3" EL panel several years ago. The panel was pink when off and a {i}very[/i] bright blue when on. Built it on a little black RS project box and think the invertor ran on a 9V. Within a year it had dimmed to uselessness. My understanding is that moisture from the air eventually gets to the phosphor and degrades it. EL panel materials have no doubt improved since then.
Larry
Larry
INRETECH
Flashlight Enthusiast
I have a EL FLASHLIGHT that was a prototype for the military, was going to let Craig do a review on it
Has the standard 2xD Green flashlight with a 12inch x 1.5 inch wide EL "stick" coming out of it
Has the standard 2xD Green flashlight with a 12inch x 1.5 inch wide EL "stick" coming out of it
e=mc²
Enlightened
Like tonyb, I have almost every room outfitted with indiglo EL nightlights for over three years, and have noticed no appreciable dimming at all. These run 24x7x365.
Ed.
Ed.
Floating Spots
Enlightened
I had a pair of early indiglo night lights that did dim.
They first dimmed and then small patches quit working.
They were still 'working' when I tossed them, but they were probably 20% of new ones. EL panels do wear out. It strongly depends on how they are driven. If driven hard, they last a short time, but are darn bright.
Life is measured to 50% initial brightness.
An extra long life EL panel driven at 200hz will last 3500 hrs.
At 400hz its 2200 hrs.
At 60hz (unrated) its probably 5000-7000 hrs.
If you raise the temp to 50C and the humidity to 90% (@400hz) you are down to 350 hrs.
One manufacturer is at http://www.durel.com/literate.htm.
Check out the spec sheets.
They first dimmed and then small patches quit working.
They were still 'working' when I tossed them, but they were probably 20% of new ones. EL panels do wear out. It strongly depends on how they are driven. If driven hard, they last a short time, but are darn bright.
Life is measured to 50% initial brightness.
An extra long life EL panel driven at 200hz will last 3500 hrs.
At 400hz its 2200 hrs.
At 60hz (unrated) its probably 5000-7000 hrs.
If you raise the temp to 50C and the humidity to 90% (@400hz) you are down to 350 hrs.
One manufacturer is at http://www.durel.com/literate.htm.
Check out the spec sheets.
Floating Spots
Enlightened
The specs above are for the green color.
Blue is about a third (or less) of the life of green.
Blue is about a third (or less) of the life of green.
Zelandeth
Flashlight Enthusiast
I have an EL panel laying around somewhere, pulled it out of an old PDA, got my fingers fried many a time playing with it, but found it fascinating nevertheless. How much voltage do these things run on?
My indiglo night light is in the bathroom were I take showers every day sometime twice a day, I'm sure the humidity goes to 100%, by what you are saying my night lite should have died along time ago since it has been in there for at least four or five years. Let me get my trusty HP Calc model 25 with red LEDS OH yeah. Well lets see 24 hrs a day times 365 days a year times lets say four years equals 35,040.00 Hrs. am I missing something?
CNC Dan
Enlightened
you can buy panels and the inverters at: All Electrinics Corp.
