Soft Circuit Workshop

EL Lamp fabrication technique

How to connect EL panels to an AC power source and in series

Materials Needed:

Sheet of EL Panel

Etco Eyelets (available from Luminous Films)

12v AC inverter w/wall adapter

Packing Tape

Tools: Wire Clippers, Wire stripper, Exacto Blade, Dremel, Small phillips head screw driver, Hammer, alligator clips

This is a fresh sheet of 6 ” x 12 ” electroluminescent panel from Luminous Films of Shreveport, LA. This is the luminescent side. It’s whitish blue when illuminated. You can see a thin line down the middle. This particular brand of
EL lamp is called Split Electrode. It runs off of AC. Current runs through one side of the panel and comes out the other.

It’s a pinkish color when off.

One can cut it down to any shape as long as the panels are symmetrical in size and shape. These panels are the size I cut the larger panels into, front and back view. 6” x 2” with the split running width wise.

This was my first attempt at mounting the eyelets into the panels for power.

These are the panels connected in series.

First off one has to punch a small hole into the panel for the eyelet to fit through. I used a center punch to cut out the hole.

These eyelets came from Luminous Films. They work the best. I tried several times to make my own with varying degrees of success.

Once the eyelets are inside the hole you have to take several steps to insure they are installed correctly. First I seat them properly in the hole. Then (9A) I use a blade to trim off excessive laminate from around the contacts. Eventually they need to be flattened, so to ensure they are as flat as possible it is important to trim off excessive material. Next, one has to expand their circumference to optimize surface contact with the EL layer inside the laminate. I used a small phillips head screwdriver and made circling motions to expand it.

Once the metal has been pushed wider I used a a dremel to shorten the barrel of the clip and a pair of wire cutters to cut them into strips. I hammered the entire barrel flat to crimp the panel in-between the two sides of the eyelet. You need a good deal of pressure so the connector is secured. You can also see in this image a thin layer of transparent packing tape along the edge of the panel. Whenever you cut the panels it is essential to reseal any cut edges to ensure the interior layer from moisture contamination and to maintain proper insulation.

This is the finished panel in series with the inverter and a strip of copper tape. To connect them in series there are several options. If maintaining a flattened form factor is essential one can use copper tape or any number of conductive fabrics.