Here's what the stuff looks like. The camera is showing it a little brighter than it really is and the blue/green difference is distinct in person. I tried to power a CCFL off of the same transformer, but it was not strong enough to light it up.

EL Wire 5.5 min
http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit2?ns=1&video_id=QhlKbBhJpgk


I'll do other products coming up since there is lots of talk of it in my Galileo thread.

I tried to power a CCFL off of the same transformer, but it was not strong enough to light it up.

It's not that it's not strong enough, it dose not have the high starting voltage
that CCFL's need. Inverters for EL panels are very different from those needed
to drive CCFL's. ELs run at a constant voltage, about 90volts AC to as high as 400volts, but it is constant. CCFL require that high starting voltage and then drops to it's running voltage once the tube has illuminated. I hope this helps.:wave:

Absolutely, it helps. I've never found reliable stats for this stuff (not even on the packaging!), so the numbers you are supplying are a boon.

I'm taping a CCFL vid in a little bit with one of the only working transformers I have left. For whatever reason, these blew out more than 50% of the time on me over the last two years. Very unreliable. I was positive they were 12v molex for computers, so that is unlikely to be it. I guess they could be 5v. don't have a 5v wall wart to test with.

If there are any details you can put on the youtube comments so folk know what's up, all the better!

And thanks!

Absolutely, it helps. I've never found reliable stats for this stuff (not even on the packaging!), so the numbers you are supplying are a boon.

I'm taping a CCFL vid in a little bit with one of the only working transformers I have left. For whatever reason, these blew out more than 50% of the time on me over the last two years. Very unreliable. I was positive they were 12v molex for computers, so that is unlikely to be it. I guess they could be 5v. don't have a 5v wall wart to test with.

If there are any details you can put on the youtube comments so folk know what's up, all the better!

And thanks!

Hi Model Man, first, Molex is a company that makes connector not inverters, unless they started a product line I missed. As for your inverters failing, I'd look at the current draw of the lamps you are using. Inverters are very reliable
and if they keep failing, it might just be too much current draw from the lamps or you are running them at the wrong input voltage. I'd buy a variable power supply and bring up the voltage slowly til the lamp lights. Then let it run and check how hot the output transistor gets, it should be the largest one on the board.:thumbsup:

Hi Model Man, first, Molex is a company that makes connector not inverters, unless they started a product line I missed. As for your inverters failing, I'd look at the current draw of the lamps you are using. Inverters are very reliable
and if they keep failing, it might just be too much current draw from the lamps or you are running them at the wrong input voltage. I'd buy a variable power supply and bring up the voltage slowly til the lamp lights. Then let it run and check how hot the output transistor gets, it should be the largest one on the board.:thumbsup:

Yes, these ccfl's and their included transformers/inverters are for computer case mods, thus they have molex connectors going to the inverters and the PSU. The inverters came with the tubes themselves, so you gotta figure they are compatible. Nevertheless, more than 50% have spontaneously fried. So unless they were cheap-o brand, I'm at a loss. Unless they want 5v going in and not the standard12v. In which case, they go to a 5v molex lead and not a 12v molex lead. Make more sense?

But the variable PS sounds like a good idea to see what kind of juice these things want. Other than I am sure they want12v in, there were no operational numbers included.

Yes, these ccfl's and their included transformers/inverters are for computer case mods, thus they have molex connectors going to the inverters and the PSU. The inverters came with the tubes themselves, so you gotta figure they are compatible. Nevertheless, more than 50% have spontaneously fried. So unless they were cheap-o brand, I'm at a loss. Unless they want 5v going in and not the standard12v. In which case, they go to a 5v molex lead and not a 12v molex lead. Make more sense?

But the variable PS sounds like a good idea to see what kind of juice these things want. Other than I am sure they want12v in, there were no operational numbers included.

Most of the CCFL for PC cases are setup for 5volts, are the wire colors red and black or are they yellow and black? Red and black is 5volts, Yellow and black is 12volts. I would look at the input voltage, start low and bring up the voltage til the lamp lights, then stop and keep an eye on the output transistor.... If it's too hot then reduce the voltage til the lamps just turned off, then bring up the voltage til the lamp lights. You should be fine from there.

Out of luck on the color trick. A switch is wired into their circuit. From the ccfl to the switch is black and red. From the switch to the molex is yellow and black.

I did find the original pkg which was more informative than I remembered:

Company: http://www.logisyscomputer.com/
12v inverter
Output: 680V (careful!)
Draw: 5 mA (awesome!)
Brightness: 28k-30kcd/m2
Lifetime: 30k hrs.


They come in blue, red, green, purple, yellow, white, uv, B-R, B-G, R-G-B (and Other).

CCFL in the Falcon's engines: 6 min
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC1pXaO52Hc&feature=channel_page

CCFL in the 350 Refit Nacelle 8 min
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbEglsTU7oA

CCFL, leds, EL Ribbon-wire and sheet in one hodgepodge together 5 min
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lyaF_BQA9U&feature=channel_page