EL Sheeting. Whats out there and Who's used it?

[DocTony]

I was wondering if anyone here has used any type of EL sheeting for props and costumes? If so I would love to see some pictures.

My questions about this stuff are..

1. Can it be powered by a smaller battery? like a watch battery or 9v.
2. How small of a size can it be cut?
3. Can any color be achieved?
4. What are some of the most affordable sites.

I have seen some website but none I have found go into much detail and so far the e-mailed questions I have asked on the different sites have not been returned.

Any help or links would be great. Thanks.

 

[Jaded Monk]

I did a bit of business with glowhut.com some time ago and was quite satisfied. I told them exactly what I needed and they even provided a customized power source. I bought six 2"x40" panels with an AC adapter for $300.

To answer your questions;

1. Electroluminescent panels can be battery powered but that will depend on the size of the panel and may affect your run time. You may need a small DC/DC transformer which can usually be purchased with the EL material.
2. You can use as small a sheet as you like, many watch faces feature EL faces.
3. You are a bit limited on colors. Panels only come in a bluish green and white, other colors are achieved by filters.

Apart from GlowHut I can't offer any leads. No one else I contacted responded in a reasonable amount of time.

Cheers,

JM

 

[TridCloudwalker]

If you need EL wire, give me a yell. My brother can get it wholesale directly from the manufacturer in China, as well as all the transformer stuff. If you're set on using batteries, a 9 volt is your best bet.

 

[Specksynder]

I haven't had much luck with smaller power supplies, and I've found the brightness varies a bit.

 

[Robiwon]

I have heard a lot of good stuff about Miller Engineering. I am actually going to be placing an order with them soon.
http://www.microstru.com/Experimenter-Kits.html

I beleve as long as you leave one terminal plug attached to the sheet, it can be as small as you want.