Tron Legacy Costume

[Compass72]

I'm curious, have you tried to overlay or daisy-chain the EL sheets yet?

Daisy chaining isn't practical for the EL sheet, but you can overlay to make one, continuous piece. Just insulate the back of the sheet with electrical tape and you should have no problem.

 

[Arista]

Daisy chaining isn't practical for the EL sheet, but you can overlay to make one, continuous piece. Just insulate the back of the sheet with electrical tape and you should have no problem.

So you just lay the contact points over each other (pos to pos and neg to neg)?

 

[Compass72]

So you just lay the contact points over each other (pos to pos and neg to neg)?

Not quite. Every piece you cut needs its own power supply. If I cut two, straight pieces, each will have its own set of contact points that I hook the alligator clips up to.

So both pieces sit seperately. What I do to each is insulate the back of them with electrical tape. This gives me the ability to put glue on the back of them and stick them to the body armor.

Now if you want to overlap the two of them, simply put some electrical tape on the top of one of them, put a touch of glue on the section, then lay the second one on top of the first. Line them up properly and you're done.

I'll say this, it's better to have many, smaller designs than it is to get the effect in as few pieces as possible. The larger the design, the dimmer the design will be. These power packs are good for about 20 square inches, after that you can tell it just doesn't power up to full brightness. With all the armor my costume has, it's easy to hide all these power packs.

The bad news is I'll be wearing 24 of them. That's 96 AAA batteries.

 

[Soulinertia]

That's 96 AAA batteries

Damn! I'm powering my entire suit with 8 AA batts. Maybe 16 if I want it super bright.

 

[Compass72]

Damn! I'm powering my entire suit with 8 AA batts. Maybe 16 if I want it super bright.

I'm seriously jealous. I think by the time we're all done with our costumes, our collective knowledge will be second to none. We'll also know which way to go about doing this the next time.

 

[actordiver]

Not quite. Every piece you cut needs its own power supply. If I cut two, straight pieces, each will have its own set of contact points that I hook the alligator clips up to.

So both pieces sit seperately. What I do to each is insulate the back of them with electrical tape. This gives me the ability to put glue on the back of them and stick them to the body armor.

Now if you want to overlap the two of them, simply put some electrical tape on the top of one of them, put a touch of glue on the section, then lay the second one on top of the first. Line them up properly and you're done.

I'll say this, it's better to have many, smaller designs than it is to get the effect in as few pieces as possible. The larger the design, the dimmer the design will be. These power packs are good for about 20 square inches, after that you can tell it just doesn't power up to full brightness. With all the armor my costume has, it's easy to hide all these power packs.

The bad news is I'll be wearing 24 of them. That's 96 AAA batteries.

What kind of voltage are you needing to run the inverter? That seems like a LOT of batteries. This little gizmo (DC to DC power module (buck booster) Input 3.5V~9V Output 12V 1A) is running my shin guards and helmet (3 in total) Connected to a 9V battery I'm getting 12volts. It's compact and I made little boxes to glue on the outside so it's self contained so I won't have to put something in my pockets. Might help you out with yours.

 

[Compass72]

What kind of voltage are you needing to run the inverter? That seems like a LOT of batteries. This little gizmo (DC to DC power module (buck booster) Input 3.5V~9V Output 12V 1A) is running my shin guards and helmet (3 in total) Connected to a 9V battery I'm getting 12volts. It's compact and I made little boxes to glue on the outside so it's self contained so I won't have to put something in my pockets. Might help you out with yours.

I could use something that would allow me to run several EL sheet pieces from a single power source. Need a relatively small power pack, and a way to split it off into 4-6 pairs of wires so I can attach them to the designs.

 

[Espiritiv]

www.amazon.com Has them! And so does TOYS"R"US!

TARGET stores have the deluxe version too for $15

 

[Espiritiv]

Damn! I'm powering my entire suit with 8 AA batts. Maybe 16 if I want it super bright.

Are you going with EL Tape, or EL Sheets?
Where did you end up buying it and how much did you need?

 

[Espiritiv]

I could use something that would allow me to run several EL sheet pieces from a single power source. Need a relatively small power pack, and a way to split it off into 4-6 pairs of wires so I can attach them to the designs.

I think there are several EL Wire stores that sell splitters for $2.99 that let you run 3 off of one AAA power pack. try. Thatscoolwire.com, coolneon.com and worldaglow.com

 

[Arista]

Not quite. Every piece you cut needs its own power supply. If I cut two, straight pieces, each will have its own set of contact points that I hook the alligator clips up to.

So both pieces sit seperately. What I do to each is insulate the back of them with electrical tape. This gives me the ability to put glue on the back of them and stick them to the body armor.

Now if you want to overlap the two of them, simply put some electrical tape on the top of one of them, put a touch of glue on the section, then lay the second one on top of the first. Line them up properly and you're done.

I'll say this, it's better to have many, smaller designs than it is to get the effect in as few pieces as possible. The larger the design, the dimmer the design will be. These power packs are good for about 20 square inches, after that you can tell it just doesn't power up to full brightness. With all the armor my costume has, it's easy to hide all these power packs.

The bad news is I'll be wearing 24 of them. That's 96 AAA batteries.

No way. There's got to be a way to run this off of a single power supply. 96 batteries is insane! And the Siren costume doesn't have a lot of room to hide power packs.

Damn! I'm powering my entire suit with 8 AA batts. Maybe 16 if I want it super bright.

What are you using to illuminate your costume?

 

[Soulinertia]

What are you using to illuminate your costume?

Are you going with EL Tape, or EL Sheets?
Where did you end up buying it and how much did you need?

You can follow my progress here:

http://www.therpf.com/f24/my-tron-legacy-costume-attempt-89979/index3.html

I'm using a 1.25" wide EL tape. The roll I'm working with right now is over 100sq inches of illumination and it's pretty bright. I'll be using sheets for the doughnut shapes at the hips and collar.

 

[actordiver]

I could use something that would allow me to run several EL sheet pieces from a single power source. Need a relatively small power pack, and a way to split it off into 4-6 pairs of wires so I can attach them to the designs.

But what is the voltage of the panels? Did you get an inverter for them? For instance, My El tape needs to be run off an inverter (size of inverter depends on the square inches of light tape.) So I power the inverter with the appropriate power pack/batteries. Then you can splice as much copper wire off to the different panels as you want. All can be run off the inverter and power pack. Same goes for el wire. The trick is getting the correct inverter for the amount of light tape/wire you are illuminating.

If you have a 12V inverter then a 12v (8aa battery pack) will work (or the booster I linked for a 9v), also check the amps needed...the booster only works up to 1amp

They do sell 9V inverters also, however they won't power as many square inches (or feet of el wire)

 

[nemesis]

Annisse,
I've been lurking on here a while, and following with interest your costume's development and your upcoming experiment with the glow-in-the-dark paint/reflective tape. I'm itching to put this costume together before an early halloween party on the 22nd, so I was hoping you'd be getting in your paint shipment soon. Any idea when you'll be able to test that out?
Ross

PS: I haven't read through the entire 18 page thread, but I don't think I remember seeing glow-tape mentioned as a possible lighting strategy (e.g. something like this). Would it be worth exploring at all if I'm to be in very low lighting conditions? I'd be fine absconding to the bathroom to charge it up every 30-60 minutes or so with a UV flashlight, as long as it could maintain sufficient brightness for that long.

PPS: This might not have any relevance to TRON per se, but given the general vibe of the outfit and a party setting, what do you all think about integrating something like this (in holographic projector mode--see pics) into the outfit somehow, possibly so that it's facing up so as to be away from directly shining into people's eyes. Maybe a little too much , but I won't be headbanging so theoretically it won't be moving around too too much.

glow tape is the wrong color.. you are better off using reflective fabric like scotchlite

 

[nemesis]

Just wanted to add in to the talk about DCAs new ElecTRONica attraction. I went to a cast members preview last night that was postponed from Oct. 6th. All I have to say is WOW! Disney did it again! It is so amazing all the lights, movie projections on the walls, sounds, music, dancing, Laserman light show, 3D tralier of TL, Flynn's arcade 25 cent arcade 80s games, and all the amazing energy and excitement flowing thru the air.

Please if you can, take the time to go experience this. For awhile, I completely forgot I was in Disneyland. It is like you are transported into another electronic world of TRON!

I am so grateful I got to experience this without the massive crowds there. I have seen the Flickr pics online and looks like you can hardly walk down the street on a regular night! It was SOOOOO empty last night but was coo! because we got to experience everything. I even went in my Quorra costume. Ppl thought I was one of the dancers that worked there.... I wish I will post pics when I get them off my boy's camera.

YAY! can't wait to go again this Sunday! I still have the experience pumping thru my veins!

Oh just wanted to add this in so this thread doesn't get steered off into how awesome ElecTRONica is talk the actual dancers costumes that worked there. Yeah, not close to what we are trying to achieve with the movie costumes. The Quorra dancers and men programs costumes had the reflective tape going and all but were styled more for mobility so they can do their thang on the GO GO box. The SIREN costumes were very cool. I actually wished I would have gone done that route now and made myself a SIREN costume instead of Quorra. As I can understand the reasoning why they went with the design for the black program costumes, more loosely fit and did not keep with the movie rubber suit design, it was much easier for the SIREN costumed dancers to do their moves on the GO GO box because they are just white spandex suits with reflective FABRIC built in, not tape. Trust me, I stood below one of the girls GO GO boxes as she danced and totally studied the build of her suit up and down I even saw how her disk was attached to her back, with straps held around her arms under her suit and the suit zipped up the back with an invisible zipper. Let's just say because my Quorra costume was made for show, for looks and taking photos, because I danced my arse off last night, it is even more falling apart. I think my chest armour is 70% electrical tape now which I had to put to hold the side seams that kept popping off of me the more I moved around. Darn craft foam is easy to work with, but not durable at all.

try using black duct tape Intertape Polymer 6720BKT Black Duct Tape 1.88 inch by 20 Yards

 

[Compass72]

But what is the voltage of the panels? Did you get an inverter for them? For instance, My El tape needs to be run off an inverter (size of inverter depends on the square inches of light tape.) So I power the inverter with the appropriate power pack/batteries. Then you can splice as much copper wire off to the different panels as you want. All can be run off the inverter and power pack. Same goes for el wire. The trick is getting the correct inverter for the amount of light tape/wire you are illuminating.

If you have a 12V inverter then a 12v (8aa battery pack) will work (or the booster I linked for a 9v), also check the amps needed...the booster only works up to 1amp

They do sell 9V inverters also, however they won't power as many square inches (or feet of el wire)

I'll give you the gist of what I started out with, and what I'm leaning towards. Firstly, inverter I was using is as follows (Pic 1):

Inverter for small/medium size sheet or tape with alligator clips for easy connections.
Takes 4 x AAA batteries or external DC(12VDC) input.
Can be used with a short tape (up to 6 feet, for best results not more than 3 feet) or a small custom pattern sheet (up to A5 size, for best results not more than 24 square inches).

The 24 square inches is what I've been keeping the individual designs down to. The issue of course is I have 24-26 individual patterns. So the work-around is to use one of the 12V inverters (Pic 2):

This 12VDC inverter is designed for battery power.
Compact size (approximately 2.1" x 3.1" x 1.1") and a 2pin connector makes this inverter ideal for tight spaces and difficult connections.
Use a 2pin>gator cable for easy connections to Custom Pattern sheet cutouts with areas A5 size or less or tapes up to 9 feet long.

They make a splitter cable that has 2, 3-pin connectors so it is possible to daisy-chain off of this one, 12V inverter (pic 3):

Designed for use with the iSS3.1. Can be used for wiring small sheets and tapes in series.

Finally a 3-pin to alligator clip connector allows me to connect directly to the EL sheet (pic 4):

This cable is designed to connect the iSS3.1 and iSS4.5 inverters with 3 pin output connectors with Custom Pattern sheets and cut lengths of EL tape. The gator clips can be used to make the connections quickly and easily.

They have copper tape as well. What I'm worried about is when I move around, will the alligator clips grind away at the metallic contact on the EL sheet? So if I wanted something less abrasive, I can go this route to connect the EL sheets (Pic 5):

Use this adhesive backed copper tape to easily make connections to the tabs on your Cut & Shape EL sheet. This .25 inch wide tape has a strong adhesive and can be quickly applied to the tabs on the back of a Cut & Shape sheet. Be careful not to overlap with an adjacent tab. And be sure when peeling off the tape backing to only expose just the amount you need to make a connection.

Thoughts, ideas? You expertise with the electrical component is greater than mine as is your scuba (you're talking to an open water diver).

 

[Soulinertia]

Sounds like your inverters are too small. You need one more powerful that can light at least 100 square inches. Mine is still very small in size. Maybe 2.5" x 3.5" x 1.5". Lights over 10 feet of 1.25" EL tape no problem!

 

[Arista]

Sounds like your inverters are too small. You need one more powerful that can light at least 100 square inches. Mine is still very small in size. Maybe 2.5" x 3.5" x 1.5". Lights over 10 feet of 1.25" EL tape no problem!

What brand of EL tape are you using? In making inquiries about EL tape versus EL sheets, I was told by an EL tape manufacturer, "No, you can't cut the EL tape." Clearly, you can.

(Looks AMAZING, by the way! And nice bike in the background. I have a Buell Lightning myself.)

 

[Compass72]

Sounds like your inverters are too small. You need one more powerful that can light at least 100 square inches. Mine is still very small in size. Maybe 2.5" x 3.5" x 1.5". Lights over 10 feet of 1.25" EL tape no problem!

Indeed. I found an inverter on ELbestbuy.com that looks capable of powering that same type of area.

Specialy Designed by Live Wire the IM-9 is Our most popular el inverter - the IM-9 can power 10-30 feet of el wire and is still small enough to fit in your pocket!! The IM-5 comes complete with a belt clip, External power jack input, on/off/blink options, adjustable blink allows you to adjust the blink speed from a slow blink to a fast strobe. It is powered a single 9V battery. Dimensions: 2.25" x 2 3/8" x 1", Weight: 3 oz.

You know, there's a joke in here somewhere about guys comparing the size of their inverters...but we won't go there.

 

[Soulinertia]

What brand of EL tape are you using? In making inquiries about EL tape versus EL sheets, I was told by an EL tape manufacturer, "No, you can't cut the EL tape." Clearly, you can.

(Looks AMAZING, by the way! And nice bike in the background. I have a Buell Lightning myself.)

Oh yeah, it can be cut pretty much any which way you like. You can even punch holes in it!

I posted this on my progress thread:

I'm using a commercial grade product which I bought second hand. Not sure which manufacturer. It was some pricey stuff but super strong and quality made! I have enough of it to possibly offer a couple kits. Check my thread for updates on that later. I'll post in the junkyard if I do decide to go that route.

Thanks for the props on the bike. Mine is a Triumph Daytona 675. My favorite toy! Here is a better pic of it taken at Echo Lake.

Anyways, back on topic . . .

the IM-9 can power 10-30 feet of el wire

You will need one much more powerful than that. The lit surface area of EL wire is way less than that of the EL tape. Look for a 12-18v inverter that will power at least 100 feet of EL wire. That should be about the equivalent of 10 or so ft of 1.25" wide tape.