EL wire hooks up to inverters. Those require a precise voltage at what the inverter is rated. Anyways, you're going to want to use something like a PIG to handle this. Or even a relay that triggers on flasher voltage. Flashers are pulsed and overdriven. You cannot hook the EL inverter to the flasher circuit directly.

EL wire is also very dim which makes it a terrible choice to go off with a flasher.

The EL whips on my IM are hooked up to the flasher circuit and they look great. When I get home I'll see how I have it connected.

Through the inverter, I would guess...and yep, they look great in that application...

I've actually had these inverters catch fire. Not just smoke but actual flame. This is nothing I would ever want to be overdriven by flasher circuits (which actually run closer to 18v in pulses).

Any chance we get some vid or good pics of this? Sounds awesome!

around 6v

GI is A/C unfortunately and won't run an inverter properly.

I thought the GI circuit is AC and the inverter requires DC. I have contacted el wire dealer and he said you can not drive the inverter with AC. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Ummm.....maybe if flash stayed on, some magic smoke opportunities....but on intermittent flash? Negative....mine get warm during a long evening, but nothing near dangerous....I power all my other EL stuff w dedicated 12v DC converter to my inverters.....zero problems.....been on my TRONLE for over 2 years now, and my IM approx 3 months....I would not use the PIG2 to trigger, however....

You're particular success does not negate the potential problem. Inverters are absolutely not made to run past their designated input voltage. Different flashers are handled in different ways and the voltage far exceeds the inverter spec. "It seems ok for me" is not a counter to that. As for the pig2, it's actually made for this purpose. There's no reason not to use something like that.

How about a simple zener diode regulator to make sure the voltage is never more than 12v at the EL inverter. Something like this across the flasher (source IN):

I don't have actual specs of the inverter, but I doubt the current draw will ever be more than 60mA for the length of EL wire used in mods. I'd just use 1W on both components to play it safe. The whole thing will only cost a couple bucks at most.

20to12v_ELpowercircuit_(resized).png

20to12v_ELpower_(resized).png

if you connect at the coindoor, the el wire will be on all the time.

Plan C just won't seem interactive at all because it will always be on. I personally hate lighting mods that are still on when all the GI turns off during effects. Plan C is just not an option to me.

Isn't this the place for a fixed 12 power source and a relay to turn it on?

Yes

Mike recommends to not use the PIG2 to trigger the inverters......just going by a post he had made some time back about that.

Current draw is low, and yes, I use a regulated, dedicated 12v DC power supply for the EL stuff.

Wouldn't recommend running any electronic component " beyond spec", so probably a good idea to verify w type of inverter you are using ....many have minimum/ maximum voltage tolerance rating/ inrush/ ampacity/ blah, blah on the spec sheet.

There are differences .......

First 4 I looked up were 12v DC nominal input......acceptable 10-15v....mine trigger straight from the flasher....doesn't suck...

image_(resized).jpeg

Do like Tekman regulator recommendation, though....better safe than sorry...

Thanks...the white whips w blue flash really gives a nice " electric spark" effect.....wired directly to flasher....

Hooked custom built this one for me ( I'm good w electrical, but not that form wiring stuff..a definite art)....

I buy all my EL paper, wire, and inverters from adafruit.com ( did a lot of EL on this machine myself...you can look at the " IM Adreneline Junkies" thread for some pics....

Need to shoot some video of this.....really looks good.....highly recommend

Here you go. The two most important things to take into consideration is polarity of you flasher taps/connections and the placement of the resistor BEFORE the zener. The positive wires to the flasher often have a thicker wire, solid colors, and multiple wires. You MUST still verify this with volt meter. The positive side will always have power and can easily be verified with the ground lead connected to the cabinet ground braid and the positive lead to the flasher tab.

EL_PWR_(resized).png

Just curious: EL needs an inverter because it runs on AC, correct? The inverter takes in DC and puts out AC. So, can you not just hook it up to the AC GI, sans inverter?

Negative....inverter works kind of like a coil for old auto ignition....12vdc in....a gazillion volts A/C out, but at low amperage....the ones for EL stuff need to put out anywhere from 90-110volts A/C to energize the phosphor ( won't kill you, but definitely get your attention)......

Ah, gotcha.

looks awesome mandlebloom, nice job buddy.