EL Inverter - Battery Pack - SparkFun COM-11222

SparkFun COM-11222 EL Inverter - Battery Pack Select Category

Even though the Tron movies have been out for a while, electroluminescence is still the coolest thing since sliced bread. The only downer is carrying around a battery pack and bulky external inverter. Good news, we’ve found a slim battery-powered inverter for your next small EL project! This little black box takes two AA batteries and has two JST connectors for your EL wire/panel/tape. There are two modes: continuous on and flashing and it even has a belt clip!

We got a chance to play with these inverters and you can easily hack these to work with our Li-Po batteries (yep, at the fully charged 4.2V). To get inside, you’ll need to remove a pair of screws (one is hiding under the CE sticker) and afterwards you’ll want to wrap things up with electrical tape to avoid getting shocked (it just tingles a little).
The following current readings were taken while the pack was connected to one or more of our 3m EL wire:

• Single strand always on: 190 to 260mA
• Single strand blinking: 90 to 120mA
• Two strands always on: ~300mA
• Two strands blinking: ~150mA

Different color strands were used but the lengths were identical. Your mileage may vary. If you need to pick up some Li-Po batteries, electrical tape or EL wire to hack your own battery pack, check the related items below!

Note: We’ve found that while the inverter has no trouble powering two strands of EL wire, it can burn itself out if you attach two EL panels or strips. If you need more than one EL panel or EL tape, you may want to look at our other EL inverters.

Dimensions: 20 x 34 x 90mm