Glow EL Wire Technology 50 Q&A

Quick and comprehensive understanding of GLow EL wire knowledge

1. Q: Does glow EL wire have to work with AC power? What type of drive does it need to be used with? A: Glow EL wire must operate with AC power. Conventional EL wire require drivers (DC3V, DC12V) to be used.

2. Q: what is the EL wire lifespan and brightness? A: Ordinary EL wire: with a lifespan of over 3000 hours, brightness of 80cd/m2, power of 0.25W/m; high brightness type EL wire: with a lifespan of over 1000 hours, brightness of 140cd/m2, power of 0.4W/m.

3. Q: How to determine and solve the problem of EL wire not shining (assuming a 100% failure rate)? A:

  • Quickly power off, otherwise drive will burn out. Confirm if the power supply and drive connections are in good condition(5%)
  • Check the luminous wire connector (70%). Determine if the connector has been improperly bent, and if so, reconnect it
  • Check the tail end of the luminous wire (20%) and quickly cut off 1cm of the tail end to prevent 2 electrodes at tail end from connecting.
  • Detect if there is a fracture (5%) in the middle of luminescent glow EL wire, and if external forces cause fine electrode to fracture (there may be hot spots), cut or replace glow EL wire at fracture point.
  • Glow EL wire suddenly does not light up after a few hours or days, mainly due to a virtual connection at the joint. Check according to above methods.

4. Q: Can EL wire be used at outdoors? Is its color firm? A: It can be used outdoors. Pay attention to driver to prevent moisture. Long term outdoor use of red and orange EL wire is prone to fading, usually for more than 1 year. Reason is that organic fluorescent dyes have poor UV resistance. Although anti UV agents have been added, fading of red dyes is a problem for dye industry.

5. Q: What is the composition of EL wire and whether there is environmental pollution? A: No environmental pollution; main ingredients: copper wire, Lighted-Glow electroluminescent phosphor (zinc sulfide), plastic PVC, PU, PE, TPU

6. Q: What is the consequences of improper excessive pulling and bending during installation and use? A:

  • Lighting layer of glow EL wire is broken, generates heat, has black spots, and is prone to short circuit and ignition, which can burn out driver
  • When emitting light, there are movable black spots, and when applied pressure,light flashes non continuously
  • connection between luminous EL wire and electric wire is broken or short circuited

7. Q: What is the independent working conditions of glow EL wire? A: AC operation conditions, voltage: 90V-150V, frequency: 1000-4000HZ

8.Q: What is the independent working conditions of driver? A: DC3V, 6V, 9V, 12V, 18V, 24V, AC110V, 220V, etc

9. Q：How to Judge and resole of driver malfunction issues? A:

  • check connection between power connector and luminous wire (Quickly power on, if glow EL wire is not on or abnormal, quickly power off)
  • listen: check if driver is beeping, usually there is a small sound when driver is working.
  • If driver does not light up after use, it should be left for 3-5 minutes or repeatedly connected to light up EL wire before attempting to use
  • because driver has a delay protection after power failure, it needs to release stored charge of capacitor before working again
  • when connection between luminous wire and driver is not good, sometimes operation may cause driver to heat up. At this time, power should be cut off because operation may not be normal after driver heats up

10. Q: Why is the driver making noise? A:

  • Brightness of luminescent EL wire increases proportionally to frequency, and there will be a slight noise when transformer operates at high frequencies
  • Use of integrated circuit chips can result in no sound

11. Q: What is the correspondence between driver and light up EL wire? A:

  • rated condition of driver should match specified length of luminous wire, otherwise it is easy to damage luminous wire and driver
  • a high-power driver that drives short EL wire will increase brightness of glow EL wire and reduce its lifespan
  • sometimes flashing switch will be ineffective when driving short EL wire with high-power drivers

12. Q: Precautions for use of luminous EL wires and drivers? A:

  • do not empty drive when there is no glow EL wire, drive cannot be powered on, otherwise it will quickly cause damage to drive
  • do not bend connection with EL wire

13. Q: Does the thicker glow EL wire make it brighter? A:

  • coarse EL wire increases visual width and area, making people feel that luminous intensity is enhanced
  • due to thickening of plastic, actual instrument test showed a decrease in brightness
  • there are only 3 types of copper core diameters for luminescent wires: 0.5mm, 0.3mm, and 0.7mm, of which 0.5 is a commonly used standard

14. Q: Differences in technology and effectiveness between Glow EL wire and other products? A: take below Excel sheet for reference

differences in technology and effectiveness between glow el wire and other products
differences in technology and effectiveness between glow el wire and other products

15. Q: What is the relationship between glow el wire color and luminance? A: transparent and yellowj EL wire, with a brighter brightness.

16. Q: What is the relationship between lifespan and usage of luminescent EL wires? A:

  • standard for indoor use of LED is 3000 hours, and it can be used outdoors for less than 1000 hours (or for long-term humid, high-temperature,
  • high-frequency, and high-pressure work, with a shorter lifespan). It can be used indoors for 5000 hours or longer in dry climates.
  • the brighter EL wire, the shorter its lifespan, whether it is its own brightness or driving improvement in brightness.

17. Q: Why do electroluminscent wire save electricity? A: EL wire color consumes 0.2 to 0.3 watts of electricity per meter, so it is very energy-efficient. With a driver, power consumption per meter is about 0.4 watts. Its operation mainly relies on frequency, similar to that of a capacitor.

18. Q: How to fix El wire on surface of an object series products? A: Lighted-GLow EL wire can be glued to surface of objects with plastic glue, or fixed with slots or cards.

19. Q: What is working length of EL lighting wire? A: Existing driver can drive up to 100 meters EL wire. During production, EL wire can reach 1000 meters

20. Q: Is the use of luminous wires safe? A: Working current of luminous wire is 4mA/m and it will not generate heat. Its PVC material is non-toxic and harmless,
and can be used safely. If there is a slight electric tingling sensation in human contact, it should be sealed with insulation material in a timely manner.
Attention: Do not startle people with heart disease.

21. Q: Whether EL wires are waterproof or not? A: EL wires are waterproof and can be used in water. Pay attention to sealing the connections and cutouts of EL wire body with waterproof glue. The driver cannot work in water.

22. Q: Can EL wire change color? A: Yes,color change of EL wire depends on combination of multi-core color and multi flash driver.

23. Q: Can glow EL wire scroll on or off? A: Yes, glow el wire scrolls and emits light. Connection method is to connect multiple segments separately, controlled by a multi flash driver, similar to a neon light.

24. Q: Can glow EL wire be directly connected to urban lighting electricity? A: Ordinary lighting cannot be connected to urban lighting electricity and must pass through driver,otherwise there may be danger. Urban power supply, excessive current usage.

25. Q: Why can glow EL wires glow? A: Electric field excites fluorescent powder to emit light, which is solid, non-toxic, harmless, and non radioactive.

26. Q: What is difference between a driver and a transformer? A:

  • Transformer is connected to power supply and DC driver (referring to DC12V, 3V, 6V, etc.), and transformer cannot make EL wire glow.
  • Driver is connected to EL wire. Driver is a specialized product.
  • DC transformer should input a current of 100-500m A to driver. High current can cause driver to heat up and burn out, especially when high current input driver and EL wire are short circuited, open circuited, or unloaded together, it will instantly burn out driver.

27. Q: Can luminescent EL wires of different colors and diameters be connected? A: It can be connected because lighting wire cores have same diameter, but more connections or joints there are, the higher the failure rate. Correct connection is crucial (see diagram of connection method or video). Connection of EL wire should be fixed to avoid bending.

28. How many colors are there for EL wires? A: Can be paired with various colors: red, blue, green, orange, white, purple, pink, yellow……

29. How many types of drivers are there for glow EL wire? A: we currently has 15 standard (commonly used) drivers and 85 non-standard (not commonly used) drivers

30. Q: How long can battery be used to drive? A:

  • using two high-energy new AA batteries, 3V drives a 1-meter EL wire to continuously light up for 30 hours
  • using 12V (8pcs AA batteries), 10 meter EL wire can glow for 50 hours, 60 meters long EL wire can light up 5 hours

31. Q: Does you have a patent? A: Lighted-Glow has its own patents.

32. Q: What is the tensile force borne by your EL wire? A: Diameter of 2.0mm can withstand a tensile force of less than 1Kg, and the special EL wire can withstand a tensile force of 40Kg

33. Q: What are the technical indicators for evaluating EL wire? A:

Brightness (Cd/m2), lifespan (hours), operating conditions (voltage, frequency)

Standard test: 90V, 200Hz, service life 5000 hours, brightness 10-2 Cd/m2; 110V, 400HZ, service life 3000 hours, brightness 60-2 Cd/m2; 130V, 1000HZ, service life 1000 hours, brightness 130-2 Cd/m2; 180V 4000HZ Service life 800 hours, brightness 300-5 Cd/m2

34. Q: When did EL wire research originate? A: Research began in United States in 1965. In 1995, ELAM in Israel began industrialization. In 1975, China began research, and in 2000, China has industrialization.

35. Q: When did electroluminescence technology originate? A: In 1930, relevant technological research began in United States. In 1960, the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences began research, and later separated the specialized research mechanisms, materials, and various devices from the Changchun Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1973, industrialization and promotion began, and in 1988, commercial technology transfer began.

36. Q: How much area of EL film is equivalent to 1 meter of EL wire? A: 1 meter emits approximately 15 square centimeters of light, with a power of approximately 0.15 watts.

37. Q: What are commonly used emission testing units for light-emitting devices? A:

  • luminous flux lumens/watt Lm lumens
  • illuminance lumens/meter Lux Lux (reflection from objects at a certain distance, commonly used for point light sources)
  • luminance candela/square meter Cd/m2 candela (unit area intensity, commonly used for surface light sources)

38. Q: Comparison of Common Illumination Levels? A:

  • Daylight 30000 to 100000 Lux
  • Office lighting 400 Lux
  • Starlight 0.00005 Lux

39. Q: Comparison of Common Luminous Fluxes? A:

  • Energy saving lamp 70 Lm
  • LED light 40 Lm
  • EL wire 28 Lm

40. Common brightness comparison? A:

  • TV screen 300 Cd/m2
  • high brightness EL wire 200 Cd/m2
  • ordinary LED 90 Cd/m2
  • glow luminous material with initial brightness of 3-5 Cd/m2

41. Can glow EL wires be made into ultra-thin flat surfaces for luminescence? A: After reasonable design, a double-sided ultra-thin luminescent board can be made.

42. What is the difference between your super bright EL wire and regular EL wire? A: Luminous intensity of a bright EL wire is 3 times that of a regular EL wire, and its lifespan is relatively reduced by 30%. Others remain unchanged.

43. Can glow EL wires be made into ultra-thin flat surfaces for luminescence? A: After reasonable design, a double-sided ultra-thin luminescent board can be made.

44. What is the difference between your highlighted glow EL wire and regular glow EL wire? A: Luminous intensity of a bright EL wire is three times that of a regular EL wire, and its lifespan is relatively reduced by 30%. Others remain unchanged.

45. Requirements for use of DC3V batteries with external power sockets? A: Requirements for use of DC3V batteries with external power sockets

46. Why do the colors of glow EL wires with different diameters change? A: Diameter of glow EL wire varies, and its color will vary within a certain range.

  • luminescence of EL wires with different diameters is mainly caused by the transparency of plastic dyes and the reflection of plastic thickness
  • in addition, different operating conditions of different drivers can also cause changes in the color of the light emitted
  • same diameter EL wire may have slight color differences due to process ingredient errors in different production batches.

47. Q: Suggestion for use of EL wires? A:

  • for indoor, clothing, toys, and advertising, it is recommended to use 0.8-2.0mm wires. Frequently curved luminous wires need to be specially manufactured
  • outdoor low building decoration (below 3 floors), it is recommended to use 2.0mm-5.0mm wires
  • for outdoor high building decoration (below 8 floors), it is recommended to use neon mesh lights to increase luminous area and increase visual distance

48. Q: Does Lighted-Glow producted which EL wire related products? A: Lighted-Glow company produces EL wire glasses, EL wire baseball cap, glow EL wire masks, EL wire light up hoodie, EL wire bow tie, EL wire necktie.

49. Q: Is it possible for EL cold light film and glow EL wires to generate heat during operation? A: There should be no heating during EL operation. If found, please immediately turn off and cut off the power supply. Heating is mainly caused by short circuits, which are caused by poor connections, short circuits at the ends, and poor contact with excessively bent electrodes

50. Q: What is the difference between EL luminescent film and EL wire? A: Principles of two are essentially the same. The former requires customization, has high costs, and shapes cannot be changed, making it impossible for users to implement it themselves; The latter has lowest cost and allows users to create their own patterns.

51. Q: EL wire price calculation method? A: Price of semi-finished products of EL wire is calculated in meters, and the driver is calculated separately on an individual basis. EL wire finished products are calculated by set and already include drivers.

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