OK, now I need some help from the DIY Light it up Veterans
So, I soldered my first El Wire last night. Lost the original connector that came on the El wire. The two lead wires broke off of the plastic connector. Instead of just soldering the new lead wires to the ends of the old lead wires, I thought I'd be brave and go straight to the EL Wire. I lost about 7" because I couldn't get the protective layer to come off without taking the phosphor layer with it. Had it a couple times, then as I would move the back pack around, the connection would short, and the Inverter/battery pack would turn off. Do you know if most of the inverters automatically turn off if they get shorted out?
Then on try 3, before I shrink tubbed it, I was looking at it real close in low light, and I could see it arcing between the two corona wires and the center conductor. I thought I had the center conductor entirely shrink tubbed. Each time, after I had it soldering and working, in a little while it would eventually just come apart where I believe it was arcing. I got one last time, and it seemed real good. So I went to bed. This morning I was showing my girlfriend that I'd gotten it, I could swing the backpack all around and it would stay on. Then all of a sudden it kicked off again. SHIT!
I think the main reason I'm having so much trouble stripping the protective clear layer back, with out the phosphor crumbling is that the EL wire has been on the back pack since before last burn. Its been through hell and back. There are places along the wire that are "dark" then I pinch them and that spot lights up. Which leads me to believe there are already issues with the El wire.
I'm figuring that since the EL wire is on a backpack that gets used and abused 24/7 at the burn, its been damaged.
I've already lost about as much El Wire as I can spare. The leads/connector that came with the new inverter/BP are already as far as they can go, with out having to find a new place for the battery pack. I could extend the leads from the connector, then solder the extended wire to the el wire. But then from the battery pack to the el wire there would be 1 connector, 1 solder joint, and then a 2nd solder joint to the el wire.
Any tips?