Simple Hack - Multi-Level Sound-Activated EL Wire

[yardleydobon]

Sound-activated EL wire inverters that you can buy only turn the EL wire on or off when they detect sound. I wanted to light up many different colors, each at a different volume level. I did this by taking the inverter that comes with those sound-activated equalizer t-shirts and using it to light up EL wire instead. I connected five different colors of EL wire to the inverter: green, blue, yellow, white, and red. When the music is quiet but not silent only the green wire lights up, a little louder and the green and blue light up, louder still and green, blue, and yellow light up, and so on until all five colors are lit. It's a very simple hack, but a great way to add more animation to your EL wire decorations. Note that this inverter probably won't drive long lengths of EL wire very well, so this idea is better applied to smaller pieces of EL wire art. I drove five pieces of wire each four feet long with out a problem.

Here's a link to an in-depth description of this idea with a couple of example projects.

Please share this idea with your friends. I think it's a cool idea and want more people to know about it and use it to create animated art.

[motskyroonmatick]

Nice! Welcome to ePlaya!

[yardleydobon]

Thanks! If you know another place that would like to hear about this let them know please. Or tell me where and I'll go there and post about it.

[TonetheBMnoob]

Awesome! Was just checking out some EL wire stuff today. Any recomendations on diameter and the glow on the wire? I've never used the stuff but i found a website that sells 2.6mm and 5.0mm by the foot for pretty cheap. I'm asuming that the 5.0mm is much brighter but still unsure

[SuperNakedGirl]

Here is a link to battery operated el wire 26' in white, blue, green, or pink for $39.00

www.save-on-crafts.com/neon.html

Scroll down to middlelish of page

[dangerous]

Here is a link to battery operated el wire 26' in white, blue, green, or pink for $39.00

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/neon.html

Scroll down to middlelish of page

is 2.2mm too thin for use on clothing? perhaps only on a hat??

[junglesmacks]

For clothing, use the 3.2mm "phat" wire. It has a much more flexible coating and is perfect for clothing. We used it last year on the girls jacket and skirt with zero problems.. and it flexed like crazy.

[SuperNakedGirl]

We bought 4 total. Used 2 on our pvc pipe quad-wrapped around pvc pipe. Used the other 2 to attach to a blazer/jacket-winding and turning it all around the jacket. We had not one issue with any of the 4.