ELECTRO-
LUMINESCENT
(EL) WIRE
It’s easy to work
with flexible strands
of light.
By Louis M. Brill and Steve Boverie
Photograph by Sam Murphy
An electric field can excite phosphorescent
materials to glow; that’s the principle of electroluminescence. Since the mid-1970s, this cool
form of illumination has back-lit flat panels for
gauges and small displays, and in the 1990s a
company called Elam found a way to create the
same glow from bendable, shapeable wire.
Electroluminescent wire, aka EL wire or lightwire,
soon became a favorite medium for creative electronics projects that light up at night. The wire’s
flexibility and length let you draw and animate
on a grand scale. Its durability withstands harsh
treatment and environments. It stays cool and
draws far less power than neon or rope lights or
even LEDs. And its otherworldly color can lend its
creations an almost hallucinatory look.
This article describes how lightwire works
and how you can bend it to your will. »
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