NinjaCalc
Electroluminescence
This page is about electrical devices that glow due to electroluminescence. For other electrical components that emit light, check out the IR Devices page, the LED page, LCD Screen page, or the OLED page.
The principle way electroluminescence is created in current electronics is by applying an AC waveform across a thin layer of phosphor. This can be treated as a capacitor, with the phosphor being the dielectric. The phosphor glows as a small amount of current passes through it.
EL Wire
Electroluminescent wire is a thin copper wire, coated in phosphor, then again wrapped with another copper wire, and glows when a medium-voltage AC waveform is applied across the two conductive materials. The AC waveform is normally between 100-240V, and the frequency between 100-1000Hz.
EL Panels
EL panels are similar to EL wire, except they are made into big, flexible sheets.