Electroluminescent wire art
This entry describes my efforts to blend acrylic
paint, a gessoed flat-panel art board, and electroluminescent wire into a single
work or art. There's a brief description of what EL technology and wire are.
There are photographs of the first artwork using these techniques in a variety
of environments (lit, unlit, light room, dark room). There'll be a few more of
these artworks as I've got a number of ideas to pursue which will take this to
the next level - interactive and "moving" (actually changing colors and
brightness levels).
A bit of
background...
Electroluminescence is the quality of producing photons while a current flows. Flat panels using electroluminescent characteristics have been around since the mid-1960's when Sylvania introduced a "night light" which was about a quarter-inch thick and which plugged directly into a wall outlet. These early "panels" glowed a very faint turquoise and were really only effective as a "runway" light for people in halls and bathrooms. They were not very bright but did last nearly "forever" and drew something like one-thousandth-of-a-watt so they were even more parsimonious than the 7-watt "Christmas" bulb nightlights.
Both night light technologies have advanced considerably in the intervening 40 years. The EL panels now come in a variety of shapes (oval, square, round, rectangular) and in a limited range of colors (light green, light blue, blue-green (turquoise), and a sickly yellow-green) and are made by a fairly wide number of "light" companies. The 7-watt bulb night lights now come with a selenium sensor which means they no longer require "turning on" since they detect darkness and automatically activate.
Initially the technology was developed for backlighting of military equipment panels. There's hardly a car dashboard manufacturer these days which doesn't offer one or another flavor of EL-backlit instruments for automakers. The classic "blue" dashboard of Daimler-Chrysler products is an EL product. It's an astonishingly simple technology: get a phosphor which will emit photons when excited by electrons; coat a conducting panel with the phosphor and overlay micro-thin wires on top; connect the two ends to any alternating current in a range of voltages from 10 to 120; voila! Recently, that is in the past half-decade, this technology has advanced to the point that a "wire" can now be made which is electroluminescent. It's a simple technology and only required advanced sputtering and coating techniques to apply to wire. The EL wire is made in a variety of thicknesses ranging from 1.2 mm up to about 3.5 mm. A single copper wire (gauge 18 through 14 seem to be popular) is coated with a phosphor. The phosphors are available in a range from pale "red" through dark green and blue and include "yellows" and "whites" which are really shades of pale blue. This is the same physics, by the way, which is at work in a cathode-ray tube - electrons strike a phosphor causing it to emit a photon (or two...). The phosphor-doped wire is then stranded with a dual-helix of what appears to be gauge 64 wire (hair-thin). This wire-phosphor-wire combination is then coated with a thin, optically transparent, layer of vinyl for physical integrity and protection of the phosphor and the thin wires. This assembly is then coated with a slightly thicker vinyl covering which acts in some cases as a filter to allow the light to achieve a certain wavelength. Some of the final vinyl coverings are also fluorescent in that they glow from within at the same wavelength as the wire. Some of the colors are achieved much the same way neon tubes work in that the coating glows but also blocks some of the wavelengths creating a "light" of the desired color.
To terminate this one takes the inside copper wire as one lead and the dual helix thin wires together as the other lead. The physics allow for a voltage range from about 10 through about 120 volts. The technology only works with alternating current or a continuous stream of electrons in the case of CRTs. For the EL wire, the frequency also acts as an additional determinant for the output color. Frequencies from about 30 Hertz up through about 8000 are effective. Once the wire is properly terminated, connecting an alternating current to the leads produces electroluminescence from the wire. Lifetime of the wires is predicated on the useful light output of the phosphors coated on the wire and ranges from one to three years for continuous use. The range is based on the voltage/frequency applied. The wires don't really "die," the phosphor coating simply becomes too depleted and the light output drops accordingly. Eventually it will probably resemble the output from a very old ATM CRT tube. For that reason I've added a power switch; alternatively, one could put items like this on timers to extend the overall "light" life.
Below are several images taken during the construction/assembly phase and of the "finished" EL art work. Haven't given this a title yet, but since I have this really strong and lurking suspicion that this will be the start of a series of these things, I'll have to actually begin to think about titles and things like that. I say that because I somewhat object to those artists whose work I've seen and who give their work titles such as "untitled 1," "untitled 10," and so on. Untitled? Really? Yes!
The work area where I have been doing the painting and sketching. Tool boxes and
other items abound. The wire is shown lit with the little power converters collectively
connected to a 3 volt wall wart.
Closer look at the acrylic painting with holes drilled to allow for weaving of the EL wire
into a pattern. Initially, the EL wire power converters ran on two penlights, but after
testing the life of a penlight I decided to go with the 3 volt adapter. The batteries
provided power for about only 18 hours and then were deep-drained.
An oblique view into the corner area. This is a great spot for visual arts work because
of all the light and the corner shelf (bench, too) providing extra work space. Ideally,
I'd like to put a drafting table or something like that in this area so I could more easily
work the various projects. Presently I'm squatting or kneeling or sitting cross-legged
on the floor, which is fine, but which is often not the correct physical position for me
and what I need to be doing with a painting or something like this EL project.
Closer angled view of the work area with spool of solder, tool boxes and other items
associated with this particular project along with existing art in progress.
The backside of the finished EL art work with the "inside" weave of the various four strands of EL wire
going back and forth through the various holes. Since the EL wire I purchased was in five-foot lengths,
and being a frugal Scotsman at heart, I wove the various strands in such a way that the entire five-feet
was being used. I could as easily have just snipped off the extra wire with no consequences too. The
white item in the lower left is the 3 volt wall wart and it's soldered directly to the 120 volt AC lead in.
The switch powers on or off the output of the 3 volt wall wart. When it's "on" the 3 volts is connected to the
leads of the four power converters which in turn are connected to the EL wire lead-out wires. The
silver lumpy mess in the lower right is three feet of hollow-core lead wire attached to the bottom of the
frame with epoxy to add significant weight so the whole thing wouldn't tip over.
This is the front of the EL art work with the wires in place but not active.
This is the exact same image as above but with the EL wires activated. In broad daylight they "do" glow and
appear very luminescent - which actually is somewhat hard to capture digitally because of all the conflicting
light values in a scene like this. Compare the wires in this to the image above and you'll see the difference, though.
And, of course, in the dark the EL wire really does "glow" but in such a way that the actual in-person effect is
not exactly captured because the background art is now fairly dark and the EL wire almost too bright. Believe
me, though, the effect in person is much more dramatic and subtle at the same time. Subtle because I
used a very glossy over-wash on the sky and water portion of the artwork, leaving the mountain element
very flat. This gives it a "moonlit" appearance in a darkened or dimly-lit room.
I've already got a pretty slick idea I'm working on for a second EL art work - only this time it will be somewhat
interactive. I'll report back on this new project as it gets underway.
In the meantime, enjoy Spring when it arrives this weekend (well, officially arrives, it's been here in Seattle for
a month now and we're already in the fallen-petal stage of some of the trees, bushes and flowers).
Electroluminescence is the quality of producing photons while a current flows. Flat panels using electroluminescent characteristics have been around since the mid-1960's when Sylvania introduced a "night light" which was about a quarter-inch thick and which plugged directly into a wall outlet. These early "panels" glowed a very faint turquoise and were really only effective as a "runway" light for people in halls and bathrooms. They were not very bright but did last nearly "forever" and drew something like one-thousandth-of-a-watt so they were even more parsimonious than the 7-watt "Christmas" bulb nightlights.
Both night light technologies have advanced considerably in the intervening 40 years. The EL panels now come in a variety of shapes (oval, square, round, rectangular) and in a limited range of colors (light green, light blue, blue-green (turquoise), and a sickly yellow-green) and are made by a fairly wide number of "light" companies. The 7-watt bulb night lights now come with a selenium sensor which means they no longer require "turning on" since they detect darkness and automatically activate.
Initially the technology was developed for backlighting of military equipment panels. There's hardly a car dashboard manufacturer these days which doesn't offer one or another flavor of EL-backlit instruments for automakers. The classic "blue" dashboard of Daimler-Chrysler products is an EL product. It's an astonishingly simple technology: get a phosphor which will emit photons when excited by electrons; coat a conducting panel with the phosphor and overlay micro-thin wires on top; connect the two ends to any alternating current in a range of voltages from 10 to 120; voila! Recently, that is in the past half-decade, this technology has advanced to the point that a "wire" can now be made which is electroluminescent. It's a simple technology and only required advanced sputtering and coating techniques to apply to wire. The EL wire is made in a variety of thicknesses ranging from 1.2 mm up to about 3.5 mm. A single copper wire (gauge 18 through 14 seem to be popular) is coated with a phosphor. The phosphors are available in a range from pale "red" through dark green and blue and include "yellows" and "whites" which are really shades of pale blue. This is the same physics, by the way, which is at work in a cathode-ray tube - electrons strike a phosphor causing it to emit a photon (or two...). The phosphor-doped wire is then stranded with a dual-helix of what appears to be gauge 64 wire (hair-thin). This wire-phosphor-wire combination is then coated with a thin, optically transparent, layer of vinyl for physical integrity and protection of the phosphor and the thin wires. This assembly is then coated with a slightly thicker vinyl covering which acts in some cases as a filter to allow the light to achieve a certain wavelength. Some of the final vinyl coverings are also fluorescent in that they glow from within at the same wavelength as the wire. Some of the colors are achieved much the same way neon tubes work in that the coating glows but also blocks some of the wavelengths creating a "light" of the desired color.
To terminate this one takes the inside copper wire as one lead and the dual helix thin wires together as the other lead. The physics allow for a voltage range from about 10 through about 120 volts. The technology only works with alternating current or a continuous stream of electrons in the case of CRTs. For the EL wire, the frequency also acts as an additional determinant for the output color. Frequencies from about 30 Hertz up through about 8000 are effective. Once the wire is properly terminated, connecting an alternating current to the leads produces electroluminescence from the wire. Lifetime of the wires is predicated on the useful light output of the phosphors coated on the wire and ranges from one to three years for continuous use. The range is based on the voltage/frequency applied. The wires don't really "die," the phosphor coating simply becomes too depleted and the light output drops accordingly. Eventually it will probably resemble the output from a very old ATM CRT tube. For that reason I've added a power switch; alternatively, one could put items like this on timers to extend the overall "light" life.
Below are several images taken during the construction/assembly phase and of the "finished" EL art work. Haven't given this a title yet, but since I have this really strong and lurking suspicion that this will be the start of a series of these things, I'll have to actually begin to think about titles and things like that. I say that because I somewhat object to those artists whose work I've seen and who give their work titles such as "untitled 1," "untitled 10," and so on. Untitled? Really? Yes!
The work area where I have been doing the painting and sketching. Tool boxes and
other items abound. The wire is shown lit with the little power converters collectively
connected to a 3 volt wall wart.
Closer look at the acrylic painting with holes drilled to allow for weaving of the EL wire
into a pattern. Initially, the EL wire power converters ran on two penlights, but after
testing the life of a penlight I decided to go with the 3 volt adapter. The batteries
provided power for about only 18 hours and then were deep-drained.
An oblique view into the corner area. This is a great spot for visual arts work because
of all the light and the corner shelf (bench, too) providing extra work space. Ideally,
I'd like to put a drafting table or something like that in this area so I could more easily
work the various projects. Presently I'm squatting or kneeling or sitting cross-legged
on the floor, which is fine, but which is often not the correct physical position for me
and what I need to be doing with a painting or something like this EL project.
Closer angled view of the work area with spool of solder, tool boxes and other items
associated with this particular project along with existing art in progress.
The backside of the finished EL art work with the "inside" weave of the various four strands of EL wire
going back and forth through the various holes. Since the EL wire I purchased was in five-foot lengths,
and being a frugal Scotsman at heart, I wove the various strands in such a way that the entire five-feet
was being used. I could as easily have just snipped off the extra wire with no consequences too. The
white item in the lower left is the 3 volt wall wart and it's soldered directly to the 120 volt AC lead in.
The switch powers on or off the output of the 3 volt wall wart. When it's "on" the 3 volts is connected to the
leads of the four power converters which in turn are connected to the EL wire lead-out wires. The
silver lumpy mess in the lower right is three feet of hollow-core lead wire attached to the bottom of the
frame with epoxy to add significant weight so the whole thing wouldn't tip over.
This is the front of the EL art work with the wires in place but not active.
This is the exact same image as above but with the EL wires activated. In broad daylight they "do" glow and
appear very luminescent - which actually is somewhat hard to capture digitally because of all the conflicting
light values in a scene like this. Compare the wires in this to the image above and you'll see the difference, though.
And, of course, in the dark the EL wire really does "glow" but in such a way that the actual in-person effect is
not exactly captured because the background art is now fairly dark and the EL wire almost too bright. Believe
me, though, the effect in person is much more dramatic and subtle at the same time. Subtle because I
used a very glossy over-wash on the sky and water portion of the artwork, leaving the mountain element
very flat. This gives it a "moonlit" appearance in a darkened or dimly-lit room.
I've already got a pretty slick idea I'm working on for a second EL art work - only this time it will be somewhat
interactive. I'll report back on this new project as it gets underway.
In the meantime, enjoy Spring when it arrives this weekend (well, officially arrives, it's been here in Seattle for
a month now and we're already in the fallen-petal stage of some of the trees, bushes and flowers).
Posted: Thu - March 17, 2005 at 01:29 PM
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Published On: Jul 04, 2005 05:41 PM
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Published On: Jul 04, 2005 05:41 PM