Duration: Normally about 10 minutes but this will depend on your skills :)
Level of difficulty: Easy
The little tools you'll need :
- El wire (that helps!)
- Connection kit for el wire
- Pewter
- Soldering iron with fine tip
- Wire stripper
- Cutting pliers
- Cutter
- Heat gun
- A third hand (not essential, but handy ;) )
Step 1: Measure the length of the el wire to cut
Well, let's start with something very simple: take your el wire and measure the desired size. So far, so good :)
Stage 2: Coupe du el wire
Cut your neon with the wire cutters. With a pair of scissors, also works very well.
Step 3: Stripping the first plastic sheath
Watch out, it gets tougher :) With the wire stripper, remove the plastic sheath from the neon on about 1cm (we're not into millimetres, are we!)
Step 4: Access to the second plastic sheath
Tadaa! Now you can see the second transparent plastic sheath appear! Neon is a funny little thing, it plays tricks !
Step 5: Stripping the second plastic sheath
Then, using the wire stripper, remove the second insulation.
Step 6: Appearance of phosphorus powder
This is it! You're finally going to find out what's inside this neon: a central wire covered in phosphor powder and 2 tiny wires.
Step 7: Phosphorus scraping
Use the cutter to remove the phosphor layer covering the center wire. Just scrape lightly.
As a precautionary measure, we remind you to be careful when using this type of tool: the blade is very sharp (if not, change your cutter!), so be careful when handling it, and put the blade away when you're not using it.
Step 8: Tinning the wires
Double precaution: you're going to use a tool that generates heat. As a result, the tip of the soldering iron becomes very hot when plugged in. So don't touch the tip, or you could get burned. That would be a shame!
As we're super-equipped, we've got a third hand to hold the neon while we tin the neon wires. For your information, here's the definition of the verb to tin: To cover (a metal, a metal utensil) with a thin layer of tin. Back to our subject: to tin the wires, simply place the soldering iron tip with the tin on the center wire. The tin will spread over the wire. If your soldering iron has a thermostat, set it to 280°C.
Step 9: Inserting the first heat-shrink tube
Watch out, we're changing products! Heat-shrink tubing the widest into the connector.
Step 10: Inserting the second heat-shrink tube
Then put the 2 small sheaths on each wire connector.
Step 11: Weld the connector to the el wire
We take the el wire !Now you can solder the neon wires to the connector wires. Since there's no polarity, you can take any of the neon wires and solder them to one of the connector wires. Place the tip of your iron (hot, of course!) on the center wire and make contact with one of the connector wires. The tin you put on the center wire and the tin on the connector wires will mix.
Remove the soldering iron and hold the connection for a few seconds.
Repeat the same procedure with the second connector wire and the 2 thin neon wires.
We didn't lose anyone?
Step 12: Heating the small heat-shrink tubes
Let's get out one last tool! Triple precaution: once again, this is a tool that generates heat, so be careful not to burn yourself !
Position the 2 small heat-shrink tubes at the welds. Heat with a heat gun (a powerful hair dryer can do the same job) to shrink the sheaths (as the name suggests).
Step 13: Heating the main shrink tubing
We're on the right track! Position the widest thermo jacket on wires and neon. This will isolate your connections.
Step 14: Test the el wire electroluminescent
Well, that's it! Your neon is ready to be plugged into any inverter of your choice. Please note: theinverter is specific to electroluminescent neon.
Last but not least: don't forget to put the termination cap on the section you've cut. This will allow you to isolate neon. To hold it in place, use silicone adhesive.
We hope you understood everything :)