Here are some preliminary pics:
The first pic has the plexi glass laid on top of the el wire. The protective plastic is still on the plexi, it will look a lot better after I peel that off.
This next pic is with the plexi glass removed..
The picture below is the back of the marquee.
Notice the little black box? This is the driver. It steps up the 12 volt DC and changes it to a high frequency AC. The high frequency AC is what makes the wire glow. I tried connecting a piece of the wire directly to 120 VAC house current. It glows, but not as bright as it does when connected to the driver.
Although I could have just connected the el wire to a 120 volt plug, I would rather spend the extra 6 bucks for the driver, that way I can keep everything low voltage, which should be safer.
Notice the loop in the wire? This is where it leaves the "E" and enters the "R" on the front of the marquee.
I measured the current draw. At 12 .5 VDC it draws 28.6 milliamps. (0.0286 amp).
So a very simple "wall wart" 12 VDC adapter should work great to power this baby.
I bought the wire at http://www.coolneon.com
You will need to know how to solder if you plan on using this wire. It comes with pretty easy instructions, and I think you can buy the wire with a plug already soldered on. Might be the best way to go. You can see the plug between the driver and the end of the EL wire.
In any case, check out the website, or google search el wire.
The marquee has been turned on now for over an hour, and I dont feel any heat at all coming off of it. I think I may be on to something here..
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