Light weight Electoluminescent (EL) driver?

[jesolins]

Hello All,
Does anyone have any good plan for how to build a simple always-on driver module for EL tape or wire? The ones that they come with are a bit too heavy for the heli I want to use it for. It seems minus the epoxy filler and plastic I could get it to lose enough weight. I would think a build from scratch 5-12V DC input 120V AC output driver/inverter would be simple. I can follow plans pretty well, just need some;)
Any ideas for this out there?
Thanks,
Jim

[simingx]

Try to look for those used by LCD displays and the like.

[jesolins]

Here is a photo of the insides of a simple flasher for the EL. I would like to make one that does not flash or is selectable. This one is powered by two 3v buttons and powers a couple of feet of EL wire or tape. What I see is a coil, some solid state devices, rectifiers?, caps and resistors. Anything I am missing? A schematic with values and types of something like this would help. If I could modify this one to stay on without any bad side effects, that would be great too.
Thanks!

[Tomapowa]

http://circuitrydesigns.com/dc/1113/el-driver-circuit.htm

http://circuitrydesigns.com/pdf/download.aspx?t=1113&s=056 an66f-I

Page 58.

Also... maybe these are helpful...
http://www.ortodoxism.ro/datasheets/on_semiconductor/MC33441-D.PDF

http://www.supertex.com/pdf/datasheets/HV853.pdf

http://www.makezine.com/extras/13.html

[jesolins]

Thanks Tomapowa, These are very helpful! I did not know they made IC's just for this purpose, even one with a built in coil I see too. The programable version looks like it would be great for getting some cool special effects lighting. Thanks!
Jim
http://circuitrydesigns.com/dc/1113/el-driver-circuit.htm

http://circuitrydesigns.com/pdf/download.aspx?t=1113&s=056 an66f-I

Page 58.

Also... maybe these are helpful...
http://www.ortodoxism.ro/datasheets/on_semiconductor/MC33441-D.PDF

http://www.supertex.com/pdf/datasheets/HV853.pdf

http://www.makezine.com/extras/13.html

[westfw]

There are EL drivers intended for watches and such that are very tiny. But read the datasheet very carefully: these usually produce something like 80Vp-p at 400Hz, which is what EL backlight panels seem to want. EL wire, on the other hand, wants something closer to 110Vrms (300Vp-p !!) at 2000Hz.
Some very nice folk at Toko once sent me an evaluation board for one of their El driver chips, complete with multiple inductors, and it turned out to be nearly useless for driving EL wire (very dim.)

[jesolins]

Thanks for your inputs. I also found this recently: http://www.talkingelectronics.com/projects/Electroluminescence/LitELine05.html
Many good options now!
Cheers,
Jim