Last year I built four sequencers that each ran 14 segments of EL wire off a single display driver chip. The driver chip was expensive ($21) and the triacs were really expensive ($1 ea) and old (RCA surplus triacs and I couldnt find any datasheets)- these were the big units with the heatsink on the top with the hole to screw the heatsink onto things (at least that's what I think it's for). I noticed others who have been building similar sequencers but using small triacs that look almost like transistors and that run around 30 cents apiece? Also, the optoisolators/triac drivers I used were pretty pricey too.
What are your favorite triacs and optos for building sequencers?
Also, I realized that the wost thing I could have done was wire the segments to the triac board using those white plastic snap-connectors. What are your favorite connectors tohook up your EL-wire to your boards?
here's the URL to a video someone took of my EL-wire sign last year...
www.youtube.com/watch
What are your favorite triacs and optos for building sequencers?
Also, I realized that the wost thing I could have done was wire the segments to the triac board using those white plastic snap-connectors. What are your favorite connectors tohook up your EL-wire to your boards?
here's the URL to a video someone took of my EL-wire sign last year...
www.youtube.com/watch
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Cleveland
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Re: Recommended Triacs and Optoisolators
Thu, July 12, 2007 - 8:20 PMThe standard one is the TO-92 package L401E3 or one of its many equivalents, 400V 1A
I have been using a surface mount 'compak' package, the Teccor Q4X3, 400V .8 A
Note that these are polar devices, it makes a difference which leg you hook to ground.
I have been making boards with the Cool Neon mini connector, which used to be a standard AMP part but they now have custom made. They are small and easy in/out with just a bit of detent.
Check out the PicAxe microcontroller for a slightly cheaper option, you can also use I2C I/O expanders to drive multiple channels from 1 small PIC. -
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Re: Recommended Triacs and Optoisolators
Thu, July 12, 2007 - 11:31 PMMy 128-channel sequencer isn't going to be done in time for BM, as the art car for which I was building it had to be shelved for another year. But I built a 16-channel prototype using 600 Volt 1 Amp ST Triacs from Mouser (511-Z0103MA). These were about 25 cents in small quantities. I didn't find that the triacs were all that expensive, but the optos were another story, both in terms of component cost and board space. I was using Fairchild MOC3031Ms (Mouser 512-MOC3031-M) which were about 85 cents a pop. I found that I could get by without the optos and plan to drive the triacs directly with TTL logic for the final 128-channel behemoth.
You can read more about my project here: www.oceanbeach.com/ches/tra...ndex.html
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Re: Recommended Triacs and Optoisolators
Thu, August 2, 2007 - 11:37 PMI've been wondering if you can use just the optos to drive some wire. In theory, they're a sort of optically-triggered triac on the output side, rated at 50 to 100mA or so, which ought to be good for significant amounts of EL wire (spec sheet says 10mA per foot for 110V@2kHz, less at lower voltages or frequencies...)
