One of the most common complaints we hear about EL Wire is not necessarily the wire itself, but the inverters. Nearly every el wire inverter or battery pack that has been made to date uses a very high frequency (generally over 1500Hz), which tend to make a loud humming noise which is in our audible range, and can be annoying in quiet environments. This is because most inverters are never really in tune. They rely on providing a wide range of applications, which is great for broad markets, but when trying to narrow down to a specific product, every inverter that has been built to date has fallen short.

In the past, we’ve relied on cheaper overseas inverters that have achieved illumination, but have habitually been poorly made, with cheap components making them unsuitable for mass market appeal. While they are fine for loud environments, like concerts and more, typical overseas inverters that make a loud humming noise can drive people nuts. In quiet environments like in home, this can be extremely annoying, and in retail spaces or bars, cause negative impact on customers. In addition, in order to achieve their illumination at the max levels, overseas inverters typically cheat and rely on ramping up the frequency to very high levels (sometimes up to 5000Hz), which not only degrades the EL Phosphor very quickly, but also makes the inverter sound like a dog whistle. Overseas inverter manufacturers are intending the product to be a “throw-away” item, so they do not expect their inverters to last longer than a few months. Which is also why the price has been driven down to absurdly low levels, in order to compete on a global scale.

Ellumiglow has a different approach. We value the environment, safety, and want to make products that last. In an effort to further Electroluminescent technology, we have been hard at work creating the thing holding EL lighting back from the masses; a robust, quiet, and compact inverter. Our approach is to make the best powering devices and inverters we can, to not only make Electroluminescent materials illuminate as long as possible, but also to be infinitely safer, reduce noise up to 95%, and increase reliability. In Engineering these changes, EL materials like VynEL™ lighting all of a sudden have the ability to be integrated into countless products, because the lighting element can last as long as the products they’re being integrated into.

We are excited to introduce our lineup of compact inverters, made specifically for wearable applications, called Tinko. Tinko uses a high tech approach to an old problem, and comes in 4 variations, depending on your specific need; Tinko Hush, Tinko Tour, Tinko Mood, and Tinko Roam. Let’s dive into how each one operates. Tinko Hush is the world’s most compact and quiet inverter on the market. Its small in size, but not short on power. It can power up to 36sqin of VynEL™ or up to 12ft of EL Wire. Next, the Tinko Tour is made specifically for applications like bikes. This builds on the Tinko Hush platform and outputs the brightest light out of any EL Inverter on the market. On this one, we cranked it up to 11! Tinko Mood is for applications that need to push a button to turn on or off, like stage performances, or even if you want to blink or fade your EL material. Tinko Roam is our newest inverter which builds on the Bluetooth 4.0 platform and allows your garment or EL application to be controlled through your smartphone.

The Tinko lineup is specially made to power very specific applications beautifully. We tune and engineer each Tinko inverter to a very precise application in order to be as efficient, bright, and quiet as possible. This makes it perfect for wearable applications like outerwear, athleisure, safety, outdoor products and more. The entire Tinko Lineup runs on 5V, and uses a Micro USB connection. Like millions of power bank (cell phone charging) batteries already on the market, simply find the battery capacity you need and you’re off and glowing. For more information on Tinko EL Inverters, or how to incorporate a custom Tinko Inverter into your product lineup, please contact us by emailing info@ellumiglow.com or call 877.615.6556.