How To Connect Split EL Tape

Take a look at the video below for a tutorial on how to connect EL Tape. 

 

For this tutorial, you will need the following items:

 

EL Tape
Inverter
Hot Glue/Gun
Soldering Iron/Solder
Wire Strippers
Crimp Connectors
Lead Wire/Speaker Wire

Step by Step Instructions to connect Split EL Tape:

1. Cut the end you intend on connecting with a pair of standard household scissors. Making a straight cut ensures your tape glows all the way to the connection point. 

 

2. Solder Lead wire to your crimp connectors. This can be done after attaching the crimp connectors to the lamp, but it''s personal preference in which order this occurs. Making sure you have a solid connection of lead wire to the crimp connectors will make sure there is a strong current to pass from inverter to tape. 

 

3. Crimp! - Take your crimp connectors and place on each side of the scribe line (line that runs down the middle of the tape). Think of this as the line that separates the positive and negatives. Make sure that you leave enough room on each side that the crimp connectors do not enter into the scribe line when crimped. Doing so will short out your tape and nothing will glow. Once aligned, take a pair of pliers and squeeze down on the crimp connectors. This will pierce all the way through the laminate and give a solid bond between wires and EL Tape. 

 

4. Test 1 - At this point, you should be able to figure out if your connection is done properly. Without touching the bare metal parts of the connector, connect the Molex connector to the inverter and turn on. If your EL Tape lights up, you made your connection correctly. If not, then you most likely are touching the scribe line with your crimp connectors, or they did not pierce all the way through the laminate. 

 

5. Hot Glue - After confirming your connection was a success, it''s now time to make your connected area secure. Adding hot glue to the connection area makes the tape bond with the connectors and makes it very difficult to pull out. It also keeps you from getting shocked by your connection area. We recommend using a couple pieces of aluminum to dissipate the heat properly. If this is not available, then add extra hot glue around your connection point, then cut with a razor blade or scissors. If using aluminum blocks, add a generous amount of hot glue around your connection area, and press the aluminum blocks around the hot glue firmly for about 5-10 seconds. When you release, you will notice a smooth surface on the top and bottom of your connector. The ends will most likely be very ugly at this point. Simply take your scissors and cut a triangular shape to make the connection clean.

 

6. Test 2 – You’re done. Make sure to test again to make sure nothing was jostled loose, and you should be ready to glow!