This could be due to a number of reasons. We send animations out in various file formats.
For .exe files you will need to save the file to your hard drive and then run it from there. If your email program / firewall did not allow the file to get through to you, we will send it in a .zip file.
A .gif is a graphics file that will require an image viewing program that will accept animated gif file. If you are not sure, you can save the file to your hard drive and then open it with you internet browser to view the animation.
When you want to wash your shirt, you will need to remove the driver from the shirt and unplug it from the fashion piece.
You must then detach the fashion piece from the T-shirt.
The T-shirt should then be washed and the driver and fashion piece replaced.
Depending on the quality of the batteries you use and the size of your fashion piece you can expect 6-48 hours of operation.
We highly recommend using rechargeable Lithium batteries should you be using your T-Shirts for promotions.
You can use 4 AAA batteries. Some of the drivers can be run off mains by using a DC adaptor.
Ensure that the adaptor meets the requirements as printed on the driver unit.
With the standard Firewater Light T-shirt and fashion piece, the connection is simple:
- From the front of the shirt, place the connector pins through the button hole of the shirt.
- Place the fashion piece firmly in place with the Velcro.
- Take the plug end of the driver cable and attach it on the inside of the T-shirt to the pins of the fashion piece.
- Securely place the driver in the inside pocket of the shirt.
We can create a single sheet up to 800mmx600m.
It is however possible to place many of these single sheets together to obtain the desired effect.
The EL driver is the power source and the "brain" to control the flashing pattern of the EL. They are connected by standard interface, 7-pin male/female connector.
When a garment is to be washed, just unplug the connector and take away the EL driver and the EL lamp from the garment. After the garment is dried, everything can put back.
The IT-9361 Smart EL Driver can be modified both in hardware and software to provide the control of up to 10 ports.
Precisely how it can be done has to be discussed with us in details before a solution is suggested by Firewater Light.
EL lamp can be designed to have a variety of characteristics, but just to let you have a rough idea of what it is, below are the standard characteristics. The actual characteristics are by no means limited by the parameters below :
Operating Voltage : 60-220Vac
Operating Frequency : 50-2000Hz
Brightness Range : See Table Below
Operating Temperature : 0 … +50 degree C
Storage Temperature : -65 … +85 degree C
Colours : See Table Below
Service Life : Approx. 1500 hours
Standard Thickness : 0.5mm
Weight : 0.1gm/cm2
Power Consumption : Approx. 2mW/cm2
Current Draw : Approx. 0.14mA/cm2
29 | 85 | 85 | 18 | 18 |
586 | 500 | 506 | 455 | 613 |
For IT-9362, the flashing pattern is a simple sequential pattern, i.e., 1-2-3-4-5.... in this sequence, with one port flashing at any moment of time
In the IT-9361, it is a more advanced model, controlled by software, which means the customer can request the flashing in any sequence, repeat, in order to achieve the best visual impact on their brand or logo.
Moreover, the IT-9361 has a pushbutton allowing user to select among 4 other standard patterns, such as sequential, random, roaming, queuing.
The IT-9361 is defined to control 5 ports. The standard interface is 7-pin, with common line on both ends. It means that regardless of how the consumers connect the male/female connectors, the EL driver will work normally. The flashing pattern is just reversed.
The light output of a lamp can be measured in terms of radiometric or photometric quantities. Radiometric quantities measure the total light output power of the lamp, regardless of wavelength.
However, the human eye does not sense all wavelengths. Therefore, EL lamp brightness, or luminance, is usually specified in terms of photometric units, which account for the eyes' sensitivity.
Values of luminance are usually given in units of Foot-Lambert [FL] i.e. [lm/ft2], or [Apostilb] i.e. [lm/m2], or [Nit] i.e. Candela/m2 [Cd/m2], etc. Since buyers may not have the sensitive instrument to measure the brightness, we only can use a comparative approach and sample confirmation to finalize the brightness defined by the customer.
Unlike filament or fluorescent lamps, EL lamps do not catastrophically or abruptly fail.Instead the lamp brightness will gradually decrease over long periods of use, EL lamp life is affected by voltage, frequency, temperature, and humidity.
Humidity is by far the strongest contributor to shortened lamp life unless special manufacturing processes are employed. However, even in the absence of humidity, the phosphor itself will gradually lose its efficiency over time and the lamp brightness will gradually decrease.
Unfortunately, quantifying lamp life is difficult because of variations in use, environment and operating conditions. Generally, lamp life can be defined in terms of the time it takes the lamp brightness to decrease to a percentage of its original value under well defined operating conditions.
The nominal voltage and frequency for EL lamp are 115 Volts and 400 Hertz (Hz).
These values originated from the initial aircraft use of EL lamps and represent the standard voltage and frequency in aircraft. However, EL lamp operation is not tied to these values.
Varying the lamp voltage or frequency will change the lamp brightness and, to some extent, the colour. For example, increasing the voltage increases lamp brightness, whereas increasing the frequency will increase lamp brightness and shift the colour slightly to blue. However, increasing voltage and frequency will reduce lamp life.
EL is driven by AC power. It can be designed to be driven directly by 110/220 AC without adding any additional circuit. However, a lighted EL is of less use than a flashing one, which can catch the eyes attention.
Therefore, we need to use software to control the flashing pattern, and this is what an EL driver is supposed to do. Another need is to convert low voltage DC power from the dry cells such as 6VDC, to over 220V AC, and this is also the job commonly found in EL driver.
Electroluminescent lamps are devices which convert electrical energy into light or luminescence; the term luminescence is generally associated with solids that generate light. In the case of electroluminescence, an electric field (voltage) is applied to a thin phosphor layer to produce light.
The typical lamp consists of light emitting phosphor sandwiched between two conductive electrodes (one of the electrodes is optically clear allowing light to escape). As an AC voltage is applied to the electrodes, the electric field causes the phosphor to rapidly charge and discharge, resulting in the emission of light during each cycle. Since the number of light pulses depends on the magnitude of applied voltage, the brightness of EL lamps can generally be controlled by varying the operating voltage and frequency.
The main drawback with EL displays is that they currently cannot provide full colour.
Full colour requires a good blue emitting phosphor, but none having suitable brightness, efficiency and longevity has yet been found.
Research is being done to grow materials such as cerium doped strontium sulphide using a method called atomic layer epitaxy (ALE).
- Complex lamp shapes made to customer specifications; EL lamps can backlight the most intricate instrument panels and keypads
- Flat and flexible lighting systems are designed so they can be employed in difficult to reach areas or areas inaccessible with conventional lighting
- Cold light sources; electroluminescent lamps produce virtually no heat, making them ideal for use in areas where heat from conventional lighting is a problem (for example, backlighting heat sensitive transparencies).
- Comprehensive range of lamp colours; lamps can be manufactured in a wide range of colours to meet specific colour correct or visual effects requirements.
An EL device resembles a sandwich in that it is comprised of a light emitting material placed in between two insulating layers. This structure in turn is then placed between two conducting electrodes. A light emitter or phosphor- typically zinc sulphide doped with manganese- is placed in between the insulating layers.
Aluminium and indium tin oxide (ITO), which is a transparent conductive metal, are used as the electrodes. When the voltage exceeds a well defined threshold, the emitter breaks down and conducts current. The current excites the manganese ions, which give off light.
Electroluminescent (EL) Lamps are flexible, flat, thin, cold illumination sources that can be cut into complex shapes for lighting LCD displays, aircraft instrument panels, architectural accents, advertising signage, and special effects for movies, television, the theatre, and theme parks.