1. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 1
Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ)
March 2011
Loren Karl Schwappach
Supervising Professor: Pamela Hoffman
Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering
Colorado Technical University
Colorado Springs, CO
Abstract: The objective of this project is to solve a problem and engineer a solution using appropriate
requirements and specifications that satisfy the design problem. For this paper a Digital Electroluminescent
Jacket was engineered and constructed to act as an attention gathering device for school events and activities.
The Jacket was designed using electroluminescent wire, an LED display and an LED matrix. The complete design
process from the development o requirement specifications to test plan, options selected, design alternatives
approached, project milestones, and final evaluation of the solution are talked about in this paper.
I. INTRODUCTION Digital apparel has also been showcased in events such
as Super Bowl XLV, the 2008 Olympic Games, and the movie
T HIScapstone project is based on the design process used
for engineering the solution to a problem. The problem
Tron Legacy. With only a limited number of designers and
new breakthroughs in technology happening every day,
this paper looks to solve is the attraction and recruitment of
digital apparel is becoming an attractive venture.
individuals both young and old into fields of science and
engineering. Specifically focusing on a solution that can
demonstrate the creativity and imagination involved in
engineering and design. To this end a Digital
Electroluminescent Jacket (code named DEJ) was developed
to pull in crowds at school conferences and events. This
paper will examine the reasoning, theory, and design process
used in the engineering of this solution the DEJ!
II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Digital apparel is clothing enhanced with digital [1]
components IE. timers, clocks, light emitting diodes (LED),
transistors, ICs, switches, etc. that allow the apparel to do
things such as illumination, device controlling, etc. While
researching Digital apparel on the World Wide Web I could
find less than a handful of designers. One of the most
noteworthy designers discovered was Janet Cooke Hansen
[1].
Janet is the President and Chief Fashion Engineer of
Enlighted Designs, Inc. (http://enlighted.com). Janet founded
Enlightened Designs to fulfill a dream as a light-up clothing
designer. Janet has a Ph.D. in Applied Mechanics and
[4]
Engineering Sciences/Bioengineering from UC San Diego [2].
She has created digital apparel for performers like Superbus,
N.A.S.A., Christina Aguilera, M.I.A., Bow Wow, Pink, Incubus,
Daft Punk, and Korn, R Kelly [3]. Her designs have sold from
hundreds to several thousands of dollars. Some of Janet’s
designs to include a scarf and motorcycle jacket are shown in
this report [4] and [5].

2. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 2
6. Presentation finalized:
 14 March 2011
7. IEEE Report finalized:
 18 March 2011
VII. SPECIFICATIONS
The design specifications for the digital jacket are
covered in four categories:
[5]
 Functional Requirements
 Interface Requirements
 Performance Requirements
III. PURPOSE
 Qualification Requirements
The purpose of this project is to develop a jacket that can
be used to demonstrate to people that the fields of electrical
and computer engineering are not limited to computers and
chip design. The jacket shall also demonstrate a design that A. Functional Requirements
shows how engineering can often require artistic and highly In order to appropriately solve the problem of designing
imaginative individuals and find wide application within a jacket to draw attention that incorporates
numerous industries including the often overlooked fashion electroluminescence, messages, and LEDs the following
industry. functional requirements were selected for the design of the
DEJ.
IV. PROPOSAL
The proposal for this project was to create a digital jacket
that fulfills the project purpose by being capable of bright
illumination using electroluminescent wiring and several
hundred flashing LED lights in programmable patterns. The
digital jacket shall also be capable of displaying customizable
messages.
V. CUSTOMER
The digital jacket was designed with the intention to be Table 1: Functional Requirements
used by companies, schools, and businesses as an attention
gathering device used by schools, recruiters, sales personnel,
and others to draw in students and customers. B. Interface Requirements
Interface requirements specify the things needed to
allow parts to intercommunicate. These requirements follow.
VI. MILESTONES
The milestones for the development of the digital jacket
included:
1. Requirement specifications document prepared by:
 24 January 2011
2. Schedule and Budget document prepared by:
 24 January 2011
3. Test Plan and Detailed Test Procedures prepared by:
 24 January 2011
4. Tests completed by:
 4 March 2011
5. Product finalized by: Table 2: Interface Requirements
 9 March 2011

3. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 3
C. Performance Requirements IX. DESIGN CONCEPTS
In order for the jacket to be mobile it will need to The following show some design Visio rendered concepts
perform using mobile power source, therefore: during the initial and late design process stages used in the
creation of the digital electroluminescent jacket:
A. Stage 1: 1st Visio Draft
Below illustrates the first concept of the DEJ.
Table 3: Performance Requirements
D. Qualification Requirements
To qualify as a solution that can be worn and utilized in
the most effective manner the following Qualifications:
Table 4: Qualification Requirements
VIII. DESIGN BENEFITS
The specifications for this project were designed to
incorporate the following benefits: st
Figure 1: 1 Draft of the Digital Jacket (Back)
1. Extra Large Leather Jacket
Using a XL leather Jacket allows the jacket maximum
customizability and audience use and just looks cool.
2. Electroluminescent Wire
Electroluminescent wire (EL-Wire) is cheap, affordable,
bright, uses little current (Highly Efficient) and is capable of
360 degree illumination.
3. LED Message Display
LED message displays look sharp, clean, and can be used
for promoting various activities.
Figure 2: 1st Draft of the Digital Jacket (Front)
4. Large LED Matrix
B. Stage 2: 2nd Visio Draft enhance w/explanations
The LED matrix shall allow the user to create large,
bright, artistic images. Below illustrates the second concept of the DEJ. Now
adding a sound sensitive switch to the jacket.

4. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 4
Figure 5: 3rd Draft of the Digital Jacket (Front)
Figure 3: 2nd Draft of the Digital Jacket (Front)
Figure 6: 3rd Draft of the Digital Jacket (Back)
D. Stage 4: Final Visio Draft for Future Prototype
Figure 4: 2nd Draft of the Digital Jacket (Back)
Below is a draft of the current prototyped DEJ V2 model
expected to be completed by next quarter.
C. Stage 3: 3rd Visio Draft without LED Matrix
After the destruction of the first Peggy 2 le board the
design had to be modified again. The concept was changed
as illustrated here:

5. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 5
Figure 7: 4th Draft of the Digital Jacket – Next P-type (Front) The programmable LED message board tested to ensure
it can be programmed with at least four personalized
messages.
4. Item D (Programmable LED Matrix):
The programmable LED control board tested to ensure it
could control a matrix of LED lights.
5. Item E (Wear & Safety):
The DEJ interior tested to ensure the device is safe to
wear for periods of up to 60 minutes.
The results of this testing are covered later in this report.
Figure 8: 4th Draft of the Digital Jacket – Next P-type (Back) XI. DESIGN CONSTRAINTS
The design constraints that limited this project included:
X. TESTING PROCEDURES
The following show the testing considerations used in the  Limited Budget: This project was designed and built
design of the digital jacket: on a budget of $500.
 Limited Time: This project had to be completed
A. Scope of Testing
within four to five weeks after ordering parts in
In-Scope testing of the Jacket would involve testing of order to be ready for presentation.
the DEJ’s illumination (whether or not it illuminates) to
include every incorporated LED and electroluminescent wire,  Limited Knowledge: When this project was started
testing of the programmable LED display panel, testing of the there was a limited amount of knowledge available
programmable LED controller board, testing of the sound about how to use/combine electroluminescent wire
activated portable battery unit, and testing of the additional with leather apparel. However, Enlighted Designs
portable battery units. Inc was incredibly helpful and aided in providing tons
Out-of-scope level testing would include testing of the of helpful information about wiring digital apparel
DEJ material durability, and testing of the LED controller and electroluminescent wire. It also took quite a
board circuit components. The LED controller board while to get the process/technique of soldering
components will be obtained from outside sources and had mastered.
to be assumed functional.
B. Items Tested
Items tested included: XII. BEGINNING RESEARCH
Before the decision to use electroluminescent wire I had
1. Item A (Portable Power Supplies): to do research on how it worked and how I could utilize it on
a mobile battery powered jacket. This section introduces that
All portable power supplies tested to ensure that they research.
are safe and are generating the correct output power.
A. Electroluminescent Wire:
2. Item B (Electroluminescent Wire):
Electroluminescent wire is made by taking a thin copper
All DEJ electroluminescent wires tested to see if they can wire (core) and coating it in phosphor. A fine copper spiral
illuminate (power on/off). wire thread is then wound around the phosphor coating. An
example of the actual wire is shown below.
3. Item C (Programmable LED Message Display):

6. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 6
transformers secondary winding. The Transformer steps up
the voltage by the ratio of transformer windings. [8]
[6]
The wire contains a resistance and capacitance (about
1nF per foot) and draws approximately 1A for every 800 ft. of
wire (about 1.25mA per foot) [7]. Electroluminescent wire
requires an alternating current voltage of 90 – 120 Volts at
approximately 600-2000Hz [7]. The wire experiences peak
efficiency at 100 VAC at about 1000 Hertz. Figure 9 below is
an actual strand of the 2.2mm electroluminescent wire used [9]
in the design of the digital jacket.
XIII. POWER SCHEMATIC
Below (Figure 10) is a power diagram showing how each
component of the digital jacket would be connected for
appropriate power.
Figure 9: Red 2.2mm Electroluminescent Wire used in DEJ.
B. Inverters:
Electroluminescent wires require high voltage high
frequency power. Since the DEJ would have to run on
batteries the jacket would require use of an inverter.
Inverters input Direct Current (DC) voltage (generally 12 VDC)
and convert it to an Alternating Current (AC) voltage
(generally 110 VAC or 220 VAC at 50/60 Hertz). An example
of an inverter device is an Uninterruptable Power Supply
(UPS). A UPS uses batteries and an inverter to supply AC
power if/when the commercial grid becomes unavailable.
The main elements of an inverter include an Oscillator and a
Transformer. The Oscillator coverts input Direct Current (DC)
into an oscillating current. This current is then fed to a power

7. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 7
5. www.elwirepros.com/
2.2mm wire at $0.98/ft
6. www.coolight.com/Default.asp?Redirected=Y
2.3mm wire at $1.25/ft
B. Inverter / Battery Packs:
Since electroluminescent wire requires an alternating
current power source the DEJ would require an inverter to
convert the DC into AC. Furthermore, electroluminescent
wire works most efficiently at a high voltage, high frequency
of 100 VAC at 1000 Hertz. Standard inverters usually are
designed to produce power at 120 or 240 VAC at 50 or 60
Hertz. Either an inverter would have to be developed or I
would need to find a mass manufactured inverter that
produced the required output and could be easily purchased.
Luckily most of the sites that sell electroluminescent wire also
sell inverters designed to work optimally with the
electroluminescent wire. Once again the cheapest seller was
www.elwireonline.com. A four channel constant light and
flash battery powered inverter capable of powering 19 to 27
feet of electroluminescent wire and a three channel sound
activated battery powered inverter capable of powering 7 ft.
of electroluminescent wire was chosen, The sound activated
battery pack looked like a perfect solution for adding a cool
Figure 10: Power Diagram for planning DEJ component effect that would draw additional awe of the DEJ’s target
connections. audience,
XIV. COMPONENTS USED
A. Electroluminescent Wire:
To construct the Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ)
the project would require approximately 22 feet of wire.
After comparing many sources and reading several posts
about the issue I found the cheapest seller of
electroluminescent wire at www.elwireonline.com. At $0.99
per foot of 2.2mm wire the price was unbeatable. The main
decision made was whether to purchase the 2.2mm EL-Wire
versus the 5mm wire. In the end the 2.2mm wire was chosen
due to its price and because several sites recommended it for
its improved elasticity versus the stiff 5mm wire. The [10]
following are some of the many sources reviewed in the
decision making process.
Electroluminescent Wire & EL Inverter Suppliers:
1. http://www.elwireonline.com/
Offers 2.2mm $0.99/ft
2. thatscoolwire.com
2.2mm wire at $1.20/ft
3. http://elbestbuy.com/
2.3 mm wire at $1.75/ft
4. http://fiberopticproducts.com/El_wire.htm
2.2mm wire at $1.75/ft
[11]

8. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 8
C. Peggy 2 le Display Board:
Several LED drivers and LED display boards were
reviewed in order to solve the problem of adding an LED
matrix display to the electroluminescent jacket. The final
choose came down to number of LEDs that could be driven
and programmability of the board. The best solution seemed
to be a board developed by www.evilmadscientist.com. They
offered two great boards the Peggy 2 and the Peggy 2 le (little
edition). Both the Peggy 2 and Peggy 2 le feature a matrix of
25 by 25 (625 total) light emitting diodes (LEDs), support
Arduino like programming via USB or serial cable, and house
an ATmega328P pre-programmed microcontroller. Both
boards require a 5 VDC power source. In the end I decided to
go with the Peggy 2 le board since it cost less than the Peggy
2 and because it was a forth of the Peggy 2 board’s size. I
picture of the board purchased along with the instructions
and a soldering iron used are shown in Figure 11.
[12]
Image [13] is a snapshot of the Peggy 2 le found on the
second page of the Peggy 2 le construction guide.
Figure 11: Peggy 2 LE board.
Besides choosing the board for its great technical
support, instruction and user’s manual and ATmega328P
microcontroller the board also had a large user group with
several open source code site available for code
experimentation. One of the coolest open source programs I
found for the board was PeggyDraw2 open source processing
application for developing simple 1 bit LED animations on the
Peggy 2 le matrix.

9. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 9
[14]
Image [15] is a snapshot of the Peggy 2 le detailed lower
left corner of the board.
[13]
Image [14] is a snapshot of the Peggy 2 le parts list found
on the fifth page of the Peggy 2 le construction guide.
[15]
Image [16] is a snapshot of the Peggy 2 le detailed lower
right corner of the board.

10. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 10
Figure 12: DEJ LED message board.
To program the board I had to install a VM ware machine
and Windows XP (I have Windows 7 installed), and mess with
the programs dev ice drivers. Luckily my experience in CS 340
and IT 200 were able to assist and I had the antique Badge
Writing Software up and running. I used the software to
program six messages and two custom pictures I drew using
[16] the 384x12 pixel limitation.
The software and messages/images programmed are
Image [17] is a snapshot of the Peggy 2 le circuit shown by Figure 13. I decided to use Velcro all over the front
schematic, however it is nearly impossible to read on this of the jacket to allow as much versatility as possible and allow
report. The referenced link provides a large crisp resolution the LED board to be attached on either side of the front.
of the schematic.
Figure 13: DEJ LED message board Badge Software.
[17]
E. Final Components:
D. LED Display Board: The final components to the Digital Electroluminescent
Several LED display boards were reviewed before finally Jacket (DEJ) were a small MP3 player (donated but worth
settling for a large programmable red model B1248U mini approximately $20). Since it was a clip on MP3 player (Figure
LED display capable of storing six 125 character messages and 14) and already used a small USB rechargeable battery pack it
2 384x12 pixel BMP images for $33 USD. Figure 12 below. fit perfectly into the design and allowed a component to
ensure demonstration of the sound reactive
electroluminescent wire.

11. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 11
XV. DESIGN TRADEOFFS
When looking at the components and design
considerations for the electroluminescent jacket the
following design tradeoffs were considered:
1. Leather Jackets are expensive and usually contain a
large layer of insulation which is problematic and
Figure 14: Small MP3 Player must be removed.
Since the Jacket was intended to be utilized for CTU 2. Numerous LED displays are available however few
events and activities I used a freeware program known as
were large enough to meet design objectives and
Audacity Sound Editor to program several CTU specific
messages playable via the MP3 player. the easy USB programmability of the LED Display
made it my #1 Option. I found the best LED
display/price at Centrix-Intl.com.
3. Numerous suppliers of EL-Wire & Inverters were
reviewed; (elwireonline.com) had the lowest prices.
Other methods of illumination, EL-panels, LEDs, etc.
were looked into as well. Phillips has developed an
amazing product (search Lumalive) which shall have
a drastic change on fashion industry but the product
was unavailable for individual purchase and is still in
R&D.
4. There are several large LED matrix designs that could
have been used and for this project. In the end the
Peggy2LE was chosen.
XVI. CONSTRUCTION
The construction phase of the Digital Electroluminescent
Jacket (DEJ) was extremely involved. The majority of time
Figure 15: Audacity Sound Editing Software. was spent trying to sew/work with a reflective metallic
material. This was abandoned and replaced by aluminum
Lastly I was able to purchase a small portable speaker for tape from Home Depot after spending an entire weekend
5$ (which I attached to the jacket using Velcro). trying to sew with the horrible material. Preparation also
included removing the insulating material from the leather
(leather can get very cold).
Figure 16: Small portable MP3 player from Phillips.
To add some final touch-ups to the jacket a small
multimeter was purchased from Home Depot for $5 USD. A
small weather thermometer/compass/clock combo was
purchased from Wal-Mart for $3 USD, and small mailbox
letter cutouts were purchased from Wal-Mart for $2 USD.

12. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 12
Figure 17: Thin tinsel like reflective fabric originally intended (each 3’ sections) were connected to the primary battery
to be sewn upon the Electroluminescent jacket. pack/inverter which could support up to 19-27 ft. of EL-wire.
A taped mock-up of the jacket was completed a week The construction was completed by week 10 and is
prior to the sewing to aid in the design and conceptualization shown by Figures 20 and 21.
of the DEJ. The mock-up is shown by Figure 18 below.
Figure 18: Taped mock-up of DEJ.
Figure 20: Wiring EL-Wire to Jacket.
By the eighth week of the project the electroluminescent
wire was ready to be glued (via a hot glue gun) to the jacket.
The electroluminescent wire was sized for each section (with XVII. TESTING
four extra inches on each side left in anticipation of sire
stripping problems (the thin thread like wire surrounding the All components were tested in accordance with the test
phosphor core tended to get cut about one in three tries plan as will be shown. Additionally current readings of the
while working with the wire). The wire is then soldered to EL-Wire were obtained and surprisingly the EL-Wire draws
common 22 gauge speaker wire (one wire to the two thin very little current (<1A).
copper strands and on wire to the phosphor coated copper The Pattern tested failed however, due to soldering
core). The connection point was then covered with heat problems during setup of the Peggy2 LE board. A
shrink and heated to avoid having exposed terminals. replacement was ordered but the board could not be
A picture of the beginning of this process is shown by completed in time for this presentation. So the Peggy2LE was
Figure 19. left from the final design, and 7ft. Of red EL-Wire was
reallocated to be used at the back of the Jacket.
A. Entrance Testing:
Test A: Power Test
This test used a multi-meter and batteries to test the
output and safety of each portable power unit.
Test B: Illumination Test
This test used a dark room and all portable power units
to verify appropriate illumination of the LEDs and
electroluminescent wire.
Figure 19: Wiring EL-Wire to Jacket.
Test C: Message Test
This test verified the operation of the LED message board
The sizes of electroluminescent wire used can be seen in
by outputting four personalized messages.
the power schematic (Figure 10) of this report. The lower left
and right arm using red EL-wire (each 10” sections) and the
Test D: Pattern Test
middle left and right L-sections using white EL-wire wire
This test verified the proper function and programming
connected to the sound activated battery pack / inverter.
of the LED programmable control board by displaying a series
The left/right upper arm red EL-wire (each 2’ sections), back
of aesthetically pleasing images.
centered red EL-wire swirl (7’ section), and front red EL-wire

13. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 13
B. Functional Testing:  Prerequisite Test Conditions: Pass the
Functional testing of the DEJ repeated the Entrance Tests Illumination Test
while the DEJ was worn by the user. Functional testing also  Associated Requirements: 1, 2, 7, 8
included safety testing of the DEJ through the inspection of  Test Method: Visual Inspection
wiring.  Test Scenario: This DEJ programmable LED
control board will be programmed to display a
series of aesthetically pleasing images.
C. Task Oriented Testing:  Test Passing Criteria: The DEJ displays the
 Task A (Passed) programmed images.
 Test Case Title: Power Test  Test Failure Criteria: The DEJ does not display
 Prerequisite Test Conditions: N/A the programmed images.
 Associated Requirements: 8
 Test Method: Multi-meter Verification
 Test Scenario: The DEJ power units will be XVIII. TROUBLESHOOTING
tested with a multi-meter for correct output
After completing all tests and successfully wearing the
power using new batteries by turning the power
DEJ for more than an hour the Jacket the main battery pack
units on.
would not power on / illuminate primary EL-Wire.
 Test Passing Criteria: The DEJ power units were
Battery packs were tested first without EL-Wire quick
able to create an expected voltage/current
connects connected (They were fine). Next each quick
level.
connect was powered separately (This isolate the problem to
 Test Failure Criteria: The DEJ power units were
the main front right EL-Wire which was shorting out due to
unable to create an expected voltage/current
two touching metal contacts.
level.’
The metal contacts were re-soldered and connecting 22
gauge speaker wire was lengthened to reduce stress. All
 Task B (Passed)
other connections were then rechecked for strength and
 Test Case Title: Illumination Test
stress relief and optimized where appropriate.
 Prerequisite Test Conditions: Pass the Power
Test
 Associated Requirements: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
 Test Method: Visual Inspection XIX. LESSONS LEARNED
 Test Scenario: The DEJ LEDs and
Electroluminescent wires will be illuminated 1. EL-Wire is hard to work with but works excellent for
(turned on). digital apparel design.
 Test Passing Criteria: All DEJ LEDs and
Electroluminescent wires illuminate. 2. The design needed a much thicker 5mm or larger EL-
 Test Failure Criteria: All DEJ LEDs and Wire for more effective light dispersion.
Electroluminescent wires do not illuminate.
3. Al-tape was ineffective at enhancing luminescence,
may pursue a more light absorbing material in next prototype
 Task C (Passed) or dismiss this approach altogether.
 Test Case Title: Message Test
 Prerequisite Test Conditions: Pass the 4. You need to be extremely careful when soldering
Illumination Test equipment.
 Associated Requirements: 3, 6, 8
 Test Method: Visual Inspection
 Test Scenario: The DEJ LED display will be tested XX. EVALUATION AND APPROVAL
by programming and powering on the display
A. Test Method
and verifying that four independent messages
are displayed.
A evaluation test was completed by putting on the DEJ
 Test Passing Criteria: The DEJ displays the
and taking a late night walk with a co-engineering student
programmed messages.
down a neighborhood street.
 Test Failure Criteria: The DEJ does not display
one or more of the programmed messages.
 Task D (Failed)
 Test Case Title: Pattern Test

14. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 14
B. Results wire is working at high frequencies of 600 to 2000 Hertz
(1kHz is standard) so careful consideration of the amount of
Received positive feedback results within first two wire used, battery placement, and connections is critical. The
minutes, first by a group of high school teenagers who asked largest current draw for the DEJ was at the back and drew
where the DEJ was obtained and said it was the coolest thing approximately 6mA of current. Even at 1000 Hz, this would
they had ever seen and second by numerous cars which be slightly painful (Although voluntary muscle control should
stopped to tell me of their amazement. be maintained). Image [19] below is a good chart that shows
the bodily effects as a result of current exposure at various
frequencies.
C. Additional Remarks
Also received great praise from engineering peers and
my daughters 2nd grade class at CSCS whom several vowed
to become an engineer.
D. Was the Peggy 2Le Really Needed?
With all the positive feedback I received I’m not positive
that the Peggy2 le was really required to meet my objective.
The Jacket worked great as a versatile attention gathering
device without it.
XXI. ECONOMICS
A. Project Cost Roll Up
 22 feet of Red EL-Wire ($22USD @
http://elwireonline.com/)
 6 feet of White EL-Wire ($6USD @ [19]
http://elwireonline.com/)
 Primary Battery Pack / Inverter ($9USD @
http://elwireonline.com/) XXIII. CONCLUSIONS
 Leather Jacket (Donated but estimated, 100-150$USD) While I was unable to meet all of my original product
 Large USB Programmable LED Display (30$USD @ specifications (due to the soldering mishap on the first Peggy
http://www.chinadist.com/led-sign-badge-card-micro- 2 le board purchased), the Digital Electroluminescent Jacket
display-card-strap.html) (DEJ) succeeded in accomplishing my top objective (acting as
 Peggy 2 LE LED Display Board Kit w/ 625 LEDs ($166USD a cool attention gathering device). The design process was
@http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/peggy2l complicated and several lessons were learned about time and
e) resource management/economics during the length of this
 MP 3 Player (Donated but estimated $10-$20USD) course. Lots of knowledge was gained throughout the design
 Portable Speaker ($5USD - Wal-Mart) process including things like effectively using a soldering iron,
 Misc. Construction Materials (Hot-Glue, Al-Tape, 22 working with complicated materials (like devilish fabric) and
Gauge Wire), ($20USD - Wal-Mart) electroluminescent wiring. Plans for a second design are
Total $258 USD, $92 USD (Without Peggy 2le boards) already ongoing and an expected prototype version 2 will
hopefully be ready for display by the end of next quarter at
CTU.
XXII. SAFETY CONCERNS
Although electroluminescent wire draws only a small
amount of current (1.25 mA/ft of wire) it can still become
dangerous to work with and safety should always be the #1
concern. Possible heart fibrillation and death can occur when
exposed to 100 mA of 60 Hz AC. [18] Severe pain and
difficulty breathing can occur when exposed to more than 23
mA of current at 60 Hz or 94mA at 10 kHz (The higher the
frequency the more current it takes). [18] Electroluminescent

15. EE472 Adv. Digital Design - Digital Electroluminescent Jacket (DEJ) 15
REFERENCES
[1] Janet Cooke Hansen. [Online image] Available
http://www.enlighted.com/media/polkabeach/janetsqx6
00.jpg, March 17, 2011.
[2] http://www.enlighted.com/pages/techbio.shtml
[3] http://www.enlighted.com/pages/gallerypeople.shtml
[4] LED Biker Jacket. [Online image] Available
http://enlighted.com/media/biker2/frontx600.jpg,
March 17, 2011.
[5] EL-Wire Neck. [Online image]
http://enlighted.com/media/pinkparty08/bgsleevedress/
neckdarkx600.jpg, March 17, 2011.
[6] EL-Wire Neck. [Online image]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EL_wire.svg, March 17,
2011.
[7] http://www.elwire.com/faq/faq.html
[8] http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/electrical/article
s/63708.aspx
[9] Image of Simple Inverter without Charge, Circuit
Diagram. [Online image]
http://www.brighthub.com/engineering/electrical/article
s/63708.aspx?image=137897, 2011.
[10] 4 Channel Constant light & Flash 19-27 ft. [Online image]
http://www.elwireonline.com/inc/sdetail/157, 2011.
[11] Sound Activated Battery Pack. [Online image]
http://www.elwireonline.com/inc/sdetail/155, 2011.
[12] PeggyDraw2. [Online image]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/oskay/5491916726/,
2011.
[13] PeggyDraw2 le [Online Image]
http://s3.amazonaws.com/evilmadscience/KitInstrux/pe
ggy2LE_232.pdf, 2011.
[14] PeggyDraw2 le parts list [Online Image]
http://s3.amazonaws.com/evilmadscience/KitInstrux/pe
ggy2LE_232.pdf, 2011.
[15] PeggyDraw2 le lower left of board [Online Image]
http://s3.amazonaws.com/evilmadscience/KitInstrux/pe
ggy2LE_232.pdf, 2011.
[16] PeggyDraw2 le lower right of board [Online Image]
http://s3.amazonaws.com/evilmadscience/KitInstrux/pe
ggy2LE_232.pdf, 2011.
[17] PeggyDraw2 le schematic [Online Image]
http://s3.amazonaws.com/evilmadscientist/source/p2les
chem.pdf, 2011.
[18] http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_3/4.html
[19] Bodily Effects to current at various frequencies [Online
Image]
http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_1/chpt_3/4.html,
2011.