Hi Everybody, I recently ordered an EL Escudo plus some EL wire for my very first project.
I also got the 12V inverter but decided to use the DC adapter I already had to power it (12V DC 1600mA ).
I set everything up, soldered the header onto the EL Escudo (and inspected with a jeweler’s loop), plugged it in wrote some code and proceeded to light up wire. I was delighted to have gotten it up and running so quickly - such a cool first project.
Then…
Port 2 stopped working first, and behaved as though it was simply passing through the inverter signal. I could light up the wire connected to port 2 by switching the inverter on and flash it by switching the inverter to the middle position. I found some references online about jumpering GND/HVGND, so I did that. I was thrilled to see that I could then light up all wires (except of course, port 2).
Over the course of the day, I found that the ports on the El Escudo stopped working one by one and the wire in each failed to light up.
As of last night, no more ports functioned, though directly connecting the wire to the inverter lights it up just fine. All of the wires are fine and light up OK with a direct connection.
Is there a problem with my DC adapter that fried the TRIACs? I’m so disappointed because I was just figuring out the PWM fading for the wires as the ports were failing one by one. I figured if it was a DC adapter problem, I’d fry the EL wire first, not the board.
Any help would be very appreciated. Also bear in mind that I’m a software guy that’s just getting his feet wet. I have a feeling that I’m going to be ordering another El Escudo soon but don’t want to make the same mistake again.
Thanks