Hi all! I’m new here 
Ok so what I want to do is the following: Back light the art panel of a custom arcade stick.
Through some research I learned that I can use a backlit-film print of the art itself, lit from underneath by basically anything. I thought about LED’s but would need to diffuse them, so I figured an EL panel may be the best option since its light is spread out evenly.
The problem I’m trying to figure out is the best way to power the EL panel. Most that you can get are 12V, so I would need an inverter of course, but then a source. For the source, my options are either the USB connection to my PC (this is a gaming controller), or a battery in the enclosure.
If I choose a battery, then I would need some way to switch it off. I could hardwire a switch and mount it on the enclosure side, BUT is there a way to switch the battery in when the controller is connected via USB? Seems like maybe transistor time, or a microcontroller?
If I choose USB, first of all could it supply enough current while powering the controls themselves? Also, I would need to boost the USB voltage to 12V for the inverter. What would be the best way to do that?
Cheers to you all, and thanks in advance for any help~