DIY - ABL using EL wire, and 3/16" tube

[With envy]

Wow, thanks! I can't take credit for starting this thread, or speak for others here, but I can say I just come here because it's fun to share what I've learned, and to learn things I didn't know. Hope you stick around and keep us posted on your project!

[Flaco2806]

i ordered my el wire 2.2mm but they dont have it... the 3.5 mm works too. wich is the difference

[With envy]

You're only talking about a diameter difference of 1.3 mm. As long as it fits in the tubing, it shouldn't matter. There shouldn't be any noticeable difference as far as the light is concerned.

[JeffyS94]

Hey man, I'm sorry if you've already answered this question, but I don't have the attention span to read all of the thread.. hahaha. I have the black cloth trim panels.. Would the ABL mod work for those, or would I have to buy the silver ones?? Thanks, bro!

[With envy]

Originally Posted by JeffyS94

Hey man, I'm sorry if you've already answered this question, but I don't have the attention span to read all of the thread.. hahaha. I have the black cloth trim panels.. Would the ABL mod work for those, or would I have to buy the silver ones?? Thanks, bro!

I'm not real familiar with the different panels that are avialable, but I think there are at least three (or two, with one being a variant of the other). Mine came with the colored panels and ABL from the factory. They're molded in clear plastic, and painted on the inside with paint that matches the body color. The top edge of the panel is left unpainted so the light can shine through. I think the stock grey panels are molded in opaque color. So they can't be used for an ABL mod. -I think. I'm not positive on this, so I wish somebody who has dealt with it would post here. But it's been a couple of days, and nobody has chimed in.
I think the cloth panels might just be the aforementioned panels with fabric glued onto them. If it turns out I'm right, there might be a solution that would work for you that wouldn't involve buying new panels. Some people have attached thin wire to the outside, in the gap between the panel and the door.
See this post:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=443

And this one:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=449

Hope I've helped in some small way- in spite of not knowing anything!

[JeffyS94]

Originally Posted by With envy

I'm not real familiar with the different panels that are avialable, but I think there are at least three (or two, with one being a variant of the other). Mine came with the colored panels and ABL from the factory. They're molded in clear plastic, and painted on the inside with paint that matches the body color. The top edge of the panel is left unpainted so the light can shine through. I think the stock grey panels are molded in opaque color. So they can't be used for an ABL mod. -I think. I'm not positive on this, so I wish somebody who has dealt with it would post here. But it's been a couple of days, and nobody has chimed in.
I think the cloth panels might just be the aforementioned panels with fabric glued onto them. If it turns out I'm right, there might be a solution that would work for you that wouldn't involve buying new panels. Some people have attached thin wire to the outside, in the gap between the panel and the door.
See this post:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=443

And this one:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=449

Hope I've helped in some small way- in spite of not knowing anything!

Ok. Thanks, man! I'll look into it a little bit more!

[Flaco2806]

one stupid question.. who,,,s knows wich wire is + and _...one has a little squares and the other one has letters.... hellppp meee

[With envy]

Originally Posted by Flaco2806

one stupid question.. who,,,s knows wich wire is + and _...one has a little squares and the other one has letters.... hellppp meee

Ummm... You might need to post a picture for me on this one. Are you using the wire that comes with connections already attached? Because if you're talking about the EL wire itself, it's powered by AC current, so there is no positive and negative. That's why you need an inverter somewhere between your DC power source and the EL wire. The inverter power leads should be color coded, with black as always, being negative.

[Flaco2806]

I have no connections to the agency abl, so I think the error is in the purple and black wire ... lights work but still flash in full and with very little lighting

[Flaco2806]

this is my abl light

how it's connected. the black wire was conncted on te center of my el wire, and the black and white on 2 little wires.

[With envy]

Thanks for posting the pictures.
I'm still a little confused as to what problem you are having, so I'll go right to the basics, and see if that helps.

I see your lead wire set-up, and it looks fine. The color of the wires is of NO consequence. So don't worry about which goes to what. The EL wire is directly powered by alternating current. If you are running DC to the EL wire, it won't work. When wiring EL wire to your car, you need a 12 volt inverter that should look something like this:



You'll notice the red and black wires on the input side. Wire these to positive and negative like any DC powered device. The black wires coming out the other side are AC, and they go to the EL wire either way. Doesn't matter.

Here's my fog light halo's. You'll see that I used all black wire to hook to the EL wire:





If you have a voltmeter, run power to the inverter, and make sure it is putting power to the leads. (Do not touch the bare AC line wire ends, or you will get a nasty poke!)
When you hook it to the inverter, if the EL wire does not light up and stay lit, the most likely cause would be a bad connection right at the EL wire. Check that connection. The thin wires that wrap around the core are the most vulnerable to breakage. And the most difficult to connect properly. Beyond that there is not much else that can go wrong other than faulty (damaged) EL wire, or maybe a bad inverter.

Good luck, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

[Flaco2806]

thanks for your help... my el wire works..

[With envy]

[With envy]

Got a shipment of EL wire and accessories last week. Been commissioned to make a hood bowtie. I ordered some samples of other colors and diameters just to experiment with. The blue and magenta wires looked awesome. The red and purple; not so much.
I think I fried my inverter in the car a few weeks ago. Happened at a big cruise on the coast. I had the halo's and bowtie on all night (they were a huge hit!) At the end of the night they quit working. Did some testing at home with a battery powered inverter. Strangely, the bowtie and one halo worked. So I have a bad inverter and one bad halo. Now I have to pull one of the halo's out, which I don't relish. Am anxious to do a post mortem on it and figure out why it went out.