Like many of you out there, I’m addicted to playing Pokémon Go in my free time. Evening Pokémon strolls are a great time to stay out of the heat of the sun, catch some ghost types, and model some light-up accessories to keep safe (and not-so-subtly announce your team alliances).
After working almost exclusively with LEDs for the last few months, I decided to switch gears and explore some EL projects for my Pokémon Go lighting needs. After seeing this animation on Reddit, I immediately thought “Ooh I’ve got to do this with EL wire!”
Even if the shield part of the logo is incorrect, this is still a sweet little GIF!
It would take a lot of wire and patience, but the Mystic logo has rounded edges that would cooperate with the limitations of EL Wire. However, I really wanted to make an example per team, and Valor would be near impossible to replicate with EL Wire on a small (wearable) scale.
That logo is lovely, but so many, many details! GIF by Reddit user WoodenMarker
The straight lines of Instinct’s logo would be a little easier, but those sharp corners are tricky business with EL Wire.
GIF by Reddit user ParkourSloth
Finally, after some consideration, I decided on backlit logos with EL panels. Not only would using panels save on construction time, they would be easy to implement into a variety of wearable projects, and would make a good addition to our wearables tutorial collection.
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EL Panel - White (10x10cm)
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COM-10799
Who doesn't love the soft glow of electroluminescence? This EL panel is a flexible plastic sheet which contains a phosphor la…
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EL Inverter - Battery Pack
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Even though the Tron movies have been out for a while, electroluminescence is still the coolest thing since sliced bread. The…
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EL Panel - Blue (10x10cm)
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Who doesn't love the soft glow of electroluminescence? This EL panel is a flexible plastic sheet which contains a phosphor la…
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EL Panel - Red (10x10cm)
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COM-10801
Who doesn't love the soft glow of electroluminescence? This EL panel is a flexible plastic sheet which contains a phosphor la…
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But wait - we only have white, red, and blue panels in the catalog! To represent each team, I’d need a yellow panel too. And why not a Poké Ball for the unaligned players? Here was another opportunity for a tutorial - how to create custom color EL panels by using lighting gels/colored plastic/or fabric layers.
A two tone EL panel the easy way - with lighting gel over a white panel.
After gathering up an assortment of costume items and accessories, I got to work creating fabric patches of each team’s logo using iron-on patch fabric and our office laser cutter.
The process was surprisingly easy: Find vector artwork of the design, cut a stencil, and then iron on to the EL panel. I was initially worried about the panels melting, but a craft iron and some patience produced good results. If ironing onto plastic makes you nervous, creating a stencil pocket or glue would also work.
After spending the weekend creating a bunch of examples, I gathered up a crew of models and did a photo and video shoot showcasing the projects. We even managed to round up a Professor Willow at the last minute.
If you’d like to try making your own EL patches, here’s the tutorial with more detail on the building and planning process:
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Pokémon Go Patches with EL Panels
August 3, 2016
Add a cloth stencil over EL panels to create glowing logos and designs.
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And of course, some action shots of the final EL items I made:
Photos courtesy of Geoff Decker of Hidden Vision Photography
Additional ways to light up a Pokémon wearable project
This stencil technique would also work with Fiber Optic Fabric for a more subtle lighting effect. Skip the ironing step though; the fibers may melt. A Valor logo stencil over a fiber optic panel lit with a red LED would make for an interesting glowing embers effect. The fiber optic panel is subtle though, so use a super bright LED for the best results.
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Fiber Optic Fabric - Black (40x75 cm)
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This black fiber optic fabric is a cool and unique way to add some shine to your e-textiles project. There are optical fibers…
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My initial idea for an EL wire Mystic logo jacket is still on my build list, so stay tuned for a future post about that project. Chasing EL wire would be a cool way to display simplified logos or team colors with some flare.
Here are some additional EL resources to help inspire future projects or as added features to the EL panel projects:
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EL Inverter - 3v (Chasing)
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EL Inverters, if you are wanting to do _anything_ with EL lighting you need one, period. This 3V EL Inverter is a special typ…
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EL Wire - Blue 3m (Chasing)
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EL wire, or electroluminescent wire, is a flexible wire coated in phosphor. Apply the appropriate voltage and it lights up! E…
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EL Wire - Yellow 3m (Chasing)
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EL wire, or electroluminescent wire, is a flexible wire coated in phosphor. Apply the appropriate voltage and it lights up! E…
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EL Wire - Red 3m (Chasing)
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EL wire, or electroluminescent wire, is a flexible wire coated in phosphor. Apply the appropriate voltage and it lights up! E…
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EL Wire Light-Up Dog Harness
Learn how to create a light-up dog harness using EL wire for when you need to take your four-legged friend for a walk in the dark.
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EL Sequencer/Escudo Dos Hookup Guide
A basic guide to getting started with the SparkFun EL Sequencer.
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Heartbeat Straight Jacket
An EL project that displays one person's heartbeat on another person's costume.
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Sound Reactive EL Wire Costume
Learn how to make your EL wire costumes sound reactive in this project tutorial.
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