Anyone used Electro-Luminescent panels?

Wayne Venomous · Post by **Wayne Venomous** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 8:38 am

Instead of white LEDs for backlighting?

They seem to give a very even light and are used mainly in colour screen cell/mobile phones and use very little power.

Compared to LEDs cost is a bit more - Â£9.25 for a white sheet and then another Â£4.77 for the inverter. But if you gain battery life then I suppose the extra cost would be worth it.

Opinions/experiences?

Kyosho · Post by **Kyosho** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:52 am

Maybe I'm completely wrong, but isn't that the sort of thing that's used in the Afterburner? And was later used in the GBA SP by Nintendo themselves? Though I believe the SP's was cut in half, and...well..nevermind. They're used in PDAs and stuff, too. Is that the same technology?

If it is, I've been wondering if anyone's tried using it in their portable as well. With the GBA, because of the sort of LCD it was, the Afterburner light had to go on the front of the LCD. But with the PSOne screen, we could just stick it behind. Hmm.

By the way, if we're talking about the same thing, you're right about it being much more even lighting. But there was an inherent flaw with the Afterburner. I cannot remember the word for it, but there were little lines of light on the screen, depending on the angle you looked at it. I believe that's why Nintendo cut theirs in half like they did. But I think the SP still has the problem, or so I've heard (never owned one). Even if the light is put behind the PSOne LCD, we still might get a similar problem. Most people didn't seem to mind with the Afterburner, so we might not either, though.

Found some images that should easily show you what I'm talking about.

opadave2000 · Post by **opadave2000** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:20 pm

If I understand right, the Afterburner used a reflective film that went in front of the lcd. The tiny leds that lit up were aimed in between the film and lcd, the light was reflected onto the lcd from the film, and reflected back through the film. The film is a type of fresnel (I think) hence the lines at certain angles.
Whew, wore myself out on that one.....

Wayne Venomous · Post by **Wayne Venomous** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:21 pm

Yeah, it's used in PDAs as well. In fact I noticed even the screen on the Xerox photocopier at work has one! Been wondering if it's worth getting a load of old cellphones and ripping out the displays. They're all pretty much the same voltage (around 200 volts AC).

Actually, I've just been checking out the GBA afterburner - Â£37.99 here as opposed to the Elecroluminescent panel at Â£14.02 (Â£9.22+Â£4.77) Hmm...... I was gonna suggest a cheaper alternative to maybe use some white surface-mount LEDs as used in older cellphone screens, but it looks like that's how they work anyway! Â£37.99 for LEDs?! Bugger that!

Kyosho · Post by **Kyosho** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:22 pm

Is that right? Huh. Okay. Oh well. Nevermind then. I don't see it being of much use to use. Going to have to look up these ElectroLuminescent panels to see what they are, then.

Edit: Simul-post. This was directed at opadave2000.

Wayne Venomous · Post by **Wayne Venomous** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:27 pm

It's very difficult to actually find suppliers of Electro Luminescent panels in white (particularly in England) I found two, one of which only supplies in large quatities.

Shame we don't need that blue-green colour as there's tonnes of those.

Wayne Venomous · Post by **Wayne Venomous** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:29 pm

Kyosho wrote:Is that right? Huh. Okay. Oh well. Nevermind then. I don't see it being of much use to use. Going to have to look up these ElectroLuminescent panels to see what they are, then.

Edit: Simul-post. This was directed at opadave2000.

Yeah, I can see from the photos you've posted that they're lit from the side. Apparently there was a version that was back lit, but every website I look says "no longer available" or "out of stock".

Kyosho · Post by **Kyosho** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:32 pm

According to this page, those EL panels need AC current. DC won't work. Hmm.

Edit:

Wayne Venomous wrote:Apparently there was a version that was back lit, but every website I look says "no longer available" or "out of stock".

Nope. Common misconception. Those afterburner guys would get pissy whenever some one called it a backlight. "It's a front light, you morons! You can't backlight the GBA LCD!"

Wayne Venomous · Post by **Wayne Venomous** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 12:37 pm

Yeah, that's why you need the inverter. Most EL panels run at 200 volts AC. Still, they use hardly any current.

Kyosho wrote:
Wayne Venomous wrote:Apparently there was a version that was back lit, but every website I look says "no longer available" or "out of stock".
Nope. Common misconception. Those afterburner guys would get pissy whenever some one called it a backlight. "It's a front light, you morons! You can't backlight the GBA LCD!"

A lot of websites are listing it as "backlit" though. I'm not surprised it's a common misconception!