Soldering Instructions

Learning the mildly tedious yet simple method of soldering described below will greatly enhance your ability to do wonderful things with el-wire.

The electrical knowledge involved for basic wiring is minimal compared to the versatility that will result from a closer understanding of how things work.

So with that in mind, please think about learning to solder safely and responsibly and drop us a line with any questions you may have.

Have fun!

• Solder a connector or lead wire onto your el-wire.
• Finish the end of your el-wire, 2 methods.
• Connect a 9V battery cap to a driver.

Step:	Description: Solder a connector or lead wire onto your el-wire.
1. Stripping the wires	Use wire strippers to carefully remove about one half inch of the vinyl coating off of your el-wire. Be sure that the 2 radial wires are still intact. If you have difficulty with this, I recommend our special el-wire stripper. For Hella Phat el-wire, I recommend an initial, wider cut to make stripping easier.
2. Prepping the end	Take the radial wires and twist them together to make a single strand. Take about an inch of copper foil tape and wrap it around the vinyl end of your el-wire so that it comes right up to the edge of where you stripped it. Make your tape as smooth as possible for the best joint.
3. Soldering the radial wires	Bend the radial wires into an arc and push them down and around the copper foil tape so that they hug it tightly. Solder the wires to the tape by touching the solder to the iron to create a bridge, and touch the iron and the solder to the copper foil tape. Solder should spread evenly across the tape to make a nice, even solder joint.
4. Prepping the copper core	Scrape about 1/4"of phosphor off of the center wire to expose the metal and rough the surface for soldering. You can do this with scissors or a razor blade but do so carefully. You may have to rotate your el-wire instead of twist it to reach all sides of the copper center. You may also pull the center from the vinyl coating when dealing with shorter lengths so be careful. Tin the center wire (by tin we mean apply the iron to the center wire and apply the solder until it liquefies and lightly coats the wire). Leave a 1/4" "branch" of solder hanging near the end to be used later.
5. Prepping the connector	Take the pigtail end of your lead wire or connector and cut one side of the pigtail so that it is shorter than the other side, matching the lengths to where they will be soldered to your el-wire. Strip both ends of the pigtail to expose a 1/4" of wire and tin these ends with a little solder.
6. Prepping the heat shrink tubing	Slip a 1/2" piece of small diameter heat shrink tubing over the end of the shorter pigtail or your center wire. Slip a 1" piece of larger diameter heat shrink tubing over the vinyl coating of your el-wire. Make sure this piece can slide over your copper foil tape solder joint.
7. Solder	Solder the shorter end of the pigtail connector to the center copper wire by touching the wires and applying the iron. The hanging "branch" of solder should suck up to the joint and make it strong. Solder the longer end of the pigtail connector to the copper foil tape by touching the wire to the tape and applying the iron. You should NOT add more solder to the joints to make them stick.
8. Capiche?	If you want to check your work, now is the time to do it. Hook up an appropriate driver and watch your wire glow. All set? Great. Now finish your joint.
9. Make your joint "Playa Safe" from dust and moisture	Slide the small diameter piece of heat shrink tubing over the center wire joint and shrink it with a heat gun (lighters may be use with caution, do not use a hair dryer). Slide the larger diameter piece of heat shrink tubing over the entire joint and shoot a dab of hot glue in each end. Use the heat gun to shrink the tubing. You have just made a bomber "Burning Man Joint." (If you are unfamiliar with Burning Man, it places people and their creations in an environment "hostile" to their survival. "Burning Man Joints" are made strong to survive the elements in this "hostile" environment).

Method:	Description: Finish the end of your cool neon el-wire. 2 methods.
1. More Difficult	Snip 1/4" off the end of your el-wire. Slightly push back the vinyl coating, exposing the 2 fine radial wires. Bend the radial wires towards the vinyl and cut them off, making sure they are not touching. Push the vinyl back over the end of the el-wire and finish with a dab of hot glue.
2. Easier	Strip 1/2" off the end of your el-wire. Bend back the radial wires and cut them off at the vinyl coating. Take 3/4" of 1/8" shrink tubing and place it over the end of your el-wire, extending past the end by 1/4". Use a heat gun to shrink the tubing and flat pliers to clamp the end tight to seal against humidity. Voila!

Step:	Description: Connect a 9V battery cap to a driver.
1. Prepping the wires	Slide a 1" piece of 3/16" heat shrink tubing over both of the wires coming out of the 9V battery cap. Slide a 1/2" piece of 3/32" heat shrink tubing over each of the wires coming out of the 9V battery cap. Tin the wires coming out of the 9V battery cap. Tin the wires coming out of your driver, leaving a small "branch" of solder hanging to be used later.
2. Soldering	Solder the red wire of the 9V battery cap to the red wire of your driver, and the black wire to the black wire, by touching the wires together and then applying the iron. The small "branch" of solder should suck up the the joint, making it whole.
3. Finishing	Slide the smaller heat shrink tubing over the red and black solder joints to cover them completely. Use a heat gun to shrink the tubing into place. Slide the larger heat shrink tubing over the entire joint and shoot a dab of hot glue in each end. Use a heat gun to shrink the tubing.