My MCP and EL Sheets

Hi,

What a pain in the rear this El Sheet thing is. I am trying to back light my MCP. So far I have wasted almost a complete sheet due to no instructions with the order. I couldn't get the sticky backed tape to light up the sheets so I tried soldering wires directly to the sheets and even at the lowest setting of my soldering iron it melted the sheets. So don't do that. I finally got a document of instructions from the company that I posted earlier. There is a fine white line between the two bus bars and if any part of the copper tape is touching that white line it won't work. That was my 1st problem.

http://www.digitaldoubts.com/ForumPics/DSC00979.jpg

http://www.digitaldoubts.com/ForumPics/DSC00977.jpg

Next I tried to keep the bus bars on the outer edge of the panel and with the sheet having an 1/4" of area on the outer edge that doesn't light up, I tried folding over that part so that I got the whole panel to light up. Well come to find out you can't fold the sheets because it breaks the internal membrane thereby making it completely useless.

So I grabbed my second sheet and this time placed the bus bars near the middle of the MCP. I used two separate pieces because it's to thin of an area between the three vertical buttons in the middle of the panel. By placing the bus bars near these three button I was able to get complete coverage and keep the sheet flat. Be sure to cut a small rectangal area for the AUTO THROTTLE Light to shine through. I then used a silicon glue and glued the sheets in place because if it doesn't work this time I'm not trying it again. Those sheets are expensive. All I have left to do is solder wires to the tape, then stick the tape to the bus bars and put the panel back together.

http://www.digitaldoubts.com/ForumPics/DSC00980.jpg

I bought the apricot colored thin plastic like others reccomended to make the yellowish glow but it really reduced the light output so I left that off. I won't need to install a rehostat to reduce the brightness because they barely shine though as it is now. Pictures are shaky because it's hard to hold still that long for a night shot but I think you get the idea.

http://www.digitaldoubts.com/ForumPics/DSC00992.jpg

Overall it looks pretty darn good considering the **** I went through. At least I have just enough to do my EFIS and the MIP is done.

http://www.digitaldoubts.com/ForumPics/DSC00994.jpg

Good luck to those that go this route but from now on it'll be IBL for me.

C-ya and good luck,
Lyle