In message , Russell McMahon writes >At one stage I >supported a significant number of units which used them for a large LCD >display, and the experiences with them were most offputting. I used to support some too, definitely less reliable than LED but I can only remember one particular type of EL causing *lots* of problems but for sure, they all dim and change characteristics with age. If the connect points aren't sealed properly or are overheated then they can fail fairly quickly due to moisture ingress. The inverters can also be fun but not because they fail ;-) I'd expect a good few years operation from an EL panel, I still have some that are over ten years old that work fine although I wouldn't care to say how much they have dimmed/changed colour purely because the change is so gradual. > >Modern LED backlights are able to offer superb results at modest power >levels. In some cases added LED front lights may do what you want. LED backlights may not always work for retrofitting though, unless the display and backlight were intended for each other and designed as such it can be difficult to get even illumination, it's not always possible to get a LED backlight to fit, I've not seen many LCDs that you couldn't slide an EL panel underneath. > > > > Russell > > > -- Clint Sharp -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist