Well a lot of people have asked questions about my “MeKeVoRkA” costume, especially with the photo that appeared in Make Magaine’s Halloween 2007 issue.  So Here you go. 

I hope this helps those of you that were inspired to build your own cool EL wire costume.  It’s a huge undertaking but well worth the work.

The costume consists of lots of the following components, from the head down:

Paintball Helmet:

1. EL Wire and EL Paneling (Sheets)
   

2. Red LED eyes driven by small microprocessor
   

3. Microphone in helmet
   

Motorcycle chest protector:

1. More EL wire and paneling
   

2. 5v Laser module
   

3. RGB color changing LED
   

4. Connectors for helmet and arm segments
   

Belt Pack:

1. Batteries (Two packs of 8xAA or Li-Ion eqiv.)
   

2. EL Wire drivers (3)
   

3. Basic Stamp microcontroller
   

4. Voice Changer box, amp and speaker, 9V batt
   

5. Drop holster with 80’s Laser Tag gun dressed in EL an safety orange tip
   

Motorcycle Boots:

1. EL wire and EL paneling
   

2. Connectors and wiring going up each pant leg
   

Probably the hardest piece to keep going, due to all the flexing while walking.  Fix the EL to something hard if at all possible.  Use thick speaker wire to join the EL in places where you have to flex.  Get used to repairing EL wire!

If you want to build something like this I do have some tips from the learning experience:

1. Realize it’s going to take a long time to complete
   

2. Do design & planning up front - get a notebook
   

3. Document all your wiring!!
   

4. Use heavy-duty speaker wire anywhere the EL power line flexes
   

5. Avoid flexing EL at all costs!  The boots are the most problematic in this area.
   

6. Design so you can go to the bathroom!!
   

More as I think of it...