Any idea.... (Electrical)

[Clstrphbc_donut]

......how i would go about wiring some undercar neons to a UK plug?

Would look pretty good underneath some of my tables/equipment. Need good advice/diagrams coz ive never done anything like this before.

Thanks in advance.

[herulach]

You wouldnt, cos they run at 12v DC, not 240VAC, you want to head down to maplins and grab a 12v lighting transformer, wire that to the plug (screw terminals, if you cant figure that out, then, well, i dont know what to say) then wire the lights to that.

[smtkr]

Or, if you have an old PC PSU no longer in use...

[Clstrphbc_donut]

Or, if you have an old PC PSU no longer in use...

a 350w and a 360w....go on

[TheAnimus]

they don't actually tend to run at 12v, the invertors do.

Neons need to be "kick" started (often around 1000v, this varies) then run at about a fith say about 200v (all these are from memory, ment more to give understanding).

But they need little current, so from P=IV the power remains the same (some is lost in the invertor, but lets not worry about that).

Long story short, a 12v invertor, takes a fair bit of current. As such most adaptors you find at say maplin will have to be very expensive to power it.

as people have said an old computer PSU (AT or ATX) is a cheap alternative you should find lying around. But you need the neons + invertors.

If you want control, LEDs are great. Simple circuitry (transistor) is all you need to controll a string of LEDs from one pin on a parrallel port say (with this you can have a PC controlled system, say via a winamp plugin, can look fly, or like a 70's minivan mostly inhabbited by pink floyd fans)

[Clstrphbc_donut]

No, no control, just a nice glow around the room.

So to wire them up to the PC PSU, im guessing red to red, black to black? Positive & negative?

Thanks.

[TheAnimus]

nope, red is 5v line. Yellow is 12v (on the 4pin molex connector)

How many are you wanting to put on the PSU?

Is the PSU still powering a computer? Or do you have a spare PSU?

There is only soo much current a computer PSU kicks out on the 12v line, as such only so many neon's can be powered. But if you have a spare PSU, you can take the green connector on the 20/24pin motherboard connector, and wire it to a black wire (ground) the PSU will startup (but won't stablisise until theres some load on it, the neon invertors shouldn't mind that thou).

[Trippledence]

Are the undercar neons the same tec as normal fluestont tubes, like you have in the kitchen? if so you could talke the trasphormer out of one of them.

[herulach]

they don't actually tend to run at 12v, the invertors do.

Neons need to be "kick" started (often around 1000v, this varies) then run at about a fith say about 200v (all these are from memory, ment more to give understanding).

But they need little current, so from P=IV the power remains the same (some is lost in the invertor, but lets not worry about that).

Long story short, a 12v invertor, takes a fair bit of current. As such most adaptors you find at say maplin will have to be very expensive to power it.

as people have said an old computer PSU (AT or ATX) is a cheap alternative you should find lying around. But you need the neons + invertors.

If you want control, LEDs are great. Simple circuitry (transistor) is all you need to controll a string of LEDs from one pin on a parrallel port say (with this you can have a PC controlled system, say via a winamp plugin, can look fly, or like a 70's minivan mostly inhabbited by pink floyd fans)

The point being i said, 'lighting' transformer, which are only about 15 quid, and rated for 120W IIRC, so youre not gonna run into any melty issues there i dont think.

[autopilot]

......how i would go about wiring some undercar neons to a UK plug?

Would look pretty good underneath some of my tables/equipment. Need good advice/diagrams coz ive never done anything like this before.

Thanks in advance.

Thats the best use from them i have heard mate! They look so stupid on cars IMO.

But surely a few normal PC case cold cathode tubes would be bright enough?

[smtkr]

the neon invertors shouldn't mind that thou).

That depends on how unstable it is. I've never had a problem hooking an inverter to a computer PSU, but I have tried a noisy 12V power supply on an inverter--I blew a fuse and had to solder a hard line across the fuse (I was too lazy to go out and get another fuse).

[TheAnimus]

indeed, PSUs can blow if they have strange rails on startup, if there cheap and a firehazard.

Its worth mentioning that you shouldn't get a lighting transformer enless you know the neon's raitings first. You'll either burn out the neon, shorten its life, or create magic smoke.

[herulach]

indeed, PSUs can blow if they have strange rails on startup, if there cheap and a firehazard.

Its worth mentioning that you shouldn't get a lighting transformer enless you know the neon's raitings first. You'll either burn out the neon, shorten its life, or create magic smoke.

But magic smoke is what makes life so fun! I was meaning to wire it up to where the battery would go in a car setup, no issues there, nor would there be with using one to power a pc neon kit (assuming youre not daft enough to get a 24V one)

[TheAnimus]

without disrespect to Clstrphbc_donut, its probably better if we keep him fiddling with invertors. at nice low voltage were things tend to slowly melt, rather than, lets just say, more exotic fassion.

[smtkr]

But magic smoke is what makes life so fun! I was meaning to wire it up to where the battery would go in a car setup, no issues there, nor would there be with using one to power a pc neon kit (assuming youre not daft enough to get a 24V one)

I probably don't understand what you are saying, but if you are saying that you want to hook any 12V rated part to a car's electrical system, you're crazy. Car electrical systems bounce around 12V like an old lady's tits on an offroad course.

[5lab]

or you could just get some that are already wired up

i used to get mine from the gadget shop..