Do-it-yourself neon lighting for cars. Neon ceiling lighting: advantages and disadvantages, installation of the frame and connection of lighting

01.08.2023

Cold neon or electroluminescent cord is a good alternative to low-power LED strips. You can use it to create very interesting designs and drawings.

However, if the process of cutting, connecting and connecting tapes no longer raises questions, then carrying out the same type of work on an El cord still puzzles many.

Let's look at how to properly cut, solder and connect cold neon so that the backlight works for a long time and reliably.

Materials and tools

To work with this backlight, you can’t do without a soldering iron. No amount of connectors, connecting or innovative piercing clips will help here.

Therefore, at least basic knowledge and skills in soldering will be very useful. Choose a low-power soldering iron up to 40W.

After soldering, the joint will have to be insulated. Small-diameter heat-shrink tubing is best suited for this. Cold neon goes from 0.8mm to 5mm in diameter.

The most common size is 2.3mm. Based on this, select the handset.

How to cut neon cord

Firstly, it should be noted that one of the advantages of el cord over LED strip is the ability to cut it anywhere, at any pitch.

Everything is very strict with the tape. And often this makes it difficult to accurately fit into the lighting contour.

Either unused “tails” remain, or a couple of centimeters of the ceiling or other illuminated area will be dark.

And the larger the cutting step for LED segments, the more problematic it is not to spoil the final pattern.

What to connect from

Remember that the neon cord cannot be connected directly through a socket and 220V voltage. Power supplies from LED strips are also not suitable.

Moreover, both simple and driver ones, which are used for LED lamps.

To power cold neon, a special inverter is required. It increases both the input voltage to several hundred volts and the frequency to several thousand hertz.

Moreover, the inverter itself can be designed to be powered either from a 12V unit or from 5V batteries. Everything depends on its execution.

You can also connect it via an adapter from an outlet, like those that come with chargers.

But one way or another, the circuit cannot do without an inverter.

How to connect neon to power

So, before connecting, measure the required length of the fluorescent backlight and cut off the required distance with a knife or scissors.

After this, the open end, where nothing will be connected, needs to be insulated. This can be done without electrical tape, using a regular glue gun.

Just add a small drop of glue to the tip of the neon.

Under no circumstances should the ends of the wires be connected to each other.

And on the other end, you need to solder two wires coming from the inverter. They are usually equipped with special male-female connectors.

They are plugged into the inverter, and the wires are soldered to the neon.

The order of work here is as follows. First of all, you need to carefully remove the insulation from the outer layer by about 1 cm.

Beneath the first layer of the outer colored shell is an inner transparent protective shell. Under which are hidden two very thin conductors made of pure copper.

To get to them without damaging the wires themselves, use a regular lighter to heat the insulation for a couple of seconds and pull it off with your fingers.

1 of 2

After this, clean the veins from carbon deposits and remnants of melted plastic.

The central thick vein is coated with a white compound - crystal phosphorus. This is the phosphor layer that gives the glow.

It is also not advisable to cut here. Using a sharp blade, simply scrape it off the surface, getting to the central core.

It is enough to remove 3-4mm.

Otherwise, it will spring back at the most crucial moment. Or fix it with a crocodile on some kind of stand.

You have prepared the ends of the cores on the El cord, after which you strip the insulation on the power cable. After which, all stripped ends need to be tinned.

Apply flux gel and apply tin. Next, cut off three heat shrinks. One wide and two smaller.

Put them on the power cable as in the photo below.

Connect one core of the power wire with thin veins on the outer shell of the neon. Solder the connection.

After this, you can slide the heat tube onto the solder and, using a lighter, shrink the insulation.

Next, connect and solder the central core and the second power wire together.

You also slide the tube over and heat it, insulating the junction.

After this, you need to securely close the entire joint. Slide the large heat-shrink tube and, heating the shell, reliably seal the connection.

With this connection, there is no difference where to apply “plus” or “minus”. Unlike LED strips, neon lighting is powered by alternating current.

Therefore, the wires can be connected to the inverter in any way you like. You won’t burn or short-circuit anything.

The most important thing is to control what length this inverter is designed for. Small 5-volt batteries run up to 3 meters.

And to 12-volt you can connect one-time up to 20 meters.

You can learn more about the varieties of neon and the secrets of working with this or that type of lighting in a separate article.

How to extend and connect neon cord

If you do not need to connect neon to power, but increase it to increase the extent of illumination, then the process here is almost the same.

That is, you need to first solder the central veins together and insulate them. Then perform the same operation with two thin conductors running along the shell. After that, apply general insulation again.

True, the joint-to-joint connection sequence may not be very reliable mechanically. Primarily due to the hair-thin veins of the screen.

Many people feel the urge to do everything themselves. But, there are several factors that must be taken into account. And above all, the need to manufacture special lamps. Due to the fact that they can only be made using specialized equipment, neon ceiling lighting is usually not done with your own hands, although there is such a possibility.

What you need

First, you need to understand how such lighting works and how all the elements included in this system work.

The basis here is special lamps filled with an inert gas - neon. It is from this gas that such lamps got their name. The inner walls of the lamp are coated with a special powder - phosphor, which interacts with neon when high voltage is applied and begins to glow. The composition of the powder affects the color of the resulting glow.

The need for high voltage to obtain the glow effect forces the use of special devices in the system - voltage converters, or voltage-increasing transformers.

This point is especially worth remembering - high voltage is unsafe for life, therefore, the installation of the electrical part of the backlight should be carried out by a person who has experience working with high-voltage components.

The lamps themselves are made of thin glass and can easily be damaged during transportation or during installation. You should be very careful when installing them.

How to install

The most common option for installing such lighting elements is side lighting of the ceiling. In this case, all elements of the system are located in a pre-prepared niche.

Typically, such a device is installed at the stage of installation of the ceiling structure. If there is no niche provided, you can install the lighting using a regular polystyrene plinth.

To do this, you need to stick it on, leaving a small distance between the ceiling surface and the edge of the cornice, as shown in the diagram.

Due to the location of the lamp, you can change the width and intensity of the light flux. But the same effect can be achieved by choosing lamps of a different diameter.

Neon illuminators have an interesting property - the larger the diameter of the lamp itself, the more diffuse the light flux becomes. Consequently, by installing lamps of small diameter, you can get a sharper edge of the light spot.

Other nuances are typical for all types of installed lighting. If a closed niche is constructed, that is, there is a side that cuts off the light flux, then its height will determine the degree of dispersion of the light flux.

The higher this side is, the sharper the light spot will break off and the clearer its border will be. This same side will help hide the installed voltage converter - it will not be visible behind the side.

To avoid errors during installation, you need to draw up a schematic diagram of the backlight in advance, calculating the power of all installed lamps. This is necessary to calculate the number of transformers to be installed.

It is not difficult to make such a calculation - neon lamps consume approximately 10 W of power for each meter of length. Therefore, a ten-meter structure will require about one hundred watts.

It is recommended to install voltage converters based on the fact that for every seven to eight meters of lamps, one transformer will be required. Based on this data, it is necessary to calculate the number of converters to be installed and the number of their connection points.

Options

If you do the neon ceiling lighting yourself, you can look for ready-made solutions in stores. Sometimes such kits are on sale. They include everything you need to mount and connect the lighting yourself.

But, even with ready-made kits, everything must be done strictly according to the instructions provided by the manufacturer. The lamps are very fragile, and improper installation of the electrical part can lead to a short circuit and fire. If you are not confident in your abilities, it is better to turn to electricians.

The second way to get exactly the same effect as neon lighting is to use “flexible neon,” which recently appeared on the market. There are much fewer difficulties with manufacturing and installation. The flexible cord itself, which will glow, is sold in coils or cut into pieces.

In order for the cord to start glowing, it must be connected to the converter. The power of this unit is calculated based on the length of the connected cord. It glows just as smoothly as a neon tube, however, the intensity of the glow is lower.

Installing such flexible neon is much easier, and not even the most experienced electrician can connect it. However, it is necessary to know the safety rules when handling high-voltage devices.

Conclusion

There are not too many options for how to assemble neon ceiling lighting with your own hands. In the simplest version, you don’t need to do anything yourself, except for final installation - everything is done by specialists. Calling this a self-installation would be a stretch.

Another thing is the installation of a ready-made set of lamps. It won't be that easy, but the effect you get from the glow is very beautiful.

The simplest option, from a technical point of view, is to install flexible neon. You can do everything yourself, but the price of this option will be higher than all the others.

Such modern representatives of lamps as neon lamps today provide the most spectacular flow of light of all existing lighting devices, which opens up enormous opportunities for their active use. But in order to use them correctly, you need to have a good understanding of the product itself, know all its pros and cons, and the features of its use in design.

What's happened?

Neon lamps are used in a variety of areas - from complex lighting of buildings to interior decoration.

A neon lamp is a special tube made of glass, which is filled with a small amount of substance that is driven into this tube under insignificant pressure. This lamp contains the noble gas neon as this substance, which is where the lamp got its name.

But neon lamps also release other inert gases. However, the word “neon” these days refers to all neon lamps, regardless of whether they use neon or any other inert gas.

Principle of operation

A characteristic feature of the operation of an ordinary tube with a bright inert gas is the fact that any particle of matter in it has a filled shell, so it does not actively interact with other atoms, and in order to displace at least 1 electron from them, a lot of energy is required. At the end of the tube there is an electrode. Such lamps can work efficiently from both alternating and direct current, but with this option, only a fragment of the tube located near 1 electrode will glow.

Therefore, most of the gas lamps that we know are powered mainly by alternating current of enormous voltage - about 15 thousand volts. This is quite enough to detach an electron from its orbit from a gas atom. If the voltage is made significantly less, the electron simply will not have enough energy to escape from the atom.

After all this, the atoms that have lost electrons acquire a positive charge and are drawn to the negatively charged electrode. At the same time, free electrons are attracted to the plus. All these gas particles (so-called plasma) complete the electrical circuit of the lamp. The result of this whole process is a bright neon glow.

Often such a device even replaces the popular LED strip as a light source. This illumination will be as beautiful as that of LEDs, but neon light often looks much more impressive. By the way, the strip is made of LEDs and the neon lamp is easy to install with your own hands.

You can see the process of creating neon lamps more clearly in the video below.

Advantages and disadvantages

Using neon devices to illuminate various objects has its positive and negative aspects.

Among the advantages of such lamps are:

Neon has a special glow, and the light it produces does not produce contrasting shadows;
You can find a huge number of different shades;
Using controllers, you can adjust the light intensity of the lamp and its color;
The light flows uninterruptedly, without darkened parts and spreads 360 degrees;

High-quality devices can last up to 20 years without interruption;
The operation of the backlight does not heat up the lamp much, because its temperature does not exceed 50 degrees, which makes these lamps safe;
Tubes can be straight and can be made in virtually any possible shape, which significantly expands the possibilities of their use: tubes can even be made in an original shape to decorate a certain design;
Possibility of installation even in hard-to-reach places;
Soft glow and moderate brightness, which does not irritate the eyes, no noise during operation.

But this gas also has not very good sides:

The power of neon lamps is less than that of conventional lamps and is seriously inferior to lamps with LEDs. Such tubes use, on average, 10 watts per hour per meter;
Gas in tubes and cords may contain hazardous components. This requires special care when installing the structure. Used tubes are not thrown away with regular garbage - they require separate disposal;
Glass lamps are quite fragile, if 1 of them breaks, then there is a chance that neighboring devices will immediately go out;
Backlighting from such lamps can be unsafe if installed incorrectly - an arc discharge may occur when the seal of the glass tube is destroyed;
The backlight does not provide such a large amount of light power that it is enough for normal room illumination and therefore cannot be used as the main lighting device, but only as lighting for decoration. In a room equipped with such lighting, it is imperative to install several conventional lighting sources.

Dimensions

When making a tube, you can bend it as you like or extend the glass tube to any desired length. From such a product you can create not only any letter, but also an entire word and inscription, and any font can be used.

Illumination with inert gas is especially popular in the production of letters made of plastic and metal, because no other lamp can duplicate their intricate shapes.

The diameter of such tubes can range from 5 mm to 2 cm.

In general, the larger the diameter of the product, the lower the pressure of the inert substance in it will be and much less power will be required for combustion.

The best is called backlighting of letters with a height of 30 to 40 cm in 1 thread, from 40 to 80 cm in 2 threads, from 80 to 120 cm in 3 threads.

The main advantage of neon lamps used to create home lighting is their miniature size, from 10 to 18 mm. Thanks to this feature, neon lighting can be installed behind window cornices and in room niches, along baseboards and in other hard-to-reach places.

Colors

It is worth clarifying that a neon lamp can shine in all colors. Neon lamps are the closest “relatives” of fluorescent devices. Glass tubes are filled with different types of gases, and the type of gas chosen can affect the color of the light:

Tubes filled with neon itself can produce red and orange light;
Helium ones illuminate the space with blue and pink;
Argon glows with lilac and blue light;
Krypton gives bluish and white colors, sometimes a green tone;
To obtain other colors, impurities of these gases are used or phosphors, for example, mercury vapor, are introduced.

Neon lighting may depend on how much different the excitation energy given is from the original one. These sizes, like the energy parameter of the electron, have their own interval. As a result, it turns out that any electron in a state of excitation receives its own, characteristic only for it, wavelength of wave-like light. It turns out that neon light gives a unique glow.

Despite the fact that obvious competitors - fluorescent lamps are extremely in demand these days, neon products hold their high position in the world of modern lighting devices.

Application

Lighting using such a popular gas is given great attention when decorating premises in the entertainment industry - it can often be seen in restaurants and on the ceilings of night bars, casinos and expensive clubs, and it is also used quite a lot in various establishments. The main effect of such lighting is drawn by the play of catchy tones of the glow of the gases used, which help create a unique atmosphere or visual illusions.

By choosing neon lamps for your home, you can get a wonderful design that will create a festive atmosphere anywhere.

Moreover, a glass lamp, due to its unique qualities, can also be used outdoors. Illuminated signs, spectacular inscriptions, illumination of houses. Neon lights can even be seen on airfield runways and runways.

The fairly wide scope of use of this type of product at home is explained by a number of advantages, among which are the quality and beauty of the light stream:

Illumination of furniture interior items. In addition to illuminating the room itself, you can also highlight furniture items. This will give any room truly unusual tones. Very often, upholstered furniture, beds and glass furniture elements are subjected to such an “emphasis”: mainly cabinets and tables. This step will add “club” tones to the interior, so it will be more suitable for a home decorated in a modern style;

Illumination of various accessories in the house. Along with pieces of furniture, accessories and the original decor of the room can be illuminated with inert gas: paintings and different-sized niches in the wall, large mirrors and plants. But when creating such stylish lighting for things in the room, keep in mind that it may not last long;

Functional plan illumination. Neon lighting in an apartment can not only be a bright accent, but also solve other problems. So, with the help of such a lighting effect you can illuminate the steps of a staircase or baseboard. Anyone who has felt the steps in complete darkness with their feet at least once in their life understands the benefit of this idea. Also, some car owners use neon lighting in the interior of their car.

Often such lighting is used and for kitchen apron or dining table surface. Neon is also ideal for illuminating a switch in the dark.

Neon lighting of plaster sculptures and various figures. There is another interesting option for using such original lighting - it can be used to illuminate various plaster products and frame figures made of glass or fabric, and these structures can be created by hand or made to order. It is quite possible to imagine a modern interior where the lighting products are not so much lamps as properly illuminated sculptures. Or a stylish glowing lamp in the shape of a bird or a glass tree illuminated from the inside.

Most modern premises are decorated in accordance with the latest design developments. One of these solutions is neon lighting in the apartment, which allows you to make even an ordinary room unique and original. With the help of neon, the required level of illumination is provided not only for the entire room, but also for all necessary places. In accordance with the requirements, lighting devices and lamps are selected.

Features of neon lighting

As a result of properly arranged lighting, a soft environment is formed. It is advisable to protect neon lighting parts from aggressive external influences. This will significantly increase the service life.

To power the lighting in any room, various electronic converters are used. They are significantly lower than those of conventional electromagnetic transformers. The quality of installation work is of great importance.

All elements that make up the lighting system must be hidden. This is especially true for wires and electrodes. For direct lighting, special neon tubes with a diameter of 15 mm are most often used. As a rule, before installation begins, all details of a particular neon lighting are agreed upon.

Lighting of main elements

Neon lighting parts are very fragile and require careful handling to avoid accidental damage. To solve this problem, there are very successful individual options. The main attention is paid to the design of special niches for laying parts of the lighting system. Their design should, if necessary, ensure unhindered replacement of neons. If there are several niches in the room that are not interconnected, then each of them must have its own power cable.

Neon ceiling lighting is carried out in accordance with the general rules. All elements are hidden under plasterboard sides, giving the interior additional style and elegance.

Thus, neon lighting in an apartment is actively used not only by architects, but also by designers. Using neon lighting elements, you can create drawings and other images that add uniqueness to any interior. The advantages of such lighting are the ability to use numerous colors and shades.

Neon lamps rarely fail, consume very little energy, and can be used open or closed. In some cases, neon lighting plays the role of additional lighting in conditions of limited visibility.

Peculiarities

Neon lamps look like a glass tube containing gas. The contents enter the tube under low pressure. Not every type of gas is used for lamps of this type. Neon can act as an inert substance, hence the name of the lamps. However, other types of inert gases can also be driven into the flask.

Features of such products include:

Atoms are completely filled with an electron shell. Thanks to this quality, neon atoms do not come into contact with other types of atoms, which eliminates the possibility that a new electron will be captured. However, electrons can only be removed by expending a large amount of energy;
The end of the glass tube is equipped with an electrode;
The activity of lamps can be carried out not only due to constant current sources, but also on variables. If the connection is made using the first method, neon lighting will be present only next to the electrodes. For this reason, neon lighting fixtures can only be connected to an alternating current source;
The entire operation of light bulbs lies in the characteristics of an inert gas.

If we talk about the operation of light bulbs, it is carried out according to the following rules:

when electric gases are passed through atoms, there is a loss of electrons with subsequent gain of a positive charge;
after the atoms receive a positive charge, there is an attraction to the electrode, which has a negative charge;
Such actions form a neon type of lighting with a bright spectrum. For this reason, such methods are increasingly used for lighting apartments and buildings. In most cases, neon lamps can replace LED strips and act as a light source. The backlight is not inferior in its characteristics to LED representatives, attracting attention with its effectiveness.

Advantages and disadvantages

Neon lamps have a large number of positive qualities:

wide choice of sizes and shapes;
easy installation. Lighting installation is carried out with a small number of components in a minimum period of time;
there is an option to control brightness and energy consumption;
you can get different colors;
impressive service life. The service life of neon lamps can reach 20 years;
the design of neon sources eliminates the possibility of heating, which indicates fire safety;
no noise during operation.

Despite the fact that neon sources have a large number of positive qualities, they do have disadvantages. Negative qualities include:

lamps of this type contain harmful components;
Operation can only be carried out when high voltage is present. For this reason, they can only be used in conjunction with a powerful transformer;
Neon lamps are inherently fragile, since such light sources are made of glass.

Having studied the positive and negative characteristics, we can come to the conclusion that neon sources have more positive characteristics than negative ones.

Kinds

There are several types of neon lamps. Each of them has its own characteristics and features. For example, a neon signal lamp is one of the safety factors due to the adjustment of the operation of transport systems. These include indicator lights, which can be used to illuminate switches and other elements. Such lighting sources show the functionality of the devices.

Luminescent neon representatives are often used as lighting devices, as well as irradiation sources in school buildings, administrative buildings, and residential buildings. Many manufacturers produce special types of lamps that are aimed at providing a “sun bath”.

Such light sources have many positive qualities:

they are able to provide the territory with a large amount of light;
lamps increase the level of performance;
help preserve vision;
reduce the degree of fatigue;
have an effect on improving mood.

Decorative neon light sources are miniature light bulbs that are actively used as interior decoration.

Such devices add zest to the design of the room, increase the comfort of the room and make it more original.

Color solutions

As mentioned earlier, one of the positive properties of neon illuminations is their ability to reflect light of different colors. Only one neon tube is responsible for this feature. The color scheme is determined by the composition of the components that are located in the flask:

helium helps create light pink and orange colors;
argon is responsible for producing the blue glow;
neon produces green, white and other colors.

Based on the style of the room, with the help of neon lamps you can create a rainbow, gentle or contrasting atmosphere in the room.

How to choose?

If you decide to buy a neon lamp, you should decide for what purpose you need it. Such light sources can be used in various fields:

as tuning for cars;
in the field of decorative interior lighting;
when creating illuminated inscriptions, signs and signatures;
for lighting shop windows, buildings, bridges and theater posters;
for landscape design.

Depending on the lighting purpose, you should choose the light bulb and its size along with the color scheme.

You should also take into account the mains voltage (127-220 V), take into account the voltage during the occurrence of an electric discharge (60-550 V) and the highest permissible current value (0.2-30 Ma). Knowing these characteristics, you can choose the most suitable type of lamps.

In addition to the neon lamp, there is also a neon strip on sale called flexible neon. It looks like a 12 Volt LED garland, which is sealed in a PVC tube. There are plain and multi-colored options.

How to check?

To check the performance of a neon lamp, you should pay attention to its appearance and carry out a test under voltage. You can also check the performance of the neon source by connecting it to the radio broadcast network. To do this, you can use a low frequency transformer.

If it is not possible to use the network, it can be replaced with batteries and a low-frequency transformer. A power source and an inter-lamp source are suitable.

The lamp is checked using ballasts.

To test modern lamps, electronic ballasts are often used.

To test lamps, you should use serviceable equipment that has similar parameters and is connected according to a suitable circuit to the lamp being tested. If the lamp works normally with this connection method, you should look for a fault in the unit itself.

You will learn more about neon lamps in the following video.

Examples in the interior

Neon lighting can blend harmoniously with the interior of your home. As a rule, this method is used in the following cases:

in a suspended, suspended or multi-level ceiling;
for lighting moldings;
as a lighting device for walls and columns;
for accenting floors, walls, steps and podiums;
can be used in lamps;
for decorating niches and various partitions.

Ceiling

You can decorate the ceiling in your apartment with neon lighting. Such an addition can well focus attention on the various designs of the ceiling, its unusual shapes along with protrusions and levels. If you decide to use slit lighting (this method implies the visibility of light without visualizing the lamps themselves), you can visually increase the area of the room, getting the ceiling and its individual elements to “float”. Such a warrant will be ideal for small premises.

Neon lamps with the required color and shade can be used as a key lighting element. Side lighting is used as auxiliary lighting. Such a design will look harmonious only with a perfectly smooth coating without defects.

Some people admit that it is due to the “hovering” effect that they are able to quickly fall asleep.

Floor

Some apartments boast illuminated floors. This solution looks impressive paired with cornice and ceiling lighting. With the help of such a lighting solution, you can create zoning of the room, emphasize the perimeter of the floor and highlight the various shapes of geometric shapes.

Slit lighting with a “floating” effect is actively used. It is installed around the entire perimeter of the floor.

When installing floor lighting, pay attention to safety precautions. Each lamp must be properly protected from humidity and mechanical influences. Neons with an increased level of protection are suitable for such purposes. Give preference to light bulbs with moderate brightness. Some people use floor lighting as a guide in an unlit room, so bright options will be blinding and intrusive.

It is undesirable to use neon lamps on the floor in the bathroom, because in this room there is a possibility of contact with water. This option is also inappropriate in the bedroom, since floor lighting is located closer to eye level, making it difficult to relax.