Cold Cathode vs. Neon
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Lights, Neon, LEDs, HIDs
Forum Discription: Under Car Lighting, Strobe Lights, Fog Lights, Headlights, HIDs, DRL, Tail Lights, Brake Lights, Dashboard Lights, WigWag, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=63541
Printed Date: April 28, 2024 at 10:58 PM
Topic: Cold Cathode vs. Neon
Posted By: bmw5002
Subject: Cold Cathode vs. Neon
Date Posted: September 30, 2005 at 12:29 PM
Hey guys, I was wondering if there is a difference between the neon tubes you can get for your car from Best Buy say, and the cold cathode tubes that scanners and such use. I see the cold cathode tubes for sale on computer sites for installing into computer cases with windows. They run off 12v, so I figured it would be easy as cake to wire them into a car. Supposedly they are alot brighter than regular neon tubes. But are certain car neon manufacturers actually using cold cathode or is it only the computer part manufacturers? Thanks.
Replies:
Posted By: sneakycyber
Date Posted: September 30, 2005 at 4:19 PM
Cold cathode - 1.) Electric discharge lighting, which uses an electrode with a large metal mass to emit electrons. Neon tubing is a cold cathode type. Versus Neon = Wich is a tube filled with Nobel Gases (The noble gases are the chemical elements in group 18 (old-style Group 0) of the periodic table. This chemical series contains helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon. Through wich either AC or DC current is passed to excite the gasses giving off light. ( Defintions verified with Google search). The pro's of cold cathode is it generates little or no heat at all, thus making it perfect for use in confined areas where temperature is a problem. Like computer cases for example. -------------
Posted By: sneakycyber
Date Posted: September 30, 2005 at 4:49 PM
I just thought of another way to explain it.. Think of an empty tube. Place at one end a spray nozel set for fine mist. The fine mist of vapor being the excited electrons. This is cold cathode or HID. Take this same tube and fill it with neon Gas. the neon's electrons are not excited. Applying current excites the electrons and gives off light. And you get Neon lights
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Posted By: TCalYen
Date Posted: October 01, 2005 at 1:34 AM
bmw5002 wrote:
Hey guys, I was wondering if there is a difference between the neon tubes you can get for your car from Best Buy say, and the cold cathode tubes that scanners and such use. I see the cold cathode tubes for sale on computer sites for installing into computer cases with windows. They run off 12v, so I figured it would be easy as cake to wire them into a car. Supposedly they are alot brighter than regular neon tubes. But are certain car neon manufacturers actually using cold cathode or is it only the computer part manufacturers? Thanks.
Engine compartment has both neons and cathodes. www.oznium.com sells 12v cathodes for automotive apps. 
------------- TCalYen
Posted By: sneakycyber
Date Posted: October 01, 2005 at 2:51 PM
NICE!! install
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Posted By: bmw5002
Date Posted: October 01, 2005 at 5:38 PM
That site quotes about cathodes: "Cold cathodes are similar to regular neon accent tubes but they provide a much better glow." So how would I be able to tell if something was a regular neon or a cold cathode if I was buying it in the store?
Posted By: Oznium
Date Posted: October 04, 2005 at 9:34 PM
If you're buying it in the store, the cold cathodes will say "cold cathodes" on the package.
And the neons will say something like "neons" on the package.
Why don't you just buy it online?
https://www.oznium.com/cathode-kit
Posted By: TCalYen
Date Posted: October 04, 2005 at 9:58 PM
philbish wrote:
If you're buying it in the store, the cold cathodes will say "cold cathodes" on the package.
And the neons will say something like "neons" on the package.
Why don't you just buy it online?
] STFU NooBLit! www.oznium.com ------------- TCalYen
Posted By: TCalYen
Date Posted: October 04, 2005 at 10:01 PM
sneakycyber wrote:
NICE!! install
Thanks! ------------- TCalYen
Posted By: ff-mike
Date Posted: October 05, 2005 at 12:29 PM
Yep, them cold cathodes from the computer can be used on your car
Adapted wrote:
Cold cathode-Electric discharge lighting, which uses an electrode with a large metal mass to emit electrons. Neon tubing is a cold cathode type.
Neon- Which is a tube filled with Nobel Gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon)through which either AC or DC current is passed to excite the gasses giving off light.
The pro's of cold cathode is it generates little or no heat at all
Pretty close. Cold cathode only means that the cathode is not heated by the current. In AC applications, they can get quite warm, even hot due to impinging electrons.
Neon is a type of cold cathode
Nixie is another type- these looked like vacuum tubes and were used to display numbers, typically in early calculators and 'digital' gas pumps. They date back 80 some years
Computer case 'cold cathodes' are usually fluorescent based (flourescent lamps can be either cold or hot cathodes) CCFLs are often used for backlighting camcorders and laptop displays
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