neons wired to amp?
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=76299
Printed Date: April 30, 2024 at 2:02 AM
Topic: neons wired to amp?
Posted By: xmkydx
Subject: neons wired to amp?
Date Posted: April 16, 2006 at 5:08 AM
i was just wondering if it was ok to run a neon tube or 2 off an amp..sortof...
since when i hardwire my neons i just run a 12v line and a ground..
could i plug the + and - into the amp?
or will this make things pop or melt? :errr:
Replies:
Posted By: KPierson
Date Posted: April 16, 2006 at 8:06 AM
You could technically do it, just make sure you fuse the neon power wires properly. To do it the right way you should look in to a power distribution block to split the amp wire in to several wires. The downside to this is that the amp is powered all the time, and your neons will be, too. So, you will have to install a switch to turn them on an off. Typically, these switches are mounted close to the drivers seat. If you want to go this route you might as well just tap the main 12vdc feed under the dash.
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Kevin Pierson
Posted By: coppellstereo
Date Posted: April 16, 2006 at 9:33 AM
You can do it easily with a relay that is switched on with the amp remote turn on wire
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Posted By: xmkydx
Date Posted: April 18, 2006 at 6:03 AM
yeah, i thought as much. i currently have a 12v hiding under my dash running my 4 neon tubes up front, but i just did a little bit of an install in the boot, and though, maybe i can just plug the neons into the same power line as the amp.
or even crazier, run it off the speaker outputs on the amp ....
Posted By: nhoj_yelbom
Date Posted: April 18, 2006 at 9:53 PM
no dont hook them to speaker outputs unles you want to mess things up
Posted By: firelizard
Date Posted: April 19, 2006 at 10:07 PM
Plugging a light to your speaker outputs won't do anything.
Posted By: mr.audiophile
Date Posted: April 19, 2006 at 11:44 PM
Do you have a toggle switch hooked up to your remote wire? If you do. Just run your wire off the remote terminal of your amp so you don't have to splice any wires. Just hook up the grounds off the neons to the body. When you turn off your amp, your neons will turn off too. No relays, no distribution blocks, simple as it gets. ------------- Checkout my self installed system. Just click on my homepage.
Posted By: sethsyd
Date Posted: April 22, 2006 at 11:53 PM
You DO need a relay if you are going to share the remote wire. There would be way too much current draw with the neons attached as well. Don't want to damage the deck.  Connecting Additional Devices to the Remote Turn On Lead | Using a 30 amp SPDT relay, connect terminal #87 to constant 12 volts positive with a fuse rated to the sum of the additional accessories you've added and the components you need to turn on. (If you have two fans rated at 5 amps each and a neon light rated at 10 amps, you would use a 20 amp fuse plus 200 ma for each amplifier and processor.) Connect terminal #85 to ground, terminal #86 to the remote turn on lead from the head unit, and terminal #30 to each accessory with an appropriate fuse. A fuse (not shown) could also be used between the output of the relay (#30) and the remote turn on lead of the amplifiers and/or processors for extra precaution.
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Posted By: torquehead
Date Posted: April 23, 2006 at 11:29 PM
Neon/Fluorescent question. Isn't neon dependent on AC voltage? I recall back in my MiniTruckin days (which I am re-starting), that they were powered by 12VDC into a circuit and transformer that creates an AC source that is used to power the neion bulb. An amplifier's output is an AC output, just not steady, quite irratic really. So, then in some way of theory could be applied to actually let an amplifier flash the neon to a desired frequency range. If you have an amplifier that is selectable to low frequencies only, the neon will flash to bass frequencies....eh? Already available is the neon speaker rings that flash by way of an internal microphone type control which "dance to the music". So, appearantly neon subjected to voltage spikes as long as the V spikes are limited. Um, just did a search.... Sorry, Ive been building streetrods and other off the wall things for a long time. I havent had neon requested since the end of the 90's...LOL During my search, I found flashing light bars and related stuff...but I hope I made a point to interest someone.
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