How can neon tube lights benefit your business window?
It can sometimes be overwhelming deciding how to create an eye-catching business window to attract customers. Neon tube lights are simple, flexible and takes away the stress of choosing a complicated neon design.
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- What neon tube lights are
- How neon tube lights produce light
- The benefits of neon tube lights for windows
- Are neon tube lights dangerous?
- Neon tube lights FAQs
- How many colour options can be produced in neon light tubes?
- How do you fix a broken neon tube?
- Can you pain neon tubes?
- How do you create neon tube light font?
What are neon tube lights?
Neon tube lights are flexible, bright tubes that are popular due to the many lighting possibilities they offer.
Traditional neon tubes are designed from soft lead glass that is heated, bent and twisted by hand then fused together. They are then filled with gases at a low temperature.
LED neon tubes, such as our NP tubes, don’t use glass or neon gas. Instead, they are made from acrylic, a thermoplastic better known as Atuglas or Perspex. This is lightweight, shatter-resistant and effective at transmitting light and creating illumination.
Neon tube lights play a vital role in many commercial locations, such as windows of bars, restaurants and shops. They are commonly used to attract potential customers’ attention to a business or campaign.
How does a neon tube light produce light?
Traditional neon tubes are filled with gases, and a high potential of several thousand volts are applied to the electrodes. This ionises the gas and causes it to emit light. In LED neon tube lights, the acrylic tubes are finished with blackout paint or vinyl edging. Light emitting diodes work as a semiconductor and are typically made of aluminium-gallium-arsenide. Where neon tubes rely on a reaction between the neon gas and electricity, in LED neon tubes, the reaction comes when electrons pass through a semiconductor. Our LED neon tube lights are more cost-effective, durable, energy efficient, and safer than glass neon products. They provide an eye-catching visual impact that is as effective as, or even greater than what you get with a traditional glass neon tube.
What are the benefits of adding neon tube lights to windows?
1. They are versatile
Neon tube lights are highly versatile and there are a large number of ways you can use them to benefit your business window. Neon tube lights can be fixed on the wall, hung or simply stood up in a window. You can use neon tube lights either independently of each other, or as a whole group to suit your requirements. A group of neon tube lights used together can easily add drama to a commercial display, as they can be manipulated to create animated effects. At NeonPlus, we have a wide range of units to control your NP Tube in many different ways. These include RGB controllers, DMX systems, dimming switches, flasher units and digital controlled.
2. They can tailor to different atmospheres
Neon tube lights are an effective way to fill your promotional window display with interesting light. The tubes can be used to add excitement to any atmosphere and add a sense of glamour to a commercial window. You can also add neon tube lights to further convey a certain theme or mood, as the lights can fit in with various different backgrounds. Bright lights are a great way to add impact and drama to a theme or style you are conveying.
3. The setup is hassle-free
Most neon tube lights are available with wireless controls. If you don’t want the hassle of trailing wire in your business, our wireless units mean you can control multiple signs from one point. Our wireless units work with dimming controllers, RGB controllers, flasher units, DMX systems and addressable options. Our NP tubes are supplied with 1m tail of wire exiting from 1 end of the tube. These can be supplied as bare wires, push fit connectors or even bespoke connectors if required.
Are neon tube lights dangerous?
Providing it is well looked after, neon is safe to use in most settings. They should, however, be installed in a safe area that is out of reach of children and pets, to avoid accidents.
LED neon tube lights are a safer option than traditional neon tubes, as they contain no hazardous chemicals. They are also not hot to touch and are at no risk of over-heating or creating a fire hazard. You can read more about how acrylic LED neon signs work here.
All neon signs must conform to two British Standard specifications:
BS EN50107 – This standard dictates how luminous discharge tube installations must be manufactured.
BS 7671 – Part of the IET Wiring regulations, this sets out specifications for how these types of electrical installations should be wired.
Before buying neon tube light, check that it has been stickered and marked to show that it complies with the necessary standards.
Neon tube lights FAQs
How many colour options can be produced from neon tube lights?
Most neon tube lights offer a variety of around 5 to 10 colours. We offer a standard LED neon tube option; which is available in 5 static colours:
- Pure white (6500k)
- Warm white (3000k)
- Red
- Green
- Blue
Our optional LED option features 10 static colours:
- Cool white (7500k)
- Pure white (6500k)
- Natural white (4000k)
- Warm white (3000k)
- Yellow
- Orange
- Pink
- Red
- Green
- Blue
Our NP neon tube lights offer RGB, tuneable and fully digital LED options. You can read the technical specification for our NP neon tube lights here.
How do you fix a broken neon tube?
We recommend contacting the seller of your neon light tubes for advice on fixing a neon tube light.
What do “cool white” and “warm white” mean when choosing neon tube lights?
The warm white burns around 3000-35000k, creating a creamy colour. The cool white, on the other hand, burns around 7500k to 10,000k and can create more of an icy blue tinged colour.
Can you paint neon tubes?
We don’t recommend re-painting a neon sign, as re-painting can mess with the glow intensity of the light.
What are the different sizes of neon tube lights?
Most neon tube lights are available in bespoke sizes depending on your preference. However, they are typically 1 to 2 metres long. Our NP Tubes are available in either 1m or 2m stock lengths, or in bespoke cut lengths.
You can read more about using neon signs to convey your brand style here.