Broken Neon Signs

I don't usually touch high voltage stuff, but sometimes my interest can be grabbed.

Here are just a few electric neon signs with power supply problems. I suspect the one that I have restored to working order has electrical contact problems with the tubing. I can't think of any other reason why it would misbehave and eventually start smoking around the contact points.

I'm not any kind of an expert on switchmode power supplies, but these are a basic, if rather cheap example. There just isn't much to go wrong. All the major components on the boards tested good except for the capacitors.

After tinkering with these, I'm not sure I would ever trust them to run 24/7 as the previous owners did!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• uxwbill
• broken
• electric
• neon
• signs
• everbrite
• evertron
• electricity
• bad
• capacitors
• blown
• fuse

[DarkMan352]

Can i have the one that smokes my dad knows alot on eletroncis and he mite be able to fix it. You dont half to its just if you dont want it

[uxwbill]

@DarkMan352 The smoking happens at the terminal points of the tubes, and not any part of the electronics. Although I haven't got a proper high voltage probe, I believe the power supply is working perfectly. One of these days I will try cleaning up those contact points, as part of them are blackened.

[ksmons]

Getting back to those cheaply wrapped/twisted leads, do you recommend soldering the leads instead of crimping?

[uxwbill]

@ksmons I don't know that I can speak about the wiring intelligently. It seems that the simple twisted wire ends are actually very common. I still do not believe it to be the best way. I could be wrong.

[itouchhacker241]

what if the psu exploded when your ear was near it?

[uxwbill]

@itouchhacker241 ...that is exactly why I don't make a habit of doing such things!

Outright explosions are pretty rare, though.

[vwestlife]

ATM smoke! Don't breathe this!

[9196d]

turn it on behind cover but its next to a gas can?!? @ 9:24

[DarkMan352]

@uxwbill oh, well i got a question: If you was gonna give one neon sign away whitch one whould it be and why

[HDXFH]

That PSU could have Chinese parts inside it!, the old simple NST's last much longer

[SpeakerFreak95]

the thing looked like a flyback transformer on crack.

[TheMrbum]

You wouldn't like what My brother and even my self do sometimes, Get something that blows fuses too often with no obvious sign of trouble, we bridge the fuse to try and cause something else to give.

[CenTexVideo]

@uxwbill You got me thinking about the beer signs in quickie marts. I need to check those out.

I've seen some, probably not like these, that allow for flashing of the sign. Naturally, no relay.