well im about to redo all my interior lights to blue leds and i thought id complete the look by putting some neons under the dash for the driver and passenger side. well i was looking on ebay for some neon and i found that the cheapest i could get is $25-30 shipped; i didnt think this was a bad price untill my friend mentioned something to me about cold cathode tubes. i googled it and i came across this site http://www.xoxide.com/coldcathodes.html so it seems that these are better then neons and for fractions of the cost. i realize this site is selling them for use in computer cases but i wouldnt think that would matter since its a 12v in source anyways. so my question is does anyone have any experience with cold cathode tubes? are they better then neon like it advertises, or should i just stick with the more expensive neon tubes from ebay?

 

don't know bout the glow and how they compare, but if you get them from this site you will be very satisfied... I buy my computer accesories from here and the shipping is awsome.. they are in NJ so they are close enough for a quick ship...

 

cold cathodes will work and kill neons in light output, as well generate NO heat at all. itll be better with them.

 

i have them in my car, they are great. they are so much more compact and they are way brighter. i dont use them much because im not much of a neon fan but wen people see them they always comment on them. if u need any help wireing them up let me know i can guide u through it.

 

i too have cold cathode lights in my car.....way brighter than neons ive seen in other cars. very very slim compared to neons. and you dont get that buzzing noise u get with some low quality neons. i mounted my lights under the dash and u cant even see the tubes. i was told about CC tubes from a fellow orger and have been happy with em ever since.

the site i got it from is www.elwirecheap.com or somethin like that. i even accidentaly broke a tube and they sent a replacement free of charge, and payed shipping.

 

awesome, thanks guys for the feedback. i guess ill go with the CC then, i wonder why they havent made a full crossover to the car scene? i guess the street glow monopoly controls all.

 

And for the ultimate in rice: http://www.xoxide.com/cooler-master-aurora-red.html. They can pulse with the music .

That's great. I might have get some of these at some point. I usually don't go for the rice stuff, but thats hilarious.

Anybody know what the light in the trunk is fused to? I wonder if it's wiring could handle something like this.

Edit: Is this the current draw or something else? "Input Current: 300 mA +/- 10%." That's a very small amount of current.

 

as long as its under the dash, like where ur feet are, and not ANYWHERE ELSE in the car, it will be hot and not rice....

 

+1 on the cold cathodes. I got me some really cheap ones off of nexfan.com They're really bright, but some of my friends say the glow is a brighter hue of blue than any other streetglow brand would be. Then again, I don't know if that's with all neons vs. cold cathodes.

 

Nice! Could someone give me the process of converting them for car use? Cheaper and brighter.. who woulda thought.

 

How easy are these to wire, wut to convert?

 

they are made for computers, and computers also run off 12v so there would be no conversion

 

im thinkin about put those in the footwells actually, u guys think that blue is too ricey? or should i just do white, cant decide....

 

white is soo boring

 

i have 4 blue neons but i have been looking to change my color scheme...so this is perfect b/c they are so cheap...

 

so I am guesing if you want to directly connect to the battery you just cut of the power harness for the comp and figure out what is pos and what is neg and your set. Is this right or wrong

 

the inverter comes with some of the kits. the majority of the ones you buy will show you pos and neg. stop worrying about it already and get some.

 

i bet you'd prefer purple...

 

 

ill be getting those pretty soon to replace my neons under the dash, and to put some under my seats... my friend told me about them but i thought he was bull-sh!tting me

 

alright so let me make sure, the inverter is NOT needed?

 

i wonder how fragile they are....

 

I would

If you want white turn on the dome light and map lights

 

Cold Cathodes are sweet

I actually did this about 3 years ago for a few friends, and it still saved a bunch of money, however now you can get CCFLs dirt dirt cheap.

They are smaller, run cooler, use less energy and are easier to bend and mold (making angel eyes/trim accents/etc).

anarchy57, the inverter is needed, as it turns 12v into the AC (iirc) power the CCFL needs. At first one of my main concerns was going to be running something that normally runs at ~12v off cars which normally see ~13.8v but it hasn't been a problem.

Here are some pictures of the angel eyes I made for my Dad's Durango, the glass kind of distorted them though . But I'd rather have that then deal with the stock plastic lenses
http://www.digitalbeta.net/images/Durango/eyes.jpg
Cambells soup can, propane touch, some test fitting and lots of patience made that happen

 

i just bought some of these... what would be an easy way to wire them

 

yea can anyone explain how 2 wire these in a way taht us electronic newbies would understand... werd thanks

 

black to ground.. red to switched power source ? dunno what more u want.. I would suggest going thru the inition switch or radio's power

 

i wire all of mine to the power for the power seats. i had the seats pulled out anyway so i figured why not. everything works gr8

 

How do these things hold up in the cold? my neons now sometimes dont work if its too cold.

 

i have no idea how 2 do wires and ne thing electronical. i feel so out of place x 10...