so i've got interior neons set up.. under the dash, under the seats, in the vents, etc. everything works great.. but i've got those stupid ugly black boxes that come with the neons i want to get rid of.

so i went out a bought a switch and mounted it into the dash. when i wired up the lights (now cut from their ugly boxes), the switch illuminates, so its getting power.. but the lights dont light up. reattach them to the box, and they do.

so i figure there has to be something inside that box that makes the lights work. but that doesnt make any sense to me, seeing as how i know people who have done it. infact, no one i know whos actually serious into tuning and the final accessories involved actually uses that god damn ugly black box.

any ideas?

 

Well I have never installed any neons, but im pretty sure that the little black box you are talking about has a relay inside of it. Try opening the box up and see whats in it. And try running a relay for the switch. Good luck and merry xmas.

 

yea you shoulda just extended the wires for them and hid the box

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 2fast4udude &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">no one i know whos actually serious into tuning and the final accessories involved actually uses that god damn ugly black box. </TD></TR></TABLE>

They use the box, they just make it so it is so far out of sight, it is out of mind permanetly.

 

you could take apart the box, then using a multimeter and a whole host of other tools find out what each thing inside does.

most likley its changing the resistance of the 12 volts before it gets to the bulbs.

but then once you know what the box does, and you build your own out of parts from radio shack, you still need to put it back bc the lights cannot work without it.

so youd be wasting time and money, but youd be more "serious into tuning" if you did.

 

fyi the above "flamer" (my bro) installed neons in my hatch and had them door triggered with ground actuated relays from the door trig.

they've since been removed... but I still kinda miss them. Properly done... it was cool.

 

That little black box is most likely the ballast. Its usually a transformer that converts your 12VDC into somewhere around 1000VDC to excite the gasses inside the neon tube. You definatley need that box.

Also, you need one ballast for one light, hooking 2 or more lights into one ballast will not work because they can handle only so much current. Sometimes you can find neons with the ballast built into the tube itself.

Good luck