Since LED models change regularly, we only stock the latest revisions and models to assure the highest quality product. Beware of "old stock" from anyone selling LEDs.
Mega Volt, Inc. Neon Cold cathode LED lighting & modules Beyond signs About neon About us
LED's vs Neon
Our primary business is neon, but for certain applications we love using LED's for specific projects.
Some people advertise LED's as a "neon replacement." In most cases, it is not. For certain applications, LED's are a great product that opens up doors not possible (or practical) with neon. LED's are ideal for low-intensity mood lighting, especially in small, confined spaces. They are more resistant to physical damage than glass neon tubes. For most signage and illumination applications however, neon will provide higher performance that is comparable or better in light output and energy consumption. Most people agree the quality of light from neon is superior to LED's. While LED's emit light into relatively narrow slices of the visual spectrum, neon emits a much broader wavelength that is more pleasing to the eye.
LED's are considerably less robust than neon when exposed to environmental extremes. They also tend to degrade faster - losing lumen-output and/or shifting color over time. An LED is said to have "failed" at the L70 time - where the light output has decreased to 70 percent of what it was when new. Unfortunately, many LED's reach this quite quickly... in as little as 1000 hours.
When LED modules fail, it is general practice to replace ALL the LED's in the sign - as new units will rarely match. This can be a considerable cost. Most all experts and studies indicate cold-cathode and neon are superior in quality of light. They emit a broader, more balanced, and pleasing spectrum. They are also free of the "blue light hazard" (blue and white LED's which exceed the safe limits of blue-spectrum intensity for human vision.)
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Gelcore and Tetra Max LED modules. These are some of the models we sell for
LED applications. A complete system includes the string of LED modules of your
desired length, and a matching power supply. Since LED models change regularly, we only stock the latest revisions and models to assure the highest quality product. Beware of "old stock" from anyone selling LEDs. |
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Contrary to vendor's claims, many LED modules have had a high failure rate in the field. Chase has replaced some of their LED signs with high-efficiency cold cathode. The latest Chase signs use a high-efficiency tri-phosphor neon tube, producing an even, bright light. |
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| LED signs are sold at competitive prices to real neon, however their output is usually lower and their failure rate usually higher. | Neon is a true linear light source, is significantly brighter, has a longer service life, generally looks better, and can be repaired if damaged. It is glass however, and can be broken with rough handling. |
The main advantages of neon: performance and durability. Most people agree the quality of light from neon and cold cathode is superior to LED's. Some LED vendors will tell you their systems "consume 80% less energy than neon". This is very doubtful. For many colors (blue, green, etc.) neon and cold cathode provide significant energy savings over the best LEDs currently available. In most cases, the 80% savings mean a display that is 80-90% lower in output. Putting a dimmer on neon and cold cathode provide the same electricity savings with greater lumen output. Our experience - over and over - is that customers are always more pleased by the neon product than the LED product.
Some LED product vendors loudly proclaim neon and cold cathode consume massive amounts of energy. This is simply untrue. Is neon green? The worst efficiency available from neon is the old color referred to as "clear red". This mercury-free color is pure neon gas inside clear glass tubing. It comes out to a wall-plug efficiency of approximately 15 lumens per watt with off-the-shelf components commonly used. While not great, clear red is the longest-life product available in the signage industry. Many tubes made in the 1950s are still shining today - with near 100% lumen maintenance. That's right: a replacement tube made today will be virtually identical in color and light output to a tube 1/2 century old. Clear red is also unaffected by extreme heat and cold. With the simple materials: inert neon gas, a few grams of soda lime glass, and a gram or two of iron in the long-life electrodes, clear red neon is extremely low in embodied energy.
| "Clear Red" neon is pure neon gas inside of a clear glass tube. - CR neon provides nearly 100 percent lumen maintenance over it's long life of 10-20 years. The color never fades, or shifts. At this end of its long life, it can have new electrodes sealed on and begin life once again. No other light source in common use has duplicated this remarkable property. A broken tube can be replaced a decade later, and is indistinguishable from the original both in color and luminosity. CR operates flawlessly in temperature extremes of the desert South West, to sub-zero Winters in Alaska. CR neon is also mercury-free. |
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What about other colors? White neon and cold cathode approach 80 lumens/watt wall plug efficiency with standard off-the-shelf components. 90 lumens/watt is attainable with careful engineering. LED's - while improving greatly - are at best approaching this efficiency, with far greater cost, and unproven long-term performance. Many other LED colors are dismal in efficiency compared to their cold-cathode counterparts.
In spit of these limitations, LED's really do have a place and have been great products for some niches.