Neon flashes with the music

[tubbytwo]

Is there a simple way to have a neon bulb (ne-2) flash with the music of say a portable CD player or AC radio?

 

[audioguru2]

Sure, just step-up the voltage with a transformer. A cheap, small audio transformer that has a 1K primary and an 8 ohm secondary will work if you connect the 1K terminals to the neon bulb (you may also need a current-limiting resisor in series with the bulb) and the 8 ohm terminals to the speaker output of a radio or amplifier.

You can also try touching the 1K terminals with one hand to get some small jolts with the music.!

 

[tubbytwo]

Tried that. http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49118
(I think you have your connections reversed) thanks though

 

[Alun]

Audioguru was right about the connections, 8ohm on the input and 1K to the neon lamp.

Also the output is probably too low to flash a the neon lamp, you could connect the output to a small amplifier then connect that to the audio transformer.

The TDA7052 is a good monolithic audio amp chip that is suited to this application attached is the data sheet.

PH_TDA7052.pdf

 

[tubbytwo]

Audioguru was right about the connections, 8ohm on the input and 1K to the neon lamp.

Sorry, I read it as 8ohm and 1ohm.....(brain fart)
Thanks for the audio amp chip info.

 

[Yevgenip]

But remember this might quickly kill your batteries.

 

[Alun]

I could do but I don't think a tiny neon lamp would drani the battery too much. The datasheet says 1.2W into and 8ohm load with a 6V supply. Although the audio transformer has a primary impedance of 8ohms when connected to a 1K load if it were connected to a higher impedance, say a neon lamp with a series resistor (I would recomend 47K) its impedance would be a lot higher thus resulting in much lower power consumption.

 

[audioguru2]

The neon light bulb won't use much power but the little transformer that is used backwards will probably overload the amp and battery at low frequencies where its 8 ohm winding has poor coupling with the core that is too small. The 8 ohm winding will be like a dead short to the amp at low frequencies.
Just filter out the low frequencies? Then the neon won't show the beat. ;D