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Pierre Muth’s 384-pixel neon display is an 8×48 field of tiny orange dots, built from INS-1 indicator tubes. Its unusual trick is that every tube has its own controller and high-voltage converter, so the array can scroll text and animations more like an addressable LED panel than a conventional neon sign. It is a striking maker project, not a practical LED replacement: the builder reported nearly 8 A at 5 V at full brightness, plus hundreds of boards to assemble.
A matrix made from indicator tubes
The project, documented in 2020 by French maker Pierre Muth, arranges 384 INS-1 tubes into six 8×8 sections, forming an 8×48 display. Each tube produces a single orange dot; these are not the shaped electrodes of a Nixie tube, nor long glass tubes used in ordinary neon signs. The small INS-1 package is about 6.5 mm across and was also used in applications such as Nixie-clock separators.
An aluminum backing plate and 3D-printed supports hold the array. With each pixel controlled separately, the display can show scrolling text, time- and date-style information, and simple animations. The visual appeal is its warm, slightly uneven glow: it looks less like a modern screen than a field of tiny instrument lamps.
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- WS2811 LED Neon Strip: Compared with ordinary LED strips, this neon strip has a thick and flexible silicon sleeve around it, which makes this neon strip more flexible and you can easily bend it to what you want shape. (Note:There is no self-adhesive tape on the back of this kind of neon strip light!)
- Addressable LED strip: One WS2811 IC controls 6 LEDs, easy to program when you use a programmable controller such as T-1000S, K1000C etc. It also can be controlled by APP controllers, like SP106E, SP105E, SP601E, SP107E ect. and realize a variety of dynamic effects, such as gradual change, strobing, rainbow, fading, breathing, etc. You can also DIY the color effects your want.
- 256 brightness display and full 24-bit color display. Each pixel can have its own color and brightness. 5M long strip with 540pcs 3838SMD LEDs, which are very dense, making the light strip more uniform and beautiful. You can control each LED Pixel(6Led per pixel) and set it to any color or animation you want.
- CONNECTABLE: Each LED strip comes with 3pin JST-SM connectors and separated power/ground wires on both ends. It can be connected end to end, You can shorten, lengthen or bend it freely if you want. Power supply and led controller are not included.
- WIDELY USED: waterproof IP65, It can be widely used on LOGO screen, advertising board, outdoor advertising signs and applied to hotel, KTV, bars, commercial street atmosphere lighting. Good for replace the traditional neon signs.
One tube, one board, one microcontroller
Each of the 384 pixels has its own small PCB, an INS-1 tube, and a PIC16F15313 microcontroller. The board takes the display’s 5 V supply and uses a switching step-up circuit to generate the roughly 100 V needed to strike the tube. A MOSFET and diode participate in the switching path; the local PIC handles communication and brightness control. Six-pin connectors link the pixel boards into the larger array.
The distinction between input and tube voltage matters. The display takes 5 V externally, but it is not simply a 5 V device: high voltage is generated throughout the array. The tube’s roughly 100 V striking requirement is not the voltage supplied at the display’s power jack.
The tube’s discharge current is about 0.5 mA, while a complete pixel board draws around 20 mA from the 5 V supply at full brightness, according to the builder. Those numbers describe different parts of the circuit. The board also powers its controller and switching converter, and conversion is not lossless.
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- 【Addressable RGB LED】12V 5M long with 420pcs LEDs and 70pcs WS2811 ICs which are organized in groups of 6 LEDs with 1 IC. Each group can be controlled individually. With compatible controller,it will display amazing dynamic color effects, such as rainbow, chasing, breathing,comet, fading etc.
- 【Neon LED Flex Strip】 It looks a lot like neon, but without the need for transformers, glass tubing, inert gasses. This New Type neon strip lights has a thick and soft silicon sleeve around it, which makes this neon strip more flexible and you can bend at will, it can easily bend to reach nearly 90°.
- 【Support Many Controllers】It is compatible with Arduino, Raspberry Pi,T1000S,K1000C etc programmable controllers. Support SP105E SP601E SP611E app controllers, SP107E music controllers, SP108E smart WiFi Controllers. (Controller and power supply are not included in the package)
- 【User-friendly Design】Designed with 3pin JST-SM connectors on both ends for hooking up and power/ground wires for injecting power.The milky white soft silicone shell makes the light strip have good waterproof performance and flexibility.(Note: Both ends of the light strip are not waterproof)
- 【Wide Application】This IP65 waterproof neon light strip is suitable for Bedroom, Living room, Gaming room, TV, Kitchen, Stairs, etc. The good waterproof performance of the light strip is also suitable for decorating trees, the edge of the house,grass modeling, swimming pool and other outdoor places.
Giving every dot a microcontroller is the project’s signature engineering choice. Rather than use a conventional shared row-and-column driver, Muth made the pixels behave as individually addressable nodes, inspired by addressable LED systems such as WS2812 or NeoPixel. The result is flexible control at the cost of 384 controllers and 384 local driver circuits. This is an architectural resemblance, not an assertion that the neon modules are electrically interchangeable with NeoPixels.
How the display receives graphics
An ESP32 serves as the display-level controller. Its software was built with the Arduino framework and PlatformIO, with Adafruit GFX-style drawing and font support added for the neon display. A buffer holds the image; scrolling can be produced by shifting the visible frame through a larger buffer. That makes ordinary display concepts—fonts, graphics, and moving text—usable without treating the array as 384 unrelated lamps.
Brightness is controlled by changing how the switching converter energizes the tube, using pulse-width modulation (PWM), rather than by dimming it like a household incandescent lamp. Muth describes a switching stage around 100 kHz and brightness PWM around 500 Hz. Neon discharge has a threshold, and individual tubes differ, so dimming need not look perfectly linear or uniform from dot to dot.
Rank #3
- 【Dream Color】6.5FT 50LEDs/M RGB WS2811 WS2812 3PIN port LED neon strip with built-in WS2811 IC，Static effects, chase effects, special effects, etc. can be presented through the controller.Compatible with SP105E SP107E SP108E SP110E SP501E SP601E and other music/WIFI APP Pixels controllers, T-1000S K-1000C and other program Led controllers, Led controller are not included.
- 【360°Lighting】LED rope lights with 360 round tube silicone shell, 360°lighting, uniform light, no dark spots. Nylon mesh weave structure has a more expressive.
- 【Durable】 IP67 waterproof performance without fear of rainy days. Using silicone material, high temperature resistance, anti-corrosion properties make it possible to use in harsh environments.
- 【Flexible】Round reticulate pattern neon led strip，Soft silicone tube is easy to bend and DIY various shapes. Please do not use higher than 5V power supply. Power supply is not included in the package.
- 【Wide Application】WS2812B Neon Sign suitable for home, Game room,bedroom, DIY lighting, KTV, bars, Outdoor advertising signs.etc.Package with 3 x Mounting clips/m, can be easily applied to smooth ceilings, walls or fences.
The long serial chain brought a less visible challenge: signal timing. Muth reported that propagation delay could shift clock and data out of phase as signals passed through the devices. The design compensated by delaying the clock at each device, using the PIC’s logic-cell capabilities as part of the signal-conditioning approach. A replica should not assume that a longer chain will work simply by connecting more boards; clock and data timing need to be tested in the actual layout.
Nearly 40 watts—and substantial assembly
Muth reported a full-brightness input current of about 20 mA per pixel. For 384 pixels, that is 7.68 A; at 5 V, it works out to 38.4 W. The project describes the total as almost 8 A, or around 40 W, and used a 5 V, 10 A supply. These are the builder’s reported figures, not independent laboratory measurements.
At that current, power distribution is part of the design, not an afterthought. Thin traces, long feed paths, or undersized connectors can produce voltage drop, heating, uneven brightness, and instability. A practical recreation needs appropriately rated wiring and connectors, with power distributed across the panel rather than forced through one small feed path.
Rank #4
- 【Individually Addressable – Every LED, One Chip】With 160 LEDs per meter (160 ICs/m), each LED is individually addressable via a built-in WS2812B IC. Ultra-bright, ultra-smooth COB design eliminates dark spots (unlike traditional WS2812B/5050 strips). Brighter, cleaner, and fully programmable
- 【Ultra Bright & 16M Colors – FCOB with Pixel Perfect Control】Our 10mm FCOB (Flip Chip On Board) technology delivers 30% brighter, more uniform output than standard SMD LEDs–no dark spots. Each WS2812B IC enables smooth, per-pixel color transitions, producing 16 million true RGB colors with rich gradients, flowing water, rainbow waves,etc.The white PCB ensures clean light diffusion, while the advanced IC design guarantees stable performance across 50,000+ hours.
- 【UL Listed】UL Recognized for safety, featuring UL certified wires and PCB. Comes with 3M double sided adhesive for easy mounting. IP30 – indoor dry use only.
- 【Application Scenarios 】From under cabinet lighting and TV backlight to vanity mirrors, floating shelves, curtain lights, neon signs, wall panels, gaming desk under glow, bed frames, and makeup mirrors this COB addressable strip delivers seamless, dark spot free illumination, vibrant 16M colors, and individual pixel control, all in an easy to install, cuttable, and linkable design.
- 【Versatile Functions】Note: Controller is not included and must be purchased separately. Choose the right controller based on your project needs.Compatible with multiple controllers: DIY Projects (SP803E,SP805E,ESP32, ESP8266,WLED, Rasp Pi, UNO R3 etc.), Tuya APP (DR03W), BanlanX APP(SP630E/SP530E/SP611E/SP602E/SP608E/SP107E/SP105E etc.),industrial-grade (K1000C, K8000C, etc.). Choose the right controller per your project.
Heat was also considered: the builder kept the construction open for airflow and reported keeping it below about 40°C. An enclosed version cannot assume the same result; it would need thermal testing in its intended enclosure and environment.
The labor is just as striking as the power draw. Hackaday reported 11 components on each pixel PCB. That means soldering hundreds of tubes and thousands of component connections, then linking and checking a large number of boards. The modularity makes a single pixel replaceable in principle, but diagnosing a fault among 384 similar modules can still be painstaking. Potential failure points include the tube, PIC, MOSFET, diode, coil, connector, board traces, and backplane connections.
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High-voltage and high-current precautions
Do not call this safe simply because the input is 5 V. Each pixel generates roughly 100 V locally, and capacitors may retain charge after power is removed. Exposed nodes, accidental contact during testing, and insufficient insulation or clearance deserve serious attention. The large 5 V supply also presents short-circuit and wiring-heating risks at close to 8 A.
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Anyone recreating the design should work from the project’s actual schematics, use appropriate current limiting and rated components, and enclose or guard the high-voltage circuitry—especially if the display will be accessible to children, pets, or the public. The project sources do not establish modern independent safety certification or a complete production-safety assessment. This is a reference maker build, not a certified kit or beginner-safe recipe.
Is the neon approach worth copying?
It depends on what the display is for. If the goal is the orange discharge, retro character, and challenge of an unusual distributed circuit, the inefficiency is part of the point. Muth himself characterized the project as inefficient in consumption, cost, and time. Its value is aesthetic and educational, not an advantage in resolution, brightness, efficiency, or ease over LEDs.
- Choose an addressable LED matrix—such as WS2812/SK6812 hardware or a HUB75 panel—when cost, efficiency, availability, color, resolution, or mature software support matters most. It provides similar programmable-display behavior, not the same neon glow.
- Choose Nixie tubes when you want numerals and a classic instrument aesthetic, such as for a clock. Nixies also need high-voltage drivers, but a clock uses far fewer display elements than 384 independently controlled dots.
- Choose commercial signage for public, outdoor, or service-critical use, where enclosure, reliability, and maintainability matter more than the novelty of a one-off build.
- Try a smaller neon matrix if the discharge effect is the priority. An 8×8 or 16×16 version would cut the number of boards, solder joints, power demand, and potential failure points substantially.
Tube availability and price should be checked before planning a build; claims about plentiful, inexpensive INS-1 stock in 2020 are historical, not current buying guidance. The project is best understood as the hard way to make a glowing dot matrix: 384 tiny neon discharges turned into a programmable display by giving every one a brain.
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Project references: Hackaday project page; Hackaday article; builder’s technical write-up; Hackster project summary.
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