subject: The neon sign control [print this page] In general, neon sign for advertisement, irrespective of their scale, are lit when it becomes dark in the evening and put out after a definite time (at night) in consideration of economy. If the scale of the advertising neon sign is large, the turning on and off of a power switch are performed automatically. If it is small, control of turning on and off of a power switch is usually performed in manual operation. This is because the automatic control requires a relay, a timer and the like separately and therefore the device becomes expensive and the construction cost causes a serious problem in expense. Use of a timer of the motor type or spring type and the mechanical contacts makes the life relatively short. Since the control device must be installed at a site which is prevented from wetting by rain and free from moisture, i.e. indoors, it is inevitably installed remote from the neon transformer and therefore the construction cost becomes high also from this aspect. When control is effected in manual operation, not only labor is required but also forgetting of the turning on/off of the power switch may occur. Consequently, the manual operation is not always performed economically.
