Neon tubes may seem like a relic of the past, but Petr Doležal, an up-and-coming electrical engineer and designer, is giving them a new life. At Meet the Makers 22 he presented his project Jako Neon, in which he has spent several years developing his own power supplies for neon signs – efficient, safe and well designed.
Petr is also one of the exhibitors at Maker Faire, where he presents his solution to the general public and fellow makers.
Watch the full recording of the presentation here. 👇
The video recording is in Czech.Petr started developing them because the market lacked a solution that was both high-quality and affordable. “If you want something cheap and good, you basically can’t get it.” His own power supply lights a neon tube while drawing just 2 watts, significantly less than conventional solutions, which consume around 200 W.
From the first hack to a miniaturised module
Development took about two years, around 4,000 hours and CZK 20,000 – a project demanding more in time than in money. Petr started out in the ROH workshop, where he and a colleague tried out the first prototypes. He gradually improved them, from the PCB design and 3D-printed enclosures to the output electronics and the transformer windings.
He gradually moved to SMD components and resin 3D prints for greater precision and surface quality. Today the modular architecture even allows power from a power bank, and the whole solution is designed to be on display, with an emphasis on aesthetics too.
From the workshop to the exhibition hall
The current version of the power supplies is ready for small series and wider distribution. Petr had some components made in China, but the design and development stayed in his hands. The power supplies come in two product lines (basic and advanced) and, in addition to the modular version, also offer wireless lighting of the tubes via capacitive coupling.
The project is gradually attracting attention – Petr is preparing his own website, and the first orders are coming in not only from the Czech Republic but also from abroad.
