Neon bulbs work on the principle of voltage-induced ionization, creating a visible glowing plasma. If the applied voltage is high enough, around 60 to 80 V, electrons get knocked off the neutral ...

The higher the voltage, the brighter the glow. So he took 100 of these little neon bulbs and arranged them in a 10×10 grid on a piece of perfboard. There’s nothing fancy around the backside ...

McClellan said the neon bulbs he was replacing on the theater marquee normally last about 20 years if installed properly. His company installed neon lights on the marquee nearly two decades ago.