About Our Crackle Tubes:
Neon Crackle Tubes produce a bright, fast-moving lightning inside a glass tube that is packed with small pieces of fill material- either cut glass tubing or glass beads.
Filled with neon or a variety of other inert gases, the colored lightning dances through the small spaces between the fill material, concentrating the light into thin, bright streamers. The plasma filaments follow a random, ever-changing path, just like real lightning crackling across the sky.
We make two types of crackle tubes:
Classic Style Neon Crackle Tubes (Available with a variety of alternative inert gas fills for different color effects)
The “Classic” style of crackle tube is made from durable transparent borosilicate glass and is filled with small pieces of thin glass tubing.
Choose a neon gas fill for a brilliant orange-red display, a krypton gas fill for a bright white display, or argon gas for a unique purple display.
These tubes have two electrodes and connect to a neon transformer. The Classic Crackle Tube can be installed for indoor or outdoor use.
Variable Speed Crackle Tubes:
Our “Variable Speed” style of crackle tube is filled with small glass beads, which are coated with a phosphor powder. This method enables a wider range of color combinations, with a combination of the gas color and phosphor glow. Wherever the lightning flashes, it illuminates the brilliantly glowing color of the phosphor, too!
Variable Speed Crackle Tubes run off of a 12 volt DC wall adapter and use very little power, usually less than 12 watts. The speed of crackle is manually adjustable, and these tubes only require one wire connection. Additional circuitry can make the lightning flash in sync with music or other sound effects. The Variable Speed Crackle Tube is made for indoor use.
Both types of Crackle Tubes are available in lengths up to 6 feet and a variety of diameters. Ask about phosphor color options.
Crackle Globes:
The same crackle effect of our Crackle Tubes is also available in the form of a globe. Inquire about available options for this dramatic alternative to the classic plasma globe!