COLD CATHODE

Cold cathode lighting specialists

Moderneon London Ltd have been lighting up the world for over 50 years, working in tandem with the specifications of clients on all levels and manufacturing with a plethora of advanced, honoured techniques.

Taking advantage of its straightforward, tubular design, our team of experienced designers have allowed Cold Cathode Lighting to be subject to their unfaltering creativity and undying passion for their craft. Exemplifying the most artistic – and often the most abstract – shapes the craft has seen.

Emphasising efficiency and suitability at its core, we also ensure our outlines are the most appropriate given their surrounding context; be it a sharp, daring motif for vivacious bars or an exudence of a soft, inviting ambience employed in public promenades, hotels and shopping complexes worldwide.

Historically, cold cathode lighting referred to luminous tubing, larger than 15mm in diameter and operated on a minimum current of 60 milliamps. Today, cold cathode is an element used within nixie tubes, gas discharge lamps, discharge tubes and some types of vacuum tube. There are two distinct types of cold cathode lighting – cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL’s) and neon lamps, which are a common example of a cold cathode fitting. The ‘cold’ part of the name is due to the fact that the cathode is not independently heated, but may still operate at elevated temperature.

There are many benefits to using cold cathode lighting, including the absence of generated heat during operation. It is this characteristic that makes it ideal for modifying both the exterior and interior of cars, as well as being useful for backlighting computer and flat screen TVs. The heat aspect, or lack of it, is the reason why cathodes can be used at below-freezing temperatures as they don’t need warmth in order to work. The Clock Tower at the Palace of Westminster (Big Ben to you and I), uses cold cathode to illuminate the clock face, where continual failure in cold weather would be less than ideal.