Installation manual
Instruction manual for installing your neon sign
Everything you need is already in the box: a 220–240 V to 12 V transformer, a 2 m clear cable and the mounting kit you chose. Your sign runs on low voltage, stays cool to the touch and goes up in about fifteen minutes. Follow the steps below in order and you are done.
Not ordered yet? Design yours in the online neon letters configurator, or send us your artwork for a custom neon logo — and choose the mounting system before we build it.
How do you install an LED neon sign? Mark the position, fit the mounting you chose — decorative screws on a wall, hangers from the ceiling or acrylic legs to stand it on a surface — and plug the transformer into a normal socket. It works at 12 V, gives off no heat and needs no electrician. Space Neon builds every sign in its own European workshop and sends it with the transformer, a 2 m cable, the mounting kit and this manual.
Before you start: two safety checks
Power. Switch the socket off before drilling anywhere near it, and leave the transformer unplugged until the sign is fixed in place. Never cut, shorten or splice the cable that comes out of the sign: doing so voids the warranty and can damage the LEDs.
Support. Check what your wall or ceiling is made of and use the right fixings for it — plasterboard, tile and solid brick each need a different plug. If the surface is hollow or crumbles as you drill, stop and use the acrylic legs instead.
Easy to fit, built to last
CE · RoHS · WEEE
Every sign carries the CE marking, meets the RoHS restrictions on hazardous substances and falls under the WEEE rules for electrical waste. It runs on a certified low-voltage transformer, and it is covered for 3 years from delivery against manufacturing and functional defects.
Connecting the power supply
The transformer turns mains power into the 12 V your sign runs on. It is the only electrical part of the job and takes less than a minute.
Unpack the transformer and find the round barrel connector on the cable coming out of the sign.
Push the two barrel connectors together until they click. They only fit one way, so never force them.
Plug the transformer into a wall socket. Keep it indoors, in a dry spot with air around it, and never inside a sealed box.
Switch the socket on. The sign lights up straight away; if it does not, unplug it and check that the barrel connector is fully seated.
What is in the box. A 220–240 V to 12 V transformer, a 2 m clear cable and a European two-pin plug (Schuko, type F). Customers in the United Kingdom and Ireland need a standard type G (BS 1363) plug adapter, sold in any hardware shop and not included. The voltage is fully compatible — the 230 V used in both countries sits inside the harmonised 220–240 V range — so only the shape of the plug is different.
Three ways to mount it
Your sign can go on a wall with decorative screws, hang from the ceiling on adjustable steel cables, or stand on a shelf or table on acrylic legs. The kit you ordered is already in the box. Jump to your section below — the video runs through the three systems in under a minute.
The video only loads when you click it.
Wall mounting with decorative screws
The most common option. The sign sits a few millimetres off the wall on chrome spacers, which hides the fixings and gives a clean, floating finish. You need a drill, a pencil and the plugs and screws supplied.
Hold the sign against the wall, step back to check it is level, and mark each fixing hole with a pencil.
Drill the marked holes. Use a 6 mm bit for the plugs supplied and keep the drill straight, not at an angle.
Push a wall plug into each hole, then screw the base of a spacer into the plug until it is firm against the wall.
Line the holes in the acrylic backing up with the spacers and screw the decorative caps on by hand. Do not overtighten: the acrylic only needs light pressure.
Connect the transformer as described above and switch the socket on.
Hanging it from the ceiling
Use this over a bar, a photo wall or the middle of a room. The steel cables adjust to any drop, so the sign hangs level at the height you want. It is also how our double-sided 360° signs are installed.
Hold each round ceiling plate where the cable will come down and mark its three screw holes with a pencil.
Drill the marked holes in the ceiling, keeping the drill straight and wearing eye protection.
Push in the plugs, screw each plate on, then set the drop: pull the steel cable through the gripper until the sign will hang at the height you want.
Clip the hook on the end of each cable into the hanging holes of the sign and check it hangs level before you let go.
Connect the transformer and switch the socket on. Route the cable along one of the hanging wires so it stays out of sight.
Standing it on acrylic legs
No drill and no holes. The sign stands on two clear acrylic legs, so it can go on a shelf, a table or the floor and move whenever you like. This is the option to pick in a rented flat, on tiles or on a partition wall you would rather not drill.
Slot the two halves of each leg together to form a cross. There are two legs in the kit.
Slide the base of the sign into the groove of each leg, one near each end, and press down until it sits flush.
Stand it on a level surface, connect the transformer and switch the socket on.
Remotes and controllers
Dimmable signs come with a receiver that sits between the sign and the transformer, plus its remote. The receiver is already wired in the workshop: you only join the two barrel plugs and pair the remote.
Mini dimmer for small signs
Connect the receiver between the cable coming out of the sign and the transformer, matching the two barrel plugs.
Plug the transformer into the socket and switch it on. The receiver takes power and the sign lights up.
Use the remote to switch the sign on and off, set the brightness with the LIGHT and BRIGHT keys, and change the flashing pattern with MODE and SPEED.
Dimmer for medium and large signs
The larger receiver uses screw terminals. The INPUT side (V+ and V-) takes the transformer and the OUTPUT side (V+ and V-) feeds the sign; two indicators on the board tell you the state — POWER means it has current, RECEIVER blinks when it takes an order from the remote. The wiring is done in the workshop: if you ever have to redo it, keep V+ with V+ and V- with V-.
RGB controller
Colour-changing signs use a four-wire controller. On the OUTPUT side, B, G and R carry the three colour channels and V+ is the common line; on the INPUT side, V+ and V- take the transformer. Its remote has a colour wheel to hold a fixed colour, two keys to step through the built-in effects and two more for speed and brightness. Pick your tone in the colour guide before you order.
Pairing the remote with the receiver
First check three things: the remote has a battery, the receiver is properly connected to the sign, and the transformer is plugged in and switched on.
Switch the receiver off at the socket, wait a couple of seconds and switch it back on.
Within five seconds of it powering up, press and hold the power key at the top of the remote — the one marked with a circle and a bar — together with the lowest key, below the dial. Hold both until the sign blinks once: that blink means it is paired.
If the sign does not blink, switch the receiver off at the socket and repeat. Pairing only works in the first few seconds after power-up.
Signs leave the workshop already paired. You only need this if the sign stops answering the remote — after a battery change, for example. If it flickers or ignores the remote, pair it again before assuming a fault.
Questions about installing a neon sign
Is a neon sign hard to install?
No. Everything is in the box — transformer, cable and the mounting kit you chose — and the sign runs on low voltage without giving off heat. Most people put one up in about fifteen minutes with a drill and a pencil.
How do I hang a neon sign on the wall?
With the decorative screws supplied: mark the holes, drill them, push in the plugs, screw the spacers into the wall and screw the caps on through the acrylic. The sign ends up fixed and slightly off the wall, which hides the fixings. Full sequence in wall mounting.
Can I put one up without drilling?
Yes. The acrylic legs let the sign stand on a shelf, a table or the floor with no holes at all, which is the right choice in a rented flat or on tiles. See acrylic legs.
How do I connect it, and what plug does it come with?
Join the barrel connector on the sign cable to the transformer and plug it into a normal socket; it runs at 12 V, so the connection is simple and safe. The transformer accepts 220–240 V and comes with a European two-pin plug (Schuko, type F). In the United Kingdom and Ireland you also need a type G (BS 1363) plug adapter, which is not included — the voltage matches, only the plug shape differs.
Can a neon sign be installed outdoors?
Only if it was built for outdoor use — tell us before we make it, because the sealing and the cable are different. In every case the transformer is not weatherproof: it must stay indoors or under cover, away from rain and damp.
Does the warranty cover a bad installation?
Every sign is covered for 3 years from delivery against manufacturing and functional defects — a year beyond the EU minimum. Repair or replacement at our cost. It does not cover damage caused by an incorrect installation or by knocks in use, which is why it pays to follow these steps. Full terms in our warranty and return policy.
Ready to light it up
That is the whole job: a few minutes, a drill and a socket. If you have not ordered yet, design your sign in the configurator, see how each tone really looks in the colour guide, and compare it with an outline design before you decide.
Want ideas first? Browse the gallery of signs we have built. Our frequently asked questions cover sizes, materials and how each piece is made, and you can read more about the workshop.
