Using a DIY voltage multiplier to drive neon tubes.04:33

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While this circuit isn’t an ideal way to drive neon tubes (best with argon/mercury tubes) it does provide a super cheap and rugged way to make your own tube driver.
It should be noted that this circuit is intended for 220-250V operation, is not a good choice for pure neon tubes and will gradually cause mercury migration in argon/mercury tubes. But for its intended application it is a really neat circuit.
It can also be switched rather conveniently using a standard triac opto-isolator directly, since the current draw is well within the rating of the small triac inside the isolator.
One application where the mercury migration is not an issue is where straight tubes are mounted vertically. If the positive connection is at the bottom the mercury will automatically return to the base by gravity.