I just put 5 neon accent tubes in my car (under feet, back seats, and trunk)... I wired everything up to a switch... works great... i did not use a resistor. Is this bad? and what is the point of a resistor.

thanks smile.gif

 

neon tubes usually can run off direct 12v line... LEDs dont use that much power so they need resistors.

 

pretty much what he said. most tubes come with resistors already in them, so they are ready for 12v. its only whan you are creating your own led projects with bare leds that you will need to worry about resistors.

leds can only operate on about 3.4V(well, most). read this for some more info....
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question501.htm

 

As stated in the previous posts, you shouldnt need a resistor. They should be fine on 12V. I had some really cheap ones in my car that burned out but Im not sure if it was due to a wiring problem or they were jsut cheaply made. I think you should be fine