Sign Basics: LED’s

What is an LED?

An LED (Light Emitting Diode) is an electronic semi-conductor that when turned on, converts electric energy into light. One way LEDs differ from incandescent light bulbs is LEDs have no filament to burn outmeaning LEDs can last for 10,000 hours or more. They are also far more efficient, producing substantially more light per watt than incandescent bulbs. Other advantages of LEDs are:

- Color: LEDs use no color filters like traditional lighting, thereby keeping costs down

- Shock resistant: LEDs are a solid state component making them difficult to damage

- On/Off time: LEDs produce light very quickly. Typically LEDs achieve full brightness in a less than a microsecond, giving them an incredible response time

- Cool light: An LED will radiate almost no heat that can damage adjacent materials. Excess energy is dissipated as heat through the base of the LED

- Size: LEDs are small in size, allowing them to be easily populated into face panels (in our industry)

- Cycling: LEDs are perfect for frequent on-off cycling, which cause traditional lighting to fail

- Low toxicity: An LED contains no mercury, thereby making them safe for the environment

In The Sign industry, one or more LEDs will make up a pixel. Typically, LEDs are red or amber for monochrome units and a combination red, green and blue for color displays. It is also important to keep in mind differences in quality when it comes to LEDs. There are literally hundreds of LED manufacturers making a wide range of diodes, some are first-rate, others are poorly manufactured which usually result in diodes lasting only 25,000 to 50,000 hours. In order to build a top of the line product, you need to start with top of the line components. Make sure your display manufacturer is providing only superior LEDs.