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HOW TO SELECT A LED DISPLAY
For those who are new to this field, we
Sunitron Inc. have created this guide to educate and help you in
selecting the appropriate display for your application.
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| 1.
Indoor or Outdoor |
Indoor Displays are to
be used only for interior application. If the application is for a window
display, then a super-bright indoor sign is needed or an outdoor one even
if the sign is indoor. Our Outdoor Displays are designed with military
specification to with stand outdoor weather conditions and are
bright enough to be visible in any day light condition. |
| 2. Viewing Distance |
It is stated that for
every inch of a character's height the viewing distance increases by 50
feet, i.e. a 2" character can be read from 100 ft. |
| 3. What's a pixel? |
LED Display is
made up of an array of pixels. A pixel can be made up from 1 or several
LED's to a cluster
of LED 's. An array of pixels also known as the resolution is distinguished
by the number of pixels vertical by the number of pixel horizontal. For
example 64 x 16 pixels resolution means 64 pixels horizontally and 16 pixels
vertically. |
| 4. How many pixels to form a character? |
For regular (single stroke)
character, a typical character is composed of 7 pixels high x 5 pixels wide, plus the spaces between
characters and lines used. |
| 5. Character Size
Indoor Display |
For indoor displays, your character size depends on your application. If it's an
indoor sign in an office lobby, cafeteria or similar, 2" - 4"
size characters are
sufficient. For a warehouse, depending on it's display size and viewing
distance requirement, etc., 4" - 8" size characters are
recommended. |
| 6. Character Size
Outdoor Display |
For outdoor displays,
if it's on a main street for driving and walking by traffic viewers 8" - 12"
size characters are sufficient. For longer distance whether from the road or a highway,
14" - 24" size characters are appropriate. |
| 7. Characters per Line |
The number of characters on a line of a sign
is determined by the number of pixels across the sign. A single stroke character
requires 5 pixels across plus a space. An 80 column sign will display 13
characters (80/6= 13.3). As you plan out your sign requirements, write down the
messages that you intend to display on the sign. Count the characters that you
expect to display on each line. This will help you to decide on the number of
characters per line that will best suit your application. Don't forget that you
can scroll the information, so you don't have to get everything on one line. |
| 8.
Selecting a Color |
There are 3 types of LED
display; Single Color (usually red unless specified) 3 Colors (red, green,
amber) capable of multiple shades and Full Color where you have a 16.7
million colors. For simple informational signs, single color is usually
sufficient; 3 color signs can be used in different application or to get
across different messages, e.g. red color for important messages, green or amber
color for daily messages; Full Color displays are usually used by outdoor
advertising firms or stadiums because they give a high resolution and
viewing is like watching a big TV visible in sunlight conditions |
| 9.
Methods of Communication |
Many indoor displays
are equipped with a hand held wireless remote with optional software
depending on the amount of usage and information you are displaying. For other
indoor displays as well as outdoor ones, one could use direct wired cable, wireless receivers,
or modems to get their messages to the displays. |
| 10. When do you use a modem? |
Modems are used when it is impossible to
run a direct wire between the sign and the computer. A dedicated phone line is
required at the sign end. A software program automatically dials the phone
number of the sign when you are ready to send a new message to the sign. |
| 11. Graphics
vs. Text |
Text-only applications can be accomplished with
signs with as little as one line of text. Graphics, animation or video screen
displays require more rows to
accurately display logos and animations. Graphics looks best when the sign is at
least 24 pixels high or if for good animation or video display, at least 64 rows
are recommended. |
