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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.

 

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.

Features

LED's with 100,000 Hr. life Stores up to 99 alphanumeric messages
Upper and lower case  messages  PC / PLC / Ethernet / Modem inputs
2 weeks typical memory retention Real-time clock can report date/time, 12/24 hour format
Rugged extruded aluminum enclosure Character sizes from 2” to 18”
Units may be wall or ceiling mounted Indoor units designed for industrial use
Windows® based software provided or user developed protocol can be used 26 message operation modes including:  Wipe / Open / Blink / Pause / scroll up / scroll down / double font size

Applications

 

Production goals and performance Quality goals and performance
Safety goals and performance Statistical analysis
Fault messages Company announcements
Employee achievements Quick manufacturing changes
Real-time assembly line status

Communication

RS232 Serial communication for use when a single display is located less than 50 feet from the controlling pc.
RS422/485 Serial communication for distances greater than 50 feet from the controlling pc or when multi-dropping displays (more than one display from the same controlling pc) up to 4000 ft.
LAN / Ethernet With this option, displays can act as nodes on a LAN system and receive information via Ethernet. Each display has an IP address.
Modem With this option, displays include a modem package and can be communicated with over the phone lines.
Wireless With this option, each display has a wireless receiver that can be controlled from up to 500 feet away from the transmitter.

 

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