LED Sign Basics & Anatomy

LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are extremely long-lasting solid state lights that are rated with a 100,000 hour lifespan (11 + years if used continuously 24/7/365).  Using high-tech semiconductor chips, LEDs generate intense light - yet consume comparably small amounts of energy.  When individual Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) LEDs are assembled and controlled as a grouping called a Pixel, any combination of billions of colors can be electronically generated – including pure white which is a perfect balance of the three RGB primary colors.  RGB Pixels are individual dots within the pattern of a much larger image on an LED sign face.  In manufacturing, our individual RGB lights within Pixels are spaced evenly to help create a much smoother, less “pixilated” image compared with other LED signs.  Pixels are assembled in Columns and Rows referred to as the sign “Matrix”, and connected to circuit boards within frames called LED Modules.  When attached to a sign frame, multiple Modules make up an LED sign face.  Electronic processors, controllers, and other components that drive and produce incredible full-color graphics are located behind the sign face. 

LED sign Resolution is known as pixel density (or how closely together the pixels are spaced), which is usually measured by the number of pixels per square meter.  Resolution may also reference Pixel “Pitch”.  Pixel Pitch is the measurement (in millimeters) from the center of one pixel to the center of the next pixel (another way of measuring Pixel density).  The smaller the Pitch number, the closer the LED Pixels are spaced together.  A higher Pixel density creates a visually clearer sign image. FDLED offers 6mm to 40mm Pitch signs and an even further enhanced technology called Virtual Pixel Sharing which dramatically increases visual graphic quality and definition.  By utilizing Virtual Pixel Sharing technology, individual LEDs from adjacent pixels are shared to create a new virtual pixel half-way between the actual pixels so that images appear Virtually twice as clear.  When choosing a Pixel Pitch, it is important to consider viewing distance (the distance from the sign to the target audience), the speed of passing traffic and viewers, and the quality and size of the graphics that you desire to display on your sign.  FDLED provides a consultative sales approach and will analyze each application independently to assist in proper sign size selection.  In the realm of LED signs, “Size Does Matter”. While FDLED Clients have never expressed that they invested in a sign that was too large, Clients have wished they had selected a larger sign.