Signs of the Times - February 2014 - (Page 32)

LED Upd a te By M. Nisa Khan, Ph.D. LEDs Provide Versatile Sign Illumination From exit signs to billboards, LEDs offer both practical and creative answers. S igns illuminated by electric-powered lamps have been around for more than a century and, obviously, the first lamp-illuminated sign application proved highly beneficial for business owners and consumers. Until fluorescent and other gas-discharge lamps were mass-produced, incandescent lamps were signs' prime illumination method. Although no certified survey exists, LED-lit signs may now outnumber signs lit with neon and fluorescent lamps, especially within the U.S. (In ST's most recent lighting survey, [see December 2012, page 58], readers said LEDs illuminated 48% of their electric signs. A new survey will appear in the March 2014 issue.) My focus here is to emphasize the versatility of LEDlit signs beyond the traditional channel-letter and cabinet types, but allow me to quickly add that LEDs aren't always the best option, particularly for lamping retrofits, unless the modifying shop employs certain innovations. I'll elaborate more on such innovations in a future column. Exit signs Because the more common types comprise red copy on a white background, exit signs were among the first signs commonly lit by LED lamps (the earliest, mass-manufactured LEDs produced a bright, red light). Further, typical exit signs are small and shallow, so LED's small lamp size added a benefit. Therefore, LEDs' red color, inherent brightness and general compactness caused them to become the choice lamp - or changeover lamp - for small exit signs. Keep in mind that such benefits remain in place. Cabinet signs, channel and integrated letters Channel letters are the storefront brand marque for many businesses and may well be the most popular outdoor sign type. As LEDs became more efficient - and available in white and other colors - many signmakers adopted LED illumination for channel letters. You can apply the same analysis to integrated letters and cabinet signs - essentially, all are illuminated sign enclosures. Changeable copy Because LED lamps are small, discrete, modular and controllable with electronics, you can use them to create dimmable, static and dynamic signage, such as the now common, LED-lamped "Open" signs found in 32 SIGNS OF THE TIMES February 2014 Dr. M. Nisa Khan is president of IEM LED Lighting Technologies. She consults in the solidstate lighting industry and educates consumers about LED lighting. She has a bachelor's degree in physics and mathematics, and master's and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering. Email her at nisa.khan@iem-led.com many storefront windows. Note that such signs have quickly replaced the once popular, neon-lamped "Open" signs. I'm also seeing the increasing popularity of small, LED-lamped, programmable dynamic signs in store windows - inexpensive, message signs that present the owner's computer-entered text. Interestingly, such signs' processes are similar to those found in large, electronic billboards and movingmessage signs that, primarily, comprise arrayed LED lamps governed by addressable software, to become dynamic signage. Such signage was LEDs' most noticeable entrance to the broader signage and display industry. LED-based dynamic signage includes simple, monochrome-scroll displays as well as the large-format, full-color, activematrix systems. Generally, highway-side, electronic billboards are prohibited from using any motion or animation, and image refreshing is mandated to occur at eight-second or longer intervals. Sports and other entertainment arenas often use full-color, full-motion, large-format EMCs in an unlimited fashion. In recent years, on-premise, medium-format dynamic signage has become increasingly popular with schools, churches and small-business venues. Such signage is an outstanding revenue source - and entry-level venture - for electric signshops. Illuminated sign a nrt Never forget that variously sized and colored LED lamps are easily applied as unique illumination sources for elaborate and artistic signs. Such displays, often seen as 3-D artwork, are usually found at shopping-mall store entrances or to enhance the entrances and foyers of fashionable commercial or public buildings. Such structures often use LEDs inside translucent structures to produce halos and special effects. Light pipes and fiberoptic technologies Common today are LED lamps mounted in clear tubes to create the effect of neon tubing. Also, LED light from an appropriately sized lamp module, placed at the ends of fiberoptic tubing, can be efficiently applied to several types of signage, which, of course, includes architectural highlights, building outlines and concealed indoor lighting. n

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - February 2014

Signs of the Times - February 2014
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Welcome to the 21st Century
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Electric
LED Update
Software Update
Technology Review: Cyrious online
Technology Review: Sign and Printmakers Guild
Sign Museum News
New Products
Walls of Fame
A Designer’s View of Health-care Signage
Health-care Signage: Care Required
Health-care Signage Trends
Estimating Software
Dynamic Digital Signage Made Simple, Part 2
Industry News
Advertising index
Editorially speaking

Signs of the Times - February 2014