INGRESS PROTECTION


SIGN SELECTION

Viewing Distance
The distance between your sign and its viewers is the number one factor in determining the type of LED display you will need. Longer distances require less resolution, and shorter distances require higher resolutions. If you are traveling at 80 Km/hr on a road, and the sign is 900m away at a shopping centre, the text letters must be at least 60cm tall to be legible. Likewise, if you are standing 150m away from a street level sign, the letters need only be 9cm tall to be legible. The rule of thumb is that you need 3cm for every 50m of viewing distance.


Density
Diode density and pixel pitch are the two most critical factors to determine the value and quality of resolution. Density in an LED display is the total number of diodes in one square meter. Since pixel clusters can vary from one diode per pixel to up to 30 or more, the total density of pixels becomes an important measurement. For example, a 18mm RGB display with 4 diodes per pixel has a much higher density than a similar 18mm with only 2 diodes per pixel. Spark signs have very high density compared to most other manufacturers. The total number of diodes per pixel, times the number of diodes per square meter equals the total diode density. High density displays offer more overall brightness output (NITS). Not only does this make for a better, brighter sign, it also can extend the lifespan of the display by allowing the user to dim the sign down during the first few years, and then slowly raise the dimming as the sign naturally fades over time.?


Viewing Angles
Diodes are capable of outputting light at a variety of angles. Diodes can put out a single, narrow beam of light like a flashlight, or they can output a wide array across a room like a light bulb. Diodes output about the same amount of light no matter what type they are, but the “high-beam” diodes with a narrow angle focus more light into one small spot, whereas the “wide angle” diodes spread their light across the horizon. So, if you were to stand in front of a sign made from “high-beam” diodes with narrow viewing angles, you would see an extremely bright sign if you stood directly in front of it, but the minute you walked away from the small spot light of it’s focus, you would see nothing but black. On the other hand, if you were to build a sign with lots of “wide angle” diodes, you could move around and to the side of the sign, and still see a great image. Spark displays use wide viewing angle diodes, with super wide viewing angles up to 140 degrees. Together with the high density of diodes, the Spark displays are both bright and have wide viewing angles at the same time.


Brightness
When purchasing an outdoor-bright LED display, it is important to understand that there are major differences between LED sign systems. An outdoor-bright sign must have at least 5000 cd/m2 of brightness to be seen in the daylight sun. Spark signs are built with a high density of super-bright, high-quality diodes, so our displays typically exceed this standard by a long shot. Contrast ratio is another important factor in overall brightness, and refers to the difference between levels of blacks compared to the level of whites in the display. Things like reflective surfaces, glare from the sun, and dimming all affect contrast ratio. To optimize the contrast ratio and overall brightness, Spark features a unique louver system to shade each individual diode from the glare of the sun. The louvers were computer modeled to optimize the view from onlookers below while blocking the maximum amount of sun from all sides. No other system on the market offers this unique, individual diode shading. Together with the high-density array, the Spark sign is truly the brightest product on the market today.

Communication Options Available
Ethernet - Hard-wired communications to high-bandwidth displays less than 350m
Fiber Optic - Multi-mode or single-mode fiber optic cable for communications to high-bandwidth displays over 350m.
Wireless Ethernet - Wireless communications for mid- to high-bandwidth displays. Clear line of site between wireless devices required.
Broadband Internet - DSL /Cable for long-distance or remote communication on mid- to high-bandwidth displays. Static or Dynamic IP Addressable.
RS-232 - Standard hard-wired communications to low-bandwidth displays. Less than 100m between display and PC.?
Modem - Long distance or remote communication to low- bandwidth displays over telephone lines.?

Application Gallery
Knowing the right application is the key to selecting the right system. There are so many applications and configurations to choose from that it can be a little difficult to navigate through all of the choices. The descriptions below offer a general overview of the basic LED applications to help guide you.?

Digit Signs
Digit Signs are Time and Temperature displays, Gas Price changers, Hotel Price Changers, and other fixed digit displays. The digits are formed from pixels laid out in a numeral configuration and are controlled by manual input either by remote control or hard wired to a PC.?

Electronic Message Display
Electronic Message Centers are user-programmable text messaging systems that allow the end user to input the message through a software program and then transmit their custom message to the sign. Users can animate their messages with pre-configured transitions that cause the text message to scroll, fade in, flash, or drop onto the display. EMD’s also feature easy to use scheduling software that allows messages to be displayed at various times of the day. The EMD requires the Monochrome Control System.

Electronic Message Display with Graphics
In addition to animated text messages, these systems provide full-matrix, full-motion, animated graphics. In other words, they do more than just scroll lines of text. Simple graphic animations can be created in the on-board software or imported into the system. Users can schedule a combination of text messages and animated graphics for looping playback. The EMC with Graphics requires the Monochrome 256 Control System.?

RGB Displays
For high-resolution displays that show full-color, graphic animations, a high-powered RGB control system is required that can provide fast processing in 16.7 million colors. These high-bandwidth systems require fast communications lines for proper signal processing. High-resolution, full-color RGB displays require the RGB 16.7 M control system.?

RGB Displays with Video or Real Time Video Input?
Some displays utilize some form of video input, similar to a TV set. Whether the signal is from a video tape deck or a live camera feed, the real-time video input is instantly displayed on the screen. This is not the same as playing back a looping animation from memory. Real-time video input requires the RGB 16.7 M control system and LED Studio software. Live-video input option allows you to add PAL, S-Video, DV, and SDI to your LED screen. With scaling to accommodate the size of your custom display, cropping and bit-map logo insertion over transparent alpha channel, the Real Time Video Input options are what you need for sports and other entertainment events.

?