How Unbundling LED Display

Components are Changing the

way Sign Companies do

Business

© 2 0 1 4 M A I N S T R E E T L E D S I G N S , L L C M I N D E N , L A

© 2 0 1 4 M A I N S T R E E T L E D S I G N S , L L C M I N D E N , L A

Yes, modular display components are changing the way we do business. But how? And why is that important to our customers?

Let’s start by taking a look at how things used to be - just a short time ago - and how they are now.

For as long as we’ve been in business, we’ve been ordering preassembled LED displays from the manufacturers in China and paid a lot of money in freight just to get them here.

The average price for a dual-sided LED display was $20,000 - meaning not everyone could afford one.

THEN AND NOW

© 2 0 1 4 M A I N S T R E E T L E D S I G N S , L L C M I N D E N , L A

These displays were also heavy and usually required a crane to lift them into place - adding even more costs to just installing and owning an LED display.

NOW - Instead of all these LED displays arriving heavy and preassembled, manufacturers in China have begun offering us “unbundled” LED display components.

This means we can now order individual components (LED display modules, software, controllers, etc.) and build an LED display system here that meets the customer’s needs at a price point more of them can afford.

For example, in 2012, one of our customers paid $21,500 for a preassembled full-color dual-sided 20mm LED display. Today we can purchase the modular components needed to assemble roughly the same sized LED display for the customer for around $7,800.

THEN AND NOW

THREE COMPONENTS MAKE UP THE LED DISPLAY

SYSTEM:

© 2 0 1 4 M A I N S T R E E T L E D S I G N S , L L C M I N D E N , L A

1. LED display modules (color or monochrome)

2. Controller 3. Content creation software

Now we’ll briefly describe the role each component plays in the system

Display ModulesEach display module is made from hard industrial plastic and measures roughly 18.9” by 18.9.” Each module weighs about 13 pounds and has its own electronics and a built-in fan for cooling. Power and data are transmitted between connected modules via cables shown in the bottom right photo.

Display front

Display back with cables

The ControllerThe controller is an electronic device that takes the data a personal computer sends it and translates it into information the LED display can understand. The controller is made up of some electronic boards and a power supply.

All of these components are enclosed in a locked water resistant aluminum case. The cables extending out of the controller are for power in and out to the display and for sending content (data) to the display. Each cable’s function is clearly marked on the outside of the controller box.

Content CreationThere are two different types of content creation software packages . One type is for a monochrome display (red or amber on black) and the other for full color. Both are MS Windows-compliant applications and should run on any MS Windows-compliant personal computer.

Uploading ContentTo upload content from a personal computer, there’s an Ethernet port on the controller marked “Data in.” For stand-mounted LED displays, one end of an Ethernet cable would go into that marked port. The other end into a personal computer’s Ethernet port.

For higher pole installations, an optional wireless antenna can be mounted on the display that would communicate with ground antenna.

Data in

Permanent InstallationA mounting frame is needed to hold the desired number of display panels together. Frames can be fashioned from aluminum or tubular steel. Displays can be mounted from the front or the back. In the photo to the right, you’ll notice that the installation team mounted the frame first then populated it with the display modules avoiding the need for, and the cost of, a crane.

Stand InstallationsIf a customer needs to rent an LED display for short period of time and/or needs more of a roadside solution, these display frames can be mounted on a stand. Some of the stand types are shown below.

trailer hitch receptacle

Large roadside

Small roadside

Trailer mounted

SummaryThe market introduction of self-contained LED display modules and the unbundling of display components have drastically lowered a LED display customer’s total cost of ownership (TCO).

Whether the customer wants a billboard-size full-color LED display or a single-sided monochrome display on a stand, now our customers can get just what they need and can afford.

This is also a plus for sign companies because now more of our prospects can afford to benefit from the highly-attractive just-in-time advertising that only an LED display can deliver.

Randy Rogers, PresidentMain Street LED Signs, LLCMinden, LA318-268-0312randy@mainstreetledsigns.com