Glossary
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Ambient Temperature
The temperature of the area or
atmosphere around the electronic led
display (not the operating temperature
of the led display itself) in which it
will be working properly without showing
malfunctions
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Animations vs. Graphics
A graphic is a pattern of pixels, often
displayed in one position, such as a
company logo or an identifiable product,
such as a car or light or shoe. An
animation is a sequence of graphics that
have been designed to operate together
to give the illusion of motion, such as
a walking shoe, or a moving car, or a
light turning off and on. Most signs
will display both animations and
graphics. Some signs have animations and
graphics built in. Other signs require
that you insert the animation or graphic
in your message and transmit the
animations and graphics to the sign when
you transmit your messages. See also
"Programming Animations and Graphics."
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Battery Backup
Most signs have battery-backed up memory
and time. If the sign is turned off,
unplugged or moved, the messages,
graphics and time settings that were
stored in the sign’s memory area are not
lost. When the sign is plugged in again,
the message, graphics and time that were
in memory resume displaying.
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Brightness
The output intensity or brightness of an
LED is measured in millicandela. The
most common technique used in indoor
displays to get the greatest range of
brightness is called "multiplexing". The
LED's are strobed rapidly, faster than
the eye can detect, one at a time. This
method limits the brightness of each
pixel since the pixel is only turned on
for a sequence of brief instances. When
an LED is latched on, it is lighted
continuously until it is turned off
again. This produces brighter pixels.
Data block modules can only be
multiplexed; discrete clusters are
usually latched.
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Center to Center Spacing
The distance from the center of one
pixel to the center of the next adjacent
pixel is called "Center to Center
Spacing" or "Pitch".
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Connectivity
There are a variety of
ways to connect a sign to a computer:
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Cable
- The simplest connection is a cable
connection between the Serial Port
of the computer and the sign. There
are several cable connection
options. These are discussed more
fully in our document, "Sign
Networks."
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Modem
- If cabling is difficult or
impossible due to site restrictions,
using a Modem is a second option.
The messages and graphic programs
are transmitted from the modem on
the sending computer to the modem in
the sign over normal telephone
lines. When a message is sent, the
program automatically dials the
phone number of the sign modem. The
telephone line can be a line
provided by the phone company, or it
can be an extension on your internal
phone system. A modem connection is
generally used when it is easier to
get a phone line to the sign
location than it would be to pull a
cable of your own there. Modem
connectivity is also used when
programming needs to be done
remotely.
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Ethernet
- Some signs now support TCP/IP and
can receive communication via a
company’s Local Area Network (LAN).
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Clusters
When a brighter pixel is needed,
multiple LED's are assembled in
"clusters" of LED's that together form
one pixel point when they are lighted.
Multiple LED's are connected to a molded
cup which is then filled with clear
epoxy to hold the LED's in place.
Clusters may contain one color LED or in
a multi-color application the cluster
may contain a combination of different
LED's.
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Diode
A two terminal device that conducts in
only one direction.
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Display Area
The area used for displaying the
information show on the led display.
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Display Array (Rows and Columns)
An LED sign is made up of an array of
dots or pixels. The array is described
by the number of dots vertically and the
number of dots horizontally. For
example, 16 X 80 means that the sign has
16 dots vertically and 80 dots
horizontally. The characters and
graphics of a message are formed by
turning on or activating specific
patterns of pixels within the display
array. A sign is defined by its display
array – the number of rows and columns
of pixels. A sign with a 7x80 display
array has 560 pixels.
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Display Modes
Most programmable signs offer a variety
of message entry and exit modes or
special effects. The most common display
mode is the ticker tape mode made
popular by stock ticker displays. Other
popular display modes are hold, flash,
scroll, roll, wipe, twinkle, sparkle,
snow, spray, spin, starburst, turn page,
shrink, explode, switch and interlock.
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Dynamic Pixel Technology (DPT).
The display comprises pixels and dots.
Pixels are generated dynamically.
Dynamic pixels are generated variable
from existing dots. By combining
adjacent dots, pixels form a dynamically
generated logical unit, with adjacent
pixels overlapping physically. This will
have the effect that the electronic led
display flowery color collocated from
red, green, blue LED show the actual
nature color again.
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Electronic LED Display
A numerical readout in which the digit
segments are delineated by light
emitting diodes.
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Foreground and Background Color
Some signs allow you to set the color of
the background or the foreground color.
In a red only sign model, this would
enables you to have red text on a black
background or black text on a red
background. In a multi-color sign, you
could have a variety of text colors and
a variety of background colors. Keep in
mind, however, that certain colors and
color combinations are more readable and
visible than others. The elaborate
combinations generally work better at
night. In bright sunlight, bright colors
on a black background are the easiest to
read.
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Frequency of Frame Display
This is the frequency of the cycle which
sends the data for one display. The
optimum value is determined after taking
into consideration flicker and uneven
contrast.
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Graphics vs Text
Text-only applications can be
accomplished with signs with as little
as one line of text. Graphics require
more height to accurately display logos
and animations. Graphics look best when
the sign is at least 24 pixels high.
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Hand-held Remote Programming vs Computer
Programming
Many signs come with their own
programming keyboard. They also offer a
computer programming option. As a rule,
it is easier, faster and less
error-prone to program a sign using a
computer than it is to use the remote
keyboard. The longer your messages the
more tedious it is to use a remote
keyboard, since the message must be
edited and manipulated in the memory of
the sign, rather than on the screen of
the computer. Messages and graphics can
also be more easily lost when the remote
keyboard is used. See our document
"Programming Options" for a more
detailed discussion.
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Indoor vs Outdoor Brightness
An indoor sign should not be used in an
outdoor application or a window
application. First, the indoor sign is
not bright enough to be seen in bright
daylight. Outdoor signs should be at
least 100 times brighter than Indoor
signs. Second, the epoxy material that
indoor LED’s are made of is not designed
to be exposed to sunlight. UV light will
turn the LED plastic dark within a
relatively short time. The effect of
this is to dramatically reduce the
brightness of the display. If a sign
must be read in daylight, it must use
super bright LED technology that is
designed for UV exposure. The brightness
of each pixel should be at least 800
millicandela, and the brighter the
better. Some of the brightest outdoor
brightness signs are rated as high as
10,000 millicandela per pixel. Indoor
signs usually have a brightness between
10 to 100 millicandela per pixel. Make
sure that your sign is designed for an
outdoor or window application.
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LED - "Light Emitting Diode"
An LED is a tiny chip of silicon made to
produce light in a variety of colors
including red, green, yellow, and blue.
A solid-state semiconductor device that
converts electrical energy directly into
light. On its most basic level, the
semiconductor is comprised of two
regions. The p-region contains positive
electrical charges while the n-region
contains negative electrical charges.
When voltage is applied and current
begins to flow, the electrons move
across the n region into the p region.
The process of an electron moving
through the p-n junction releases
energy. The dispersion of this energy
produces photons with visible
wavelengths.
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LED’s vs other types of Bulb Technology
LED's are significantly less expensive
than incandescent lamps. LED's are also
less expensive than monitors over a life
of 10 years. LED's have an expected life
of more than 100,000 hours or from 11 to
more than 20 years. The longer life
dramatically lowers maintenance expense
compared to monitors or lamps. LED's
need very little power and generate less
heat than other light sources. Less
power and heat mean less operating and
maintenance costs. LED's are small and
lightweight. This lowers the cost of the
enclosure and installation.
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Outdoor
Character Size-
24 inch high characters are excellent
for long distance freeway viewing. 14"
characters are used on fast-paced
streets and highways. On surface streets
where traffic is slower and stopped near
the sign, 8.5 inch and 12 inch
characters are used
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Pitch
The distance between the center of two
adjacent pixels in an array.
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Pixel(s)
A pixel is one of the many tiny dots
that make up the representation of a
picture in a computer's memory. Usually
the dots are so small and so numerous
that, when displayed on led display
panel, they appear to merge into a
smooth image. The color and intensity of
each dot is chosen individually by the
computer to represent a small area of
the picture.
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Pixel Composition
The number of led's that make up a
pixel.
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Pixel Diameter
The size of a pixel is stated by the
diameter of the pixel. A pixel can be as
small as a single .1" diameter LED.
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Pixel Pitch
Refers to the distance, typically in
inches or millimeters, between pixels
from the center of one pixel to the
center of an adjacent pixel. The lower
the pixel pitch, the sharper the image.
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Refresh Frequency
The time needed to display an image. The
refresh is measured in Hertz: if the
refresh frequency is of 60 Hz, the image
is completed on the monitor in 1/60
second. A low refresh frequency (up to
75 Hz) is stressing for our eyes, as we
can see the creation of an image and we
see it trembling.
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Resolution
The number of pixels (individual points
of color) contained on a display
monitor, expressed in terms of the
number of pixels on the horizontal axis
and the number on the vertical axis. The
sharpness of the image depends on the
resolution and the size of the monitor.
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RGB
Stands for the colors Red-Green-Blue.
These are the primary colors of light,
which computers use to display images on
a screen. An RGB computer file must be
translated into the CMYK (the primary
colors of pigment) color space in order
to be printed on a printing press.
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Resolution or Density
Pixel diameter and center to center
spacing define the resolution or density
of the character being displayed. The
closer the pixels are to each other, the
higher the resolution or density of the
character. Low resolution characters are
designed for distance viewing.
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Programming
Some sign software provide graphics and
animation design capability. Other signs
accept the output of graphics design
programs, such as Paint Shop Pro or
Animator Pro. The sign keyboard can also
be used to design dot patterns, although
this is somewhat tedious and the work is
vulnerable to being lost by a careless
programmer or operator. It is advisable
to use a computer to compose graphics.
Then you can save your work in a disk
file.
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Programming Animations and Graphics
Some sign software provide graphics and
animation design capability. Other signs
accept the output of graphics design
programs, such as Paint Shop Pro or
Animator Pro. The sign keyboard can also
be used to design dot patterns, although
this is somewhat tedious and the work is
vulnerable to being lost by a careless
programmer or operator. It is advisable
to use a computer to compose graphics.
Then you can save your work in a disk
file.
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Storage Capacity
Most signs have built in computers with
a certain amount of message and graphics
storage capacity. Memory storage
capacity ranges from 7,000 characters to
1,000,000 characters and more, depending
on the sign and the application.
Graphics require more storage capacity
than messages do.
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Viewing Distance
Outdoor
- The size of the sign and the size of
the characters are defined by the
applications usage. A rule of thumb for
determining how large characters must be
to be easily read is to allow 50 feet of
distance per readable inch or to allow
600 feet of distance per foot of
readable text. Example in order to read
a message on a sign 600 feet away, the
characters and graphics in the message
must be at least 12 inches high. The
rule of thumb for messages viewed from
an automobile is that an 18" character
is required if traffic is moving 35
miles per hour, and a 12" character is
required if traffic is stopped.
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