LED Basics

LED Basics

Choosing an LED pitch is as important as making the decision to buy a sign. Purchasing a sign with the wrong pitch will minimize the effects of your investment. Below is a basic guide to help you understand LED signs. Selecting the proper sign will make your investment you #1 advertising tool.

Pixel

Individual LEDs grouped together make a pixel. There could be one LED or ten in a pixel. The determining factor of a pixel’s clarity is its pitch.

Pixel Pitch

The pitch is the distance in millimeters from one pixel to the next, and it determines the matrix and how crisp the images will be.

10mm – Highest resolution, most vivid colors, best detail, lifelike color and clarity. Designed for the display for video, animation, logos, images and text.

16mm – High resolution, very vivid colors. Designed for displaying animation, logos, images, and text.

20mm – Great resolution with vivid colors. Designed for the display of basic animation, logos, images, and text.

Matrix

The matrix of a sign is simply the amount of pixels tall by the pixels wide. The matrix of a sign should be considered when comparing two different brands of signs. It is important to note that two signs that are the same size may not have the same matrix. Due to this, they will not have the same display capabilities of text, images and animations.

Viewing Angle

The viewing angle of an LED is the angle at which the brightness of an LED is halved. An LED is at full brightness when you look at it straight on or dead center. If the brightness is halved by moving thirty degrees to either side of dead center, then the viewing angle is twice that, equaling 60°.

Viewing Distance

Longer distances require less resolution and shorter distances require more resolution. If you are traveling 55 mph on a highway and the LED message display is 600 feet away at a truck stop, the LED message text letters must be at least 20 inches tall to be legible. If you are standing 60 feet away from an LED sign, the message letters need only be 2 inches tall to be legible. Resolution is the most important factor affecting the cost of your LED sign. More resolution means more diodes and more circuits, which usually means higher cost. How do you determine the resolution of an LED sign? Pitch is the distance between one diode and another. The lower the pitch, the better the resolution.