What is an LED?
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits
visible light when current passes through it.
Most LED display systems are either monochrome (red or amber
LEDs) or full color (a combination of red, blue, and green LEDs).
What are the benefi ts of LEDs?
- Long life — 100,000 hours
- Small in size — can produce a higher resolution
- Immediate light — LEDs can instantly reach 100% of their light output
- Auto-dimming — LED light output can be automatically dimmed based on ambient light
- Safe — compared to incandescent bulbs, LEDs generate virtually no heat
- Durability — LEDs are vibration- and shock-resistant, as there are no filaments to break
What is a pixel?
A pixel is the smallest individual component of an image, graphic, or
display. A pixel on an LED display system can be composed of one
or more LEDs. For example, the MARK IV 30 mm module utilizes
four red or amber LEDs per pixel.
What is pixel pitch?
Pixel pitch is defi ned as the distance between pixels and is usually
defi ned in terms of millimeters. The smaller the distance between
pixels, the higher the resolution and the sharper the image. The
smaller (or tighter) the pitch, the sharper image.
MARK IV's 30 mm module has a distance of 30 mm from the center
of one pixel to the center of the next pixel in both horizontal and
vertical directions.
What is resolution?
Resolution is the overall number of pixels in a display, usually defi ned in terms of vertical and
horizontal components. The higher the resolution, the better the picture quality. Each 30 mm
module has a resolution or pixel matrix of 16 pixels by 16 pixels. However, to get a higher
resolution to display graphics, 2 modules by 5 modules are needed, which produces a resolution
of 32 pixels by 80 pixels.
Two major components affect the resolution of a module: the overall display area of the sign and
the pixel pitch. To get a higher resolution in a smaller area, a tighter pitch is necessary.
