Change is good: Content creation

-Deacon Wardlow

Change is good. The first time people go to a new place (a new shopping center, city, town, etc.) the new place is vibrant, detailed and refreshing. As something becomes more familiar, less details are noticed, what once stood out fades into the background. The same is true of your display. The first time a new display goes up, people take notice. The display stands out and catches the eye. How do you avoid having a display fade out for the viewers? Change is the answer.

Reader boards are replaced with LED Signs which can be quickly and easily updated.  A common problem I’ve noticed is they are used well the first few weeks and then, suddenly, they’re no better than a static sign. When I’ve asked end-users why this happens, I get various answers back:

-The software isn’t easy to use.
-I don’t have new slogans/ideas to promote every week.
-I’m too busy.

A programmable LED sign is an excellent mode of communication between a business and the community/customer-base. Changing content is a must to keep the conversation fresh and ensure the eyes turn toward the sign. The issues above can be quickly resolved.

Software is the hardest one to overcome. When sourcing an LED sign, make sure the software is easy to use and update so the end-user doesn’t see the sign as a burden of business.

For slogans/campaigns the end-users only have to reach out to the community. There are many charitable organizations which could benefit from some time on the sign. The end-user gets to do outreach and show they are a vibrant part of their community and charitable organizations get a resource for community communication. If the content itself is the same week-to-week, change the look/feel of the content, use current news/events for content and put funny quips/comments on the board. Emotion is a big draw for advertising and making someone smile can be the difference between a new customer and no customer.

There should always be some time set aside for the display. An LED sign gets more impressions on the people actually going by your business than any other media (print, TV or radio). Even if you only have a few thousand impressions a day, ten percent of those impressions are waiting for the right impulse to bring them in the doors. Would you turn away a 10% increase in business because you don’t have time to keep things fresh?

Digital Signage is not a cost of business, it’s an investment. The way to see the greatest return on that investment is to nurture it to get the most benefit. A little time spent with keeping your content fresh and interesting will be returned ten fold with the increased interest generated in your business. For more on content creation, checkout the new guide created by Scott Hoffhein! Click on this link to view the new guide in our resources library.



*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Are all LED signs the same: Manufacturers

- Deacon Wardlow

Just as all cars have similar parts (tires, engine, exhaust, etc.) I wouldn’t say a Toyota Yaris can be expected to perform at the same level as a Porsche. To find the differences, it’s important to check under the hood and see what’s really driving the thing. Beyond the components, the biggest difference is with the company itself. Here are a few quick questions you can ask to dig deeper and take a look at what’s running their brand.

Can I see the factory?
A lot of companies claim to be “made in the USA” when they really aren’t. Too often, a “made in the USA” LED sign is really stock off-the-shelf components made in China or Korea and assembled in the USA. Ask to see the factory, visit with the designers/engineers; see if you’re allowed to poke around the plant and speak with the software programmers. If they don’t have these people available at the factory (or if they’re only available via phone), be VERY wary.

Can I see your sign evolution?
If the manufacturer has been in business for a decent period of time (5 or more years at least), they should have several versions of previous sign builds. We’ve all had to learn a bit from trial and error. What seemed like a great haircut/style in the 80’s makes us laugh looking at the pictures now. The same is true with technical systems. Newer technologies replace the old and the manufacturer should be able to illustrate and easily explain (in clear, simple terms) how they’ve arrived at the current build based on experience.

Can I speak with clients who’ve had issues with you in the past?
Everyone has a bad day; accidents happen, cranes drop cabinets, something gets damaged in shipping, mistakes are made. How a manufacturer reacts tells a lot about them and how they support their customer. It’s easy to get great referrals from clients who’ve never had a problem. It’s more impressive to get a great referral from a client who was unhappy but was quickly assisted and given a solution which not only made them happy but affirmed their choice with the manufacturer.

What’s unique about your system?
Off the bat, any sales person should be able to list at least five points on how their Programmable LED sign is different from anyone else’s system. If they struggle with giving you five points immediately, you should be concerned. You want to sell the best product at the best price. If your manufacturer doesn’t stand out in a crowd, how can they help you be at your best?


*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Small details make a big difference: Power Supplies

-Deacon Wardlow

Protection and cost savings. Sometimes it comes down to a small component called out on an otherwise “standard” build or a 15 cent process-add to coat a PCB (Printed Circuit Board). These are small details in the overall manufacturing process, but they mean a lot on after-service for your system. For example, two case studies of power supplies:

Case 1:
The manufacturer specifies an off-the-shelf power supply (standard built) from company X (a leader in the industry with fairly reliable systems).

Case 2:
The manufacturer specifies an off-the-shelf power supply with custom adds from company X. The LED sign manufacturer provides a higher-grade capacitor in place of the standard part and specifies ALL PCBs in the power supply are to be conformally coated. The changes add up to about 20 cents in additional time/material per unit.

Both displays are installed in a northern New England location. Both displays are LED message centers mounted on poles outside of businesses on the same street a few hundred feet apart from each-other.

The area is a well traveled road which receives a lot of snow and gets heavily salted. Along with the heavy salting and snow, the spring weather brings fog and the summer is hot and humid. A harsh environment for any outdoor system.

In areas with high humidity and harsh environments, condensation can build up in the power supplies causing shorts in the systems. The high heat mixed with heavy humidity causes power supplies to work harder to distribute even AC-to-DC power conversion and this is where the extra protection and specified component pay off.

Case 1: sees a couple of power supplies fail. This requires:

• a service call by the sign company - $75/hr - $125+/hr.
• Setup/takedown for service is about 20 minutes
• Service for two power supplies will be 20 minutes
• Add in the 1 hour trip (each way) and you’re looking at a service bill of $225 - $400.

If two power supplies went quickly (within the first year) you can be sure there will be more failures resulting in more service calls. 


Case 2: Still working fine thanks to a small amount of foresight on the manufacturer’s-end.

The details on the front-end can save hundreds, if not thousands. After-service can’t be an afterthought. The money CASE 1 saved up-front ends up costing YOU time, money and your reputation. Make sure the manufacturer you’re dealing with pays attention to the details up front and spends that extra dime or two to ensure you get the best product possible.


*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Protecting your Investment: Dragon Skin™

-Deacon Wardlow 

I was checking out the new Dragon Skin™ coating (get the white paper here) at Vantage LED and asked one of the engineers how they came up with the idea. When discussion of coating materials came up, an engineer mentioned possibly partnering with a chemical manufacturer to produce a new coating material for LED display cabinets. Vantage LED met with the manufacturer of the material in CA and came up with a blend specifically for LED displays which would help protect the cabinet.  


The new Dragon Skin™ is a versatile, rugged and easy-to-use coating for LED display cabinets. The material doesn’t use Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC) making it a safe and “green” alternative to typical paint applications. The coating results in a highly scratch-resistant exterior which is flexible and allows for the general expansion/shrinkage seen in metal cabinets over time/temperature which will often cause other coatings to crack leaving the metal exposed to the environment and damaging the finish.

The application can be done in a few minutes and curing takes less than 20 seconds. This reduces the overall handling of the cabinet and streamlines manufacturing as well as cutting down on labor costs.

I like how the rugged coating protects the display against the accidental scratches and scrapes involved in crate removal and installation. It also gives the cabinet a nice texture which is distinctive to the Vantage LED cabinets.

Overall, addition of the Dragon Skin™ material to the line offering has been met with great success and is one more way LED Message Center manufacturers are changing and innovating. It’s great to see manufacturers looking at the overall design of their systems and asking what can be improved. Even better when those improvements come quickly so the end-user can benefit!




*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Why is powder coating important?

-Deacon Wardlow

Traditional powder coating has been in use for quite some time and you’re likely very familiar with the process. Free flowing, dry powder is utilized. The coating is applied electrostatically and then cured under heat to allow it to flow and form a “skin.” The powder is used to create a hard finish that is tougher than conventional paint. The process binds the powder coating material to the cabinet which physically bonds to the metal making it more resistant to scratches/damage which would expose the cabinet to the elements.

There are several advantages of powder coating:

1. Responsible powder coating emits zero volatile organic compounds (VOC) making it a safe and green alternative to conventional liquid coatings.
2. Powder coatings can produce much thicker coatings than conventional liquid coatings without running or sagging.
3. Powder coating overspray can be recycled and thus it is possible to achieve nearly 100% use of the coating.
4. Powder coating production lines produce less hazardous waste than conventional liquid coatings.
5. Capital equipment and operating costs for a powder line are generally less than for conventional liquid lines allowing cost savings to be passed on to you.
6. Powder coated items generally have fewer appearance differences between horizontally coated surfaces and vertically coated surfaces than liquid coated items.
7. A wide range of specialty effects is easily accomplished which would be impossible to achieve with other coating processes.

Powder coating is quickly becoming a required standard for high-quality LED message center manufacture. Make sure your investment is properly protected. Accept no imitations. While many coatings may appear similar, you’ll see the difference when you try to scratch beneath the surface.





*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Viewing Size vs. Physical size, don't play games.

-Deacon Wardlow


Comparisons in Digital Signage are not always apples-to-apples. It’s incredibly easy to be misled and let people play a shell game. When the eye is forced to focus on one small spot, the real trick is happening elsewhere just out of sight. All too often, I see people quoting systems by size with no mention of Pixel Matrix.

A quick bit of terminology:
Physical Size: Cabinet actual size (height, width, depth)
Viewing Size: Dimensions (Height, Width) of the actual pixel matrix
Pixel: A cluster of LEDs  which make up a single grouping/pixel (usually 1 Red, 1 Green, 1 Blue LED, sometimes 2 Red, 1 Green, 1 Blue)
Matrix: The number of pixels high x wide which make up the viewing space on an LED sign.

When quoting an LED Message Center, make sure you understand the difference between a quoted SIZE and a quoted MATRIX. This is a “trick” some unscrupulous dealers use. They sell an EMC with a large border and claim the customer is getting a bigger sign at a lower price. When you look at how many pixels the sign actually is, the customer realizes what they’re getting is a smaller visual area which (pixel-for-pixel) costs the same as the sign with the bigger matrix.

Example:
Sign Co. #1 says, “We’ll sell you a 20mm 3’8”x7’ EMC for $20,000 plus installation and permitting costs.”
Sign Co. #2 says, “Our 20mm 3’8”x7’ EMC costs $23,000 plus installation and permitting costs.”

Looks like Sign Co. #1 is the better deal UNTIL:
Sign Co. #2, “What’s the matrix of your sign? Our sign is a 56x112.”
Sign Co. #1, “Oh, the matrix? Our sign is a 48x96, but it’s a MUCH better sign…”

48x96 = 4,608 pixels vs 6,272 pixels. That’s a difference of 1,664 pixels which equals out the “savings” of the $3,000. The customer is getting a “better” price only because they’re actually buying a smaller sign. Sign Co. #1 doesn’t look so great anymore.

These sizes may seem small to some people, but they’re a big investment to the end-user. With business being hard enough on everyone, we need to make sure the end-user is protected from quick tricks like this. Don’t take a risk with an investment in your business, make sure all the numbers are on the table.




*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

Is After-Service an Afterthought?

-Deacon Wardlow

I've seen many companies launch an excellent product line only to have neglected putting thought into support for the product until  after it’s hit the shelves. This is a mistake made by both big and small businesses. People get so caught up in making something “new and improved” they lose the customer focus along the way and end up having to back pedal.After-service is all too often an afterthought for businesses.

A friend called me looking for advice on getting a custom-built gaming computer, he wanted a laptop system built to his specifications and wanted to know where to get a cheap, yet reliable, system. I recommended a computer company I’ve used in the past and didn’t think about it again until he called me two months later. He ordered the system online and it was well under the price point for comparable systems from name brand companies. The system worked great out of the box when he got it, but he started experiencing heat-related issues and the system would “randomly” shut down.

Since I referred him to the company, I told him I’d take care of it with the manufacturer for him. What was supposed to be a week for repairs turned into a month. Instead of a single point of contact, I was shuffled from one department to another, having to leave multiple voicemails and emails with no follow-up from the company, I eventually get through to a ‘manager’ of the tech support department who told me, “Sorry, there’s nothing I can do.” While my friend saved a lot of money on the system, he (and I) ended up spending a large amount of time getting simple repairs done.

The end result, I’ve had to be reminded (the hard way) what it feels like for a non-technical person to be completely reliant on a company to solve an issue for them. When that company is not on the ball, a lot of frustration is generated. I’m glad I’ve never recommended a company like this to a client (and I’ll be a lot more careful about whom I recommend to friends if I want to keep them from “unfriending” me).

Beyond earnings reports, quarterly Profit/Loss statements and shareholder reports, companies need to focus on what really matters, the customer. Even with the best systems in the world, something can and will go wrong. The real merit of a company shows through in how they support the product. Customers will remember that bitter taste of poor service long after the initial joy of a low price or a new shiny toy. Make sure your business and the partners you deal with for LED signage are looking at the whole picture. Don’t let after-service be an afterthought.



*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.

What's under the hood? Controllers for LED signs.

-Deacon Wardlow

End-users are growing more technically savvy and are looking for systems that deliver more power, more content management controls, more software options, reportable information from the LED Message Center, ease-of-integration in their computer networks, and advanced feature sets. As a result control systems have evolved from the simple embedded control systems to industrial-grade controllers.

ARM: Single Color/Greyscale LED Signs - Simple Direct Tasks
The ARM (Advanced RISC Machine) embedded control series has been around since the late 80s and is used in more places than you’re likely aware (smartphones, vehicle engine controls and netbooks). Early simple monochrome/greyscale LED message centers relied on ARM control systems as a means to push the message to a display simply, quickly and efficiently; the embedded control systems were great for these purposes. ARM controllers excel at managing simple direct tasks.

While ARM-based controllers for LED Message centers have evolved tremendously, the controllers are not customizable, you can’t easily add software on them to manage remote access and they are not built to handle CPU-heavy task loads. The inflexibility of customization options with ARM-based controllers is the biggest drawback.

IPC: Advanced Systems - Color Images and Video - Robust - Flexible
With greater complexity comes a greater requirement. Enter the IPC (industrial PC), a customizable high-grade industrial computer/controller solution. Advanced sign systems require advanced controls, the IPC runs more complex calculations, heavier workloads (animations, multi-tasking, video handling, etc.) all with the versatility of remote management and monitoring and the ability to deliver strong content to systems both small and large. The IPC is a more robust solution for a complex market and is used by the top manufacturers to allow for expanded software options, increased information reportables and to allow customers a more flexible product to integrate in an ever-growing complex technological environment.

The choice for manufacturers has become simple, IPCs give the end-user more power, more options, more flexibility and the overall capacity for high-end computing required in advanced RGB (and greyscale) solutions whereas ARM embedded controllers are falling by the wayside because they can’t keep up and don’t perform at the same level. When you’re sourcing a high-quality LED message center, be sure to check under the hood and make sure the engine is strong enough to give you the power you’re looking for and expect.



*Always feel free to comment here and/or email me directly with requests at deacon@vantageled.com. Vantage LED has white paper resources and more educational material on the website (http://www.vantageled.com), please check it out when you have a moment. Advertisements/promotion for your business and inappropriate comments will be deleted.. Thank you!

**Note all posts/thoughts/writings are strictly the viewpoint of me and me alone and do not reflect nor speak for Vantage LED’s beliefs, attitudes, thoughts, etc. unless specifically stated.