Jason Horton作为美国LED照明公司的主管，经常会说：“在如今的商场里，已经很少有广告标识不使用LED光源照明了，LED光源非常适合字体和灯箱标识的展示，LED照明工具不仅是一个新的结构材料，同时也在改变着世界。”

If you haven’t already heard, LEDs are pretty remarkable. Because
of their small size and pointedly direct light, they have become a widely popular solution in illuminated sign projects. This not only applies to new signage but also existing signage that might require an upgrade.

LED光源因为它们小型的尺寸和直接清楚的照明作用而大受欢迎，它们非常适合解决标识产品照明这一方面的问题。LED光源不仅适用于现在一些新型的标识，目前正在投入使用的标识也需要依靠它们来进行更新升级。

Simplistically, think of the flashlight you used about 20 years ago. The light produced a dull, yellowish circle that tended to fade out in a short amount of time. Replacing that with a sharper, bright light and a longer-lasting, more targeted beam made it a more effective tool. It works in the sign world too.

简单来说，想想你在20年前使用的手电筒，最初它只能产生一个很暗淡的黄色光圈，而且短时间内光线会越来越暗，现在用一个更清晰、更明亮、更持久、更聚焦的灯光来代替它，会让它更具有使用价值。同时，LED照明工具也为标识世界发挥着自己的作用。

The process of retrofitting a sign with LEDs creates several distinct advantages. It can save a customer money, enhance the overall appearance of the sign, and utilize much less electricity while doing so. It’s for this reason that those in the LED market have realized a tremendous opportunity in replacing outdated lighting parts with LED technology.

为什么要更新？

“There are two major factors sign companies should consider when retrofitting a sign,” says Bryan Vincent, Ph.D., partner at Principal LED. “First is the age and condition of the sign.”

PrincipalLED光源合作伙伴布莱恩·文森特博士说：“企业在准备更新标识时应该考虑两个主要因素，首先是标识的使用年限和使用条件。”

Aesthetic improvements such as repainting the sign could signal an opportunity to also retrofit it.

其次是审美的改进，重新绘制一个标识就可以看做是一个更新标识的好机会。

“That is the best time to consider an LED retrofit,” says Vincent. “In this situation, the customer will be already incurring the cost of the trip to the site, so it makes sense to perform the retrofit at the same time.”

文森特说：“一旦考虑好了以上两种因素，那么就是更新LED光源标识的最好时机了，因为在这种情况下，客户已经做好了承担相应费用的准备。”

Secondly, Vincent urges the sign maker to consider the overall return on investment (ROI) for the customer.

其次，文森特提醒标识制造商考虑客户的整体投资回报率（ROI）。

“The ROI will determine what timeframe the customer will recoup his or her investment,” he explains. “The acceptable amount of time varies from customer to customer, but ROIs less than 36 months are considered good investments, are typically within the warranty terms of the manufacturer, and are especially favorable when the warranty is backed by both a product and labor warranty.”

他解释说：“投资回报率将决定客户收回投资的时间范围。虽然时间的长短还是因客户而异，但是，时间少于36个月的投资回报周期会被认为是良好的投资，因为这个时间在制造商的保修期内，当产品和劳动有保修条款的支持时，对双方都是十分有利的。”

There are several factors that go into estimating the ROI, including the material and installation costs, energy savings, and markups. An online calculator can be found on Principal LED’s website to help estimate these costs for different projects.

估算投资回报率有几个因素，包括材料、安装费用、节能和涨价。Principal LED网站上可以找到一个在线计算器，以帮助估算不同项目的费用。

When the decision is made to proceed with a retrofit, the sign maker must then take into consideration the sign, as a whole, and how to proceed with the project.

当决定进行标识更新时，标识制造商必须考虑整体的标识外观，以及如何进行该项目。

For example, “When retrofitting cabinets, things to consider are the cabinet size (length, width, depth) and any structures such as poles,” tells Joe Reis, director of LED signage at International Light Technologies, Inc. “The cabinet's dimensions will be the driving factor in what LED system is selected in terms of brightness of the modules, spacing of the modules, and the type of mounting system.”

更新注意事项

Sign makers should anticipate the amount of time it will take to install the new sign. Additionally, they should ask themselves questions about how to make the sign most effective and efficient for the customer. In turn, the customer will likely have questions as well. Below are some considerations and results that will come from a retrofit project.

思考

RESULT DURING RETROFIT

注意事项

Replace cabinet or channel letters?

更换灯箱或是字体标识？

Customer's choice - usually only if there is damage.

通常只有在灯箱或是字体有损坏的情况下，客户才会做出这样的选择。

Change the sign face?

改变标识的外观？

Not required, but new faces may enhance the appearance.

不需要，但新的外观可能会增强标识的吸引力。

Reconfigure the electrical?

重新配置电力系统？

Not required, but energy usage will drop with low-voltage LEDs.

不需要，使用低电压LED光源能够降低电力消耗。

Future maintenance costs?

未来的维护费用？

Will decrease; LED lifespan is over 50,000 hours.

 费用会下降，并且LED光源的寿命超过50,000小时。

Summarizing these points, the very nature of the LED lighting components will allow customers to save money. Horton says that costs after the installation are “anywhere from none to very minimal. Our primary sign lighting products for letters exceed 100,000 hours of life while our cabinet products exceed 200,000 hours of life.”

从以上几点来看，使用LED光源模组能够帮助客户省钱是显而易见的事情。霍顿说：“安装之后的成本花销是非常小的。我们的主要标识照明产品使用寿命超过10万小时，而我们的灯箱产品使用寿命超过20万小时。”

Getting into the design and look of the sign really has more to do with the customer’s preference than anything else.

根据客户的偏好做出一个好的设计和标识的外观比其他任何事情都更为更重要。

“If the client wants to update the graphics, doing that at the same time as the retrofit makes sense. If the cabinet itself is in poor condition, then updating or replacing the cabinet may be required,” says Reis.

Reis说：“如果客户想要更新图形，那么在更新的同时，注重标识外观和设计理念是非常重要的。如果灯箱本身状况不佳，则可能需要升级或者是更换灯箱。”

The same is true for replacing the sign’s face or graphics, though Reis explains that “updating the graphics may enhance its overall look. Good LED systems with a high color rendering index (90+ CRI) can really make the graphics ‘pop’ visually.”

同样的情况也会发生在标识或者图形的外观上，尽管Reis解释说：“更新图形可能会增强整体外观的表现力。但是具有高显色指数（90+ CRI）的良好LED系统可以真正使图形在‘视觉上流行’。”

 
Challenges of Weather

来自天气的挑战

Of course, any time a new sign is designed and installed there are usually obstacles that must be cleared. Installing an outdoor sign can present one of those challenges.

当然，无论何时设计或者安装一个新的标识都会面临许多的困难。安装户外标识可能会成为其中之一的挑战。

According to Horton, “Weather is the main thing to consider. Most of the standard products in the market today are ‘damp rated’ but not ‘wet rated’. As long as the LEDs that are used outside are in an enclosure such as letters or cabinets, and proper drain holes are built into the signs, there should be no issues.”

霍顿说：“天气是主要的考虑因素。目前市场上大多数的标准产品都标明了‘潮湿等级’而没有‘湿度等级’ 。但是只要户外使用的LED光源材料都包裹在外壳中，如字体外壳或灯箱，并且标识内部安装了适当的排水孔，应该都是没有问题的。”

Temperature changes can lead to some failures as well. The escalation in heat level will affect the performance of LEDs.

温度的变化也会导致一些故障的产生。比如热量的升高就会影响LED光源的性能。

“LEDs are subject to faster degradation in elevated temperatures,” says Vincent. “In addition, power supplies give off heat and when that is coupled with the elevated heat inside the sign or on the roof of a building, the chance of failure increases.”

 
文森特说：“LED照明系统能够很快地将逐渐升高的热量分散。另外，当电源散发出的热量与标识内部逐渐上升的热量以及与建筑物屋顶上的高温相结合时，故障的几率也会增加。”

Extreme summer conditions coupled with the heat that is emitted by the power supply can reach levels of around 140 degrees F.  “Therefore, it is not recommended to use power supplies that have operating temperature ratings that are below 140 degrees F for outdoor applications,” explains Vincent.

极端的夏季条件加上由电源发出的热量可以高达140华氏度左右。文森特说：“对此，我们不建议使用工作温度额定值低于140华氏度的室外应用电源。”

On the flipside of the coin, very cold conditions will negatively impact the performance of neon and fluorescent lighting products, “whereas LED excels in cold environments,” says Reis. “In many cases LED will be the better option for outdoor signage, especially in cold-weather regions.”

另一方面，非常寒冷的天气条件也会对霓虹灯和荧光灯照明产品的性能产生负面影响，Reis说：“LED光源在寒冷的气候条件中就表现得十分优异。在许多情况下，LED光源将是户外标牌更好的选择，特别是在寒冷的地区。”

Aside from the external conditions of the sign, and more specific to retrofitting, there are customers that still really enjoy the visual effect of neon. Can sign makers offer anything from an LED perspective that re-creates a neon glow? The short answer is, not really. But there is a longer explanation.

客户除了想了解标识的外部条件和更详细的更新细节，他们也非常喜欢霓虹灯的视觉效果。标识制造商可以让LED光源像霓虹灯一样发光吗？这显然是不可能的。但是我们还有其他的解决办法。

“I may be called a traditionalist here, but in my opinion the nostalgic glow of skeleton neon is really hard to re-create with LEDs, primarily due to the back glow created by neon,” says Vincent. “That being said a number ofLED manufacturers have nice-looking and reasonably priced linear border products.”

文森特说：“我也许可以称自己为传统主义者，在我看来，现如今的LED光源真的很难还原过去霓虹灯的发光效果，这主要是因为霓虹灯能从其后面散发出的绚丽多彩的光芒。但是，许多LED光源制造商也拥有不少漂亮并且价格合理的周边产品。”

Horton agrees with Vincent, citing the difficulty of LEDs mimicking neon’s characteristics. He says, “If you want the true look of neon, such as mounted around the border of a building, you are very limited in your options. I believe there are only one or two companies in the market today that still make a neon-looking LED tubing. If you are looking for indirect lighting to give just a halo effect around the perimeter of a building, you could mount many types of LEDs into a channel and get the same effect.”

霍顿同意文森特的说法，直接让LED光源模拟霓虹灯的发光效果比较困难。他说：“如果你想要霓虹灯的外观效果，例如把它安装在建筑物的边界，那么你的选择就非常有限了。我相信如今市场上只有一两家公司拥有制造出霓虹灯外观效果的LED光源的技术工艺。如果你正在寻找一种能在建筑物周边发出光晕效果的照明工具，那么将多种不同类型的LED光源安装在同一个凹槽中也是可以实现的。

Coming back to ROI, however, Vincent reminds us to be aware of the cost.  “I would just warn anyone before going from skeleton neon to LED to consider the ROI – they are much longer than other LED systems (channel letters, etc.) due to the up-front cost of these systems.”

回到投资回报率这个话题，文森特提醒我们要注意成本。他说：“我会提醒任何一个考察过霓虹灯和LED灯的客户，去思考投资回报率这个问题。由于霓虹灯系统的前期成本问题，使得它们的投资回报周期比LED光源系统（或者是凹槽字体标识）的周期要长得多。
 
The Color of LEDs

LED灯的颜色

Comparing neon with LEDs ultimately leads to a conversation about color. What looks most attractive, captures the greatest attention, and works best with the whole signage theme. In this case, the versatility of LEDs can give sign makers more options.

把霓虹灯和LED光源的进行比较，我们通常会关注到它们的外观色彩问题。谁的外观更能吸引客户的注意力，并且能与整个标识的主题相适应是非常重要的。在这一方面，LED光源的多功能性能为标识制造商提供更多的选择。

“Colored LEDs have the inherent advantage that they are essentially monochromatic,” starts Vincent, “therefore, color variation is typically not an issue.”

文森特说：“尽管LED光源的颜色是单一的，但是它们组合到一起就能发出五颜六色的光芒，因此，颜色的变化通常不存在问题。”

Most often with LED signs, it’s the sign face that determines the color of the display.  

最常见的LED光源标识，它的外观就决定了对外展示的颜色。

Says Reis, “This really depends on the design of the sign face/graphic. If the client wants a white face during the daytime, but a color at night (Longhorn Steakhouse is an example of this) then they will need to use a colored module to achieve the desired color when illuminated at night. This can result in an ‘in between’ color (such as looking pink vs red) during dusk/dawn hours.”

Reis说：“标识的外观或者图形设计是非常重要的。如果客户在白天想要一个白色的外观展示，而晚上则是一个彩色的外观展示（Longhorn Steakhouse就是这样的一个例子），那么在晚上点亮的时候，他们就需要使用一个彩色的模组来实现想要的颜色。使用一个类似黄昏或者黎明时的中性颜色（如粉红色和红色相互交融）也许是一个不错的想法。”

Taking it a step further, Horton explains that the materials that make up the sign face play a major role in the sign’s color output.

霍顿解释说：“构成标识外观的材料在标识颜色展示过程中扮演一个重要的角色。”

“Is the face colored acrylic or is it white with a translucent vinyl overlay?” He asks. “Many companies today have gone exclusively to white acrylic with vinyl because it cuts down on the numbers of acrylic and LED products you have to keep in stock. The options available today in translucent vinyl (along with digital printing) make colors almost unlimited. There are still some good quality color acrylics in the market, and some people prefer to apply the old ‘neon rule’ when using colored LEDs today, which is to put the same color of LED behind whatever color acrylic you are using.”

他说：“标识的外观材料是使用亚克力材料还是白色半透明的乙烯基材料？如今许多公司已经开始使用专门的白色亚克力乙烯基材料，因为这样可以减少相应的亚克力材料和LED产品的库存。如今，使用半透明的乙烯基材料（以及数字印刷）使得颜色的采用几乎没有限制。市场上依旧有一些高质量的彩色亚克力材料，并且一些人在使用彩色LED光源时，仍喜欢应用旧的‘霓虹灯规则’，就是将相同颜色的LED光源材料放在任何一个你所要使用的亚克力材料后面。”

It's better to be safe than sorry, especially when you’re looking to achieve the best color match with a company logo or lettering for example. Reis notes that any LED, whether white or colored, can change the color of a sign’s acrylic face, “so the installer should be aware of the effects of the system they are considering, but a white LED with a good color rendering index (90+ CRI) will most likely achieve the desired result.”

当你想实现色彩与公司标识或是字体标识最完美的匹配时，保证好前期工作的顺利完成比事后弥补更为重要。Reis指出：“任何LED光源（无论是白色还是彩色）都可以改变标识的外观颜色，所以安装人员应该意识到他们正在考虑的LED光源系统的效果，显然具有良好显色指数的白色LED光源（90 + CRI）将最有可能达到预期的效果。”

Including colored LEDs in sign projects is one trend on the rise, but there are others worth tracking. Vincent says that retrofitting cabinet signs in general is becoming more popular.

尽管彩色LED光源在标识项目中呈现出一个上升的需求趋势，但仍有其他的项目值得关注。文森特表示，更新灯箱标识正在变得越来越受欢迎。

“Many smaller sign companies today outsource their manufacturing,” says Vincent, “and ready-to-go fluorescent-to-LED retrofit systems are a great revenue source for companies that focus primarily on service and installation.”

文森特说：“如今许多小型标识公司正在将他们的制造业务外包出去，而开始把将荧光灯升级成LED光源作为公司的主要服务项目和安装工作，并以此获得利润和赚取收入。”

Along with the retrofit, illuminated signs in general seem to be getting sleeker in design.

随着LED照明工具的更新，一般的照明标识似乎在设计中变得更加时尚。

“LEDs allow sign cabinets and channel letters to be much thinner than with traditional lighting methods,” explains Reis. “Additionally, the long life and high reliability of LED systems removes the concern of damage that can occur during maintenance. Often the LED systems outlive the use of the sign itself.”

Reis解释说：“与传统照明工具相比，LED照明工具所使用的灯箱和字体凹槽要薄得多。此外，LED光源系统更长久的寿命和更高的可靠性，可以降低使用者在维护工具过程中，对工具可能发生损坏的担忧。一般而言，LED光源系统比标识本身的使用时间还要长。

Which brings us back to one main reason why more and more people are turning to LEDs—the absolute dependability of their lighting output. It’s not uncommon for LEDs to last up to a decade in a sign project. And for this reason, Horton concludes, “you are now seeing an upward trend towards using LED modules in cabinet signs.”