Who was your source and were you happy with their knowledge and service?
Posted by Checkers (Member # 63) on :
Hiya Monte, I really haven't used any yet, but I have seen some installed in a couple of locations. As far as I'm concerned, you can't compare the 2. The LED I saw reminded me of a cheezy disco or go-go bar stage lighting. Maybe there's something better. I just haven't come across it yet. Along the same lines, I did install some rope light on my back porch last summer. I rigged it up as a source of indirect lighting. It looks great and an added bonus is that there's no bright lights to attract bugs.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
Posted by PKing (Member # 337) on :
They will NEVER replace neon as a "border" light, but seem to work BEST in channel letters where the defussion is higher. Same with maintenance and replacement.
hope this helps
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Monte,
Cold Cathode lighting is probably your best bet to replace neon. LED's are great as far as their lifespan goes but you need so many to produce smooth, shadowless illumination that it becomes cost prohibitive - at least on smaller jobs.
Check out this link for cold cathode systems, if it doesnt work right you can just go to yahoo.com and search for "cold cathode lighting"
We have been playing with LED's for a while now (couple of yrs) and the ealier systems available to us I would have to agree with Checkers but there are ways of changing the effects (like diffuser films and such) but I have yet to find anything that would replace neon, Denco Sales here has a led system that is a "rope" type but in my opinion it still has bright spots and not the continuous glow of neon, I feel it will advance to that someday but just not yet, or not that I have found yet.
Posted by Jay Nichols (Member # 2842) on :
The major attraction is energy consumption. LED's consume about 1/20th the power that neon requires. Multiply it out on yer power bill over the projected life of the signage. Can add up to some major bucks. It's good for channel letters but sucks for borders unless you are specifically tryin for the cheezy disco effect.
Posted by Monte Jumper (Member # 1106) on :
thanks for the info...I too like the look of Neon but I have a customer that is insisting on a single run of neon border ...that leaves too mucch GTO hanging around to do bad deeds...it also creates a problem of where and how to hide all the transformers which is compounded with the new ground fault rulings on the transformers.
I like you haven't seen any LED sstuff I liked but thought maybe it was out there somewhere.
If I can't convince this guy to use a double run of glass I will walk away from this one...I don't need the liability.
Posted by Bill Jarvis (Member # 1754) on :
How about fibre optic sideglow? Anybody tried that? I've seen some and looks great with the revolving colorwheel. Not as bright as neon though. 100% waterproof and safe.
