posted
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
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted
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
-------------------- PKing is Pat King The Professor of SIGNOLOGY Posts: 3113 | From: Pompano Beach, FL. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
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"
posted
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.
-------------------- Dan Streicher Slidell, LA Posts: 445 | From: Slidell, LA | Registered: Feb 2004
| IP: Logged |
posted
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.
-------------------- Jay Nichols ALPHABET SOUP
~the large print giveth and the small print taketh away~ Posts: 176 | From: SW Florida | Registered: Mar 2002
| IP: Logged |
posted
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.
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
posted
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.
-------------------- Bill Jarvis Rookie432@AOL.com
"A customer is someone who deals with you. A GOOD customer is someone who refuses to deal with anyone else." Posts: 81 | From: Cambridge, Ohio, USA | Registered: Oct 2000
| IP: Logged |
Printer-friendly view of this topic