Sign Cabinet LED Retrofit

[Steve G.]

Has anyone retrofitted any double sided cabinets to LEDs with success?
I have a rebuild for a smaller DS sign.
Two cabinets stacked - (1) 36" h x 48"w x 12"d and (1) 18"H x 48" w x 12"d, Vertical pole.

Is it possible / worth it yet?
Any suggestions on where to buy parts / kits?
Tubelite is the only suggestion I've found.

 

[J Hill Designs]

I know they now make LED lamps that fit into existing fluo sockets...just gotta change out the driver

 

[Westcoast Sign Guy]

Just make sure its not near other signs with conventional light sources

 

[visual800]

We have retrofitted a good bit of channel letters and a couple of cloud signs, what a differene between old neon and or florescents and the LEDs. We have not done a dbl sided cabinet but have quoted one.

I was thinking of running them all around the inside perimeter and the adding some 1x2 aluminum strips going side to side and mounting the to either side of those. I would like to do one esspecially when you come across one with lamps that most of socket are burnt up.

 

[signage]

Check with Slaon they have something avalible. I was looking into converting a drive through menue board, it's not a cheap solution!

 

[Westcoast Sign Guy]

There is a difference in any light source after 26,000 hours,

Most of the time it's just cheaper for the end client to retrofit with the same light source or more improved products. Neon, except red to tri-phophor or rare earth blends, single phosphate T12 HO Lamps to Tri-blends or T8's. LEDs, well just better LEDs.

Trying to get the same brightness with LEDs to a new set of HP Lamps is very expensive and the ROI is not there for the initial investment, at least not for 20 to 40 years. IN that time you will have to re-retrofit 3 t0 six times and the cycle never ends.

 

[jeffblair5]

We have retrofitted a good bit of channel letters and a couple of cloud signs, what a differene between old neon and or florescents and the LEDs. We have not done a dbl sided cabinet but have quoted one.

I was thinking of running them all around the inside perimeter and the adding some 1x2 aluminum strips going side to side and mounting the to either side of those. I would like to do one esspecially when you come across one with lamps that most of socket are burnt up.

+1

This is the right start. Build a grid inside the sign with about a 8" a 10" row spacing and slam it full with about 3" spacing between the mods on both sides of the tubing. You have to get a ton of LEDs in there to get it bright enough. Sloan has a new d/f option. But I've only seen samples, it's pricey and requires too many power supplies IMO. There are retrofit LED tubes but last I saw they where like $125 a piece .

 

[Kaiser]

There is a difference in any light source after 26,000 hours,

Most of the time it's just cheaper for the end client to retrofit with the same light source or more improved products. Neon, except red to tri-phophor or rare earth blends, single phosphate T12 HO Lamps to Tri-blends or T8's. LEDs, well just better LEDs.

Trying to get the same brightness with LEDs to a new set of HP Lamps is very expensive and the ROI is not there for the initial investment, at least not for 20 to 40 years. IN that time you will have to re-retrofit 3 t0 six times and the cycle never ends.

+1

 

[DigiPrinter]

US LED makes a nice, double-sided LED module that's easy to install....it's called the TandemII. Your supply house should be able to get them for you. It's a matter of putting in a couple of brackets, mounting the LEDs, changing the power supply and wiring. FYI, most drivers/power supplies are universal now so it doesn't matter if the electrical is 120 or 277.

 

[Doc Savage]

We use GE Power Strip Double Side 7100k LEDs in double side cabinets. We mount them on a angle made of .080 aluminum. The can be spaced on 12" centers and run either horizontally or vertically depending on your need. We have even started to use them in high rise cabinets 80+ feet off the ground by using the single side versions spaced about 8-10 inches off the face.

 

[Westcoast Sign Guy]

We did a bench test project of retrofitting a four ballast double sided pylon sign 48' on each or 24 8' lamps. Retrofitting an old magnetic ballast T12 system with re-lamping + electronic ballast, lamp sockets came to about $512. For a T8 with Tri-phosphor lamps it was $1,070.00

For GE's Power Strips it came to $8,941
For US LED's Gliders $8,108
For US LED's Tandems $6,243.96

This is just component wholesale cost not including any labor.

Annual cost savings using an LED system over a T12 system was only about $300.

Now whether you can call using an LED system more "efficient" is a while 'nother story because you have to compare two light sources that have equal light output on a sign face, and when one of those can do it for a lesser cost of operation then you can call it "efficient". So, saving money with a lesser cost of operation for lesser light is not "efficient"

Like I said, 20 to 40 years on your customers ROI