Imagine what would happen if you were planning an amazing outdoor picnic with the best food and most luxurious cutlery and a sudden storm appeared on the day of the picnic and you do not have a plan for shelter! The same consequences would go for any outdoor LED sign or kiosk that does not have shelter to protect it. If you do not weatherproof your digital signage device, the costs will be much more than just wasted food at a picnic.
Challenges faced
The most important challenges faced by outdoor digital signage with regard to weather are UV damage, precipitation and extreme temperatures. Dust and humidity are also other factors that can damage your outdoor sign. Material failure to LED displays can occur as a result of extreme temperatures. Sunlight is also challenging for outdoor LED signs because of the harsh glares. The display should include the correct polarizer. If not, the content cannot be viewed in portrait mode or by individuals wearing polarized sun-shades on a sunny day.
Solutions
Just like every problem has a solution, we at LED Craft provide solutions for protecting the components and quality of your outdoor signage. Our long experience in manufacturing top notch LED signs has taught us many ways in which outdoor LED displays can be weatherproofed.
Protection from elements
Firstly, correct measures should be taken to protect signs from the elements. For instance, when installing outdoor LED signs, place them under awnings or in enclosures that protect the screen from direct sunlight. Also, look into more subtle factors such as the usual direction of rain and snow fall during winters. These elements can often be avoided by keeping your equipment faced in the north direction. Also, the enclosure can have inbuilt air conditioning as well as lighter paint colors so that the amount of heat absorption is much less.
High quality hardware
Making sure the hardware of your outdoor LED sign investment is of premium quality is very important. Better quality hardware can better withstand certain temperatures. If you compromise the hardware quality for the price of the investment, you may soon end up paying more to repair your LED sign rather than paying for a more vigorous hardware solution.
Ratings of individual parts
Before making your LED sign investment, do thorough research on how the individual parts are rated in terms of quality. These ratings will also indicate how well a particular electronic component is protected from harmful elements such as water and dust. In these ratings, make sure that every component is strong enough to perform well in the most extreme weather conditions.
Protecting other components
In addition to the components of the display, look into the quality of media players and other associated parts that make your outdoor LED sign run successfully. While we are often too busy protecting the display, we do not realize that media players are also subject to extreme temperatures because they are usually stored in confined spaces. This media player issue can be handled in a few ways. One is to include a closed-loop air flow with a cooling system. Or you could simply invest in a media player that is manufactured in a way in which it can withstand high temperatures.
Protecting touchscreens
If your outdoor LED sign is an interactive one, it is important to protect the touchscreen from harmful elements. If the screen is not visible due to glare from the sunlight or the screen itself is not working, people are not going to wait until it is repaired. They will simply move forward. So make sure your touchscreen is protected and in working condition at all times. One way to do so is to have your display mounted underneath a sheet of protective glass with is connected to the touch sensor. If you opt for this arrangement, the exterior glass can be mounted in a weatherproof manner. It can be tempered for safety and the thickness can be increased to make it more durable. Other ways of protecting your touchscreen from sun damage is to make use of canopies, shades, coverings and anti-glare screens.
Outdoor LED signs certainly are a challenge when it comes to protecting them from the weather. All deployments of outdoor signage have to be carefully planned, because if not, your new deployment can soon turn into an expensive repair job.
