All about LED modules

What are LED modules?


LED modules are professional, reliable light sources designed to illuminate advertising or for stretched ceilings. Modern LED modules are hermetic and equipped with a strong lens. This lens, depending on the function of the LED module, disperses or focuses light. LED modules usually have a structure of hermetic eyes with lenses connected by a cable. These features make them suitable for outdoor use as well as for free placement inside irregularly shaped illuminated letters and LED boxes.

LED lenses are a very important element of the module
Modules used for boxes and letters are usually placed on the back of the box, i.e. the bottom inner part of the advertisement. Such modules should have a strong lens - so that the light is dispersed 

What features do LED modules have?


- LED modules are durable and resistant to damage - they have a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours, which means they do not need to be replaced frequently.
In addition, they are resistant to moisture, dust, shocks and temperature changes, which makes them suitable for outdoor and indoor applications.

- They are equipped with strong lenses, which usually disperse light, making it possible to illuminate even the shallowest illuminated letters and LED boxes.

- They are connected with a flexible cable allowing for their free arrangement inside the advertisement.

- They have a uniform, repeatable light color allowing for perfect white or typical daylight color to illuminate the face in warm colors.

- They are energy-saving and do not heat up, ensuring safe use and the possibility of using inside closed spaces and flammable plastics.

- They are equipped with strong double-sided tape on the bottom surface, thanks to which they can be easily, quickly and permanently attached stick to any surface. Additionally, the modules are equipped with a screw hole to be able to screw them to the surface
 
  

What is the advantage of LED modules over LED strips?

- Can be used outdoors and is highly durable

- Can be placed anywhere, not just in a straight line

- High degree of light dispersion thanks to strong lenses

- No heating - excellent heat dissipation warm

What are the differences between LED modules?

- Power

It is much faster and easier to use a few high-power LED modules than a multitude of small and weak modules. However, such a possibility exists if we are sure that strong LED modules spaced far apart will provide even illumination of the surface. The effect of even illumination with a small number of strong ones can usually be achieved with deeper cassettes (over 10 cm) and modules with a very strong lens. In the case of such structures, you can use modules LED module BIG EYE 5W As the depth of the box or illuminated letters decreases, we must use correspondingly lower power and strong dispersing lenses.

- Type and quality of lenses

Modules can be used to illuminate from the so-called back of the box - backlight or from the edge (edge ​​modules). Therefore, the method of illuminating the advertisement defines the type of module and its lens. Also, the distances we have to illuminate determine the degree of light dispersion and, consequently, the power of the lens. In the case of shallow cassettes, modules with a strong lens are recommended, such as MEGA LENS 1W 175° Module. In the case of shallow letters MINI 1 LENS or MINI 2 LENS module while for edge-lit boxes there is a series SEMAFOR

- Hermeticity degree

Most modules are tightly closed in a plastic housing with an IP67 or IP68 degree, which means that they are resistant to flooding with a stream of water such as dripping water in the rain or immersion in water. Only rope modules are not resistant to water, but our company can effectively increase their level of resistance to water thanks to uniquely developed technology

- Light color

LED modules have a uniform and repeatable light color and are also available in various color temperatures and colors. All modules of a given model are manufactured based on one repeatable tested LED chip. These chips are purchased by manufacturers in one huge batch to ensure uniform color and light output. LED modules are available in the following colors:
3000K warm
4000K - neutral / daylight
6500K - hardly noticeable camomile tint
8000K and 9000K - typical pure white light
12000K - light with a blue tint

- Cable length

Sufficiently long cables between modules allow for the arrangement of modules at large distances from each other. Appropriately short ones allow you to avoid the problem of too long cables and their additional winding

- Power supply voltage

Usually, modules are powered by 12V. However, 24V modules are increasingly used. Modules powered by 24V are much more resistant to voltage drops. This allows you to connect modules in much larger chains, such as up to 50 or 100 pieces. Thanks to this, we can save time on connecting subsequent LED module circuits to the power supply.
 
 
 

How to choose the right LED modules?

Choosing the optimal modules for advertising is not an easy matter. To make it easier to select modules for advertising, we have written a tool that will guide you through the process of selecting the right LED modules for advertising -  

LED Module Selection Assistant



To gradually find the answer to the question of which modules we need to use, you need to find the answer to the individual questions:

- Type of advertising

First of all, you need to consider what type of advertising you intend to illuminate. Is it a single-sided box, double-sided box or maybe 3D letters?

- Depth of the advertisement

The distance measured in cm between the back of the box, 3D letters and the front. This distance determines how much space the module has to the front so that it can freely and evenly illuminate the advertisement.
The depth of the advertisement directly affects the power of the LED modules used and the quality of the required lens.
In the case of advertisements with a depth:

  • 12cm - optimal 2W or even 5W modules. Generally, at this height, all modules are suitable - although using small modules connected with short cables will not make sense due to the time and cost.
  • About 10cm - this is the optimal working field for 1.2W modules even with any lens above 140 degrees
  • Up to 8 centimeters to the face, 1W modules with a decent lens, i.e. above 160 degrees, will work perfectly
  • Up to 6 cm, 0.72W modules and a lens also above 160 degrees will be the most optimal
  • Up to 5 cm Modules with an extremely strong lens such as MEGA LENS 1W 175 degrees
  • Up to 3cm is a task for the FAST BAR 180° module or for small dense letter modules such as MINI 1 LENS or MINI 2 LENS module

-Light color

Most modules are available in several color temperature versions, usually it is:
3000K - warm
4000K - neutral
6500K or 8000K cold

- Power supply voltage  

It is worth performing larger projects on 24V modules - this will save time by connecting much larger bundles of LED modules (factory-connected 50pcs or 100pcs) 
 
 

Selection of modules for double-sided boxes:


Double-sided boxes are usually illuminated by two opposite rows of modules that fill the advertisement evenly with light
 
When implementing double-sided boxes with up to 130 cm between light sources and a width of up to 10 cm, modules are recommended SEMAFOR 1.2W
These modules have a strongly focused lens but limited power to 1.2W, so they are ideal for small and medium but narrow double-sided light boxes.
 
Small and medium light boxes with a width of over 14cm - here the most optimal module will be Semafor Module 2.5W
a wider lens will allow for full filling of the more distant faces of the box. More power and light is also useful.

Large double-sided boxes with a width of opposite edges of up to 2 meters - SEMAFOR 3W Module
Only this edge module is able to illuminate large boxes along the edges. Strong focusing lenses and high power are required here