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Erik Sine

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  1. Some project pics of our High Performance, High Brightness, Constant Current 24v 175˙Optics BrightON II LEDs powered by France Lighting Solutions True Power LED Power Supplies. Our 24V BrightON LEDs have half the current running across the PCB Boards which means HALF the heat and resistance of a 12V system, this equals out to a already long life Constant Current System to thrive even longer! BrightON LEDs are Constant Current NOT Constant Voltage like Principal LEDs and Sloan Value Line LEDs for shorter life The Project Results....Even, Bright Competitive Lighting for the sign in a shopping center that will last the ages! Pictures Courtesy of West Coast Sign Company More Information on BrightON II LEDS The BrightON LEDs can be purchased from our online store HERE, or you can order over the phone (858) 880-1400 | orders@thesignsyndicate.com
  2. JEWELITE TRIM CAP NOW IN STOCK!!! I am very proud to announce that we NOW stock Jewelite (Vidon) Trim Cap We just brought in a good sizable stock load of both 1" & 3/4" Trim Caps. One of the awesome things about Jewelite is, it's now of the few components in our trade that is actually made right here in the Good ol' U.S. of A Our Current Sign Syndicate Trim Cap Pricing as follows: 3/4" x 150' 6+ Rolls $46.75 each 1-5 Rolls $51.25 each 1" x 150' 6+ Rolls $56.75 each 1-5 Rolls $61.25 each **Discounted shipping on orders of 6 or more rolls. You can call in/email your order 858.880.1400 | orders@thesignsyndicate.com or try our online shopping cart
  3. As most of you know Raw and Electrical Components like LEDs, Power Supplies, etc have soared just this year not even counting what's happened since COVID. One low cost component we can continue for now are Toggle Switches. With oil pricing rising we can expect a lot more costs to rise in the near future...DON'T WAIT! What's a good price today, can't be guaranteed tomorrow! Toggle Switches for $4.23 each in boxes of 25, FREE SHIPPING anywhere in the Continental US For orders 858-880-1400 | orders@thesignsyndicate.com or use our online CART
  4. Well the ship has landed. To compliment our High-End BrightON LED Module Line we brought in nothing but the best when it comes to LED Power Supplies, hence France Lighting Solutions. For those that don't know, the France LED power supplies are True Power, which means they are 100% Loadable. No more loading a LED power supply to 80% or 85% to be on the safe side....well...I take that back you had to underload for the PS to survive. These....France PS's are 100% Loadable! We've been stocking the 24V for some time for our 24V BrightON, but since we also have 12V BrightON LED modules we brought in 12V versions as well. We also have the new France Atlas 12V 120W (Dual 60W Channel) units, which are IP68, Wet Location (no need for a PS box) and have onboard LED Lamps for displaying trouble shooting, normal/overload use. France has always been know for their High Performance Neon Transformer Products, the France Lighting Solutions Eco & Atlas LED Power Supplies are no different. We carry the Complete France Lighting Solutions TruPower LED Power Supply Line 24V France Eco 24V 60W - TruPower DRV-2460-E (24V/60W) France Eco 24V 96W - TruPower DRV-24100-E (24V/96W) France Atlas 24V 60W - TruPower DRV-2460-A (24V/60W) 12V France Eco 12V 60W - TruPower DRV-1260-E (12V/60W) France Atlas 12V 60W - TruPower DRV-1260-A (12V/60W) France Atlas 12V 120W - TruPower DRV-12120-A (12V/120W) Dual 60W Channel The France Lighting Solutions LED Power Supplies can be purchased from our Store or feel free to call your order in (858) 880-1400 | orders@thesignsyndicate.com
  5. It was asked for so we did it. The BrightON Lightning now also comes in 3000K. We had a feeling the BrightON Lightning would be a popular seller and so far it has been. Users seem to like the sizing of NC LED Reckless LED Modules along with the spacing. As I've said a few times, the Lightning captures that module sizing but with larger spacing between modules. The Reckless was a Constant Current .92w 2Diode Module, our Lightning is a 3 diode, .72 watt module. The difference is, the chip efficiency in the Lighting is much much better....you get more light for lesser power. With the Lightning you get much brighter light and spread than the Reckless. BrightON Lightning Article You can purchase the BrightON Lightning from our store or feel free to call in an order (858) 880-1400 | orders@thesignsyndicate.com
  6. What's the biggest sign component rise in cost you've seen that you normally get, and what is it? I'm seen everything from Neon Transformers to LED power supplies up 30% to 40%
  7. With Principal LED and Sloan's V-series (value line) LED lines hitting the market at extremely low pricing I noticed a surge in shops literally flocking to save on peanuts. Here's a warning, be weary....It seems like Principal LED has taken a large step back in LED module quality as all their LED modules have gone all Constant Voltage.....no longer Constant Current. Sloan's newest Value 4 line....the 2LED Module is now .96 watts per module with modest light output for that power....this module is also Constant Voltage Not Constant Current. My thoughts on Sloan is for a high wattage module for modest light, it means the chip quality is not very efficient (Light output for power in). They're having to pump in more juice to get more light. More power means more heat, more heat is what kills LED life. Constant Voltage Modules have no current regulation, their dependent on resistors and light output for the first module on a string is brighter than the last on that same string. Constant Voltage Modules have a much shorter life than a current regulated Constant Current LEDs, where all modules on a string are equally bright. An efficient LED chip will put out more light for lesser power, the lesser the power the longer the life. Hold on to those long warranties....if they're still valid. You'll have a lot of paperwork to fill out and keep track of Sometimes companies get so large they end up using their name to sell products for products that use to be better.... Just some thoughts and opinion
  8. I've been getting a lot of calls since we switched over from NC LEDs to our New BrightON LED Line, specifically on what BrightON module is equivalent to the NC Reckless Constant Current Module. In Short, BrightOn is by far more light efficient (Chip Efficiency) than the NC LED Line. The light is spread wider (175˙ vs 120˙) and, 155/165 l/w vs. 68 l/w.....you're getting more light using the BrigthON Lighting (.72watt) over the .92watt NC LED Reckless. If you're using the 24v BrightON then you're getting longer life out of each module because you're getting lesser heat an resistance running across the wiring/board of each module. Now, back to what is equivalent, or almost...... since it's been asked. The BrightON Lighting in size is equivalent as seen below The size of the module is about the same since so many liked the module size. The NC Reckless LED was 3 modules per foot or 33.33 linear feet per tray of 100. The BrightON Lightning is 36.66 Linear feet per bag of 80 modules. At .72watt Lightning with lesser modules per foot, the light output or luminance on a sign face is far brighter due to chip efficiency. Look at the high efficiency uniform 175˙ optics of the BrightON above and over the NC "White Horse" 140˙ LED which is the same foot print as the 120˙ NC Reckless LED. Both are 12v. Both are constant current NOT constant voltage. Bottomline....The Brighton puts our far more light because of chip efficiency, cost less per foot (bag cost $58.99 vs $79.99), is operating "under driven" with lesser heat, which will result in longer life, and you will get far more light per bag with wider rows for more light than the NC Reckless Modules
  9. That's awesome Paul, saw it on Instagram. It's weird talking to younger people about 9II, they never knew or were too young to remember.
  10. Hey thanks Amigo! Hope all is well with you and the wife!m
  11. Just a heads up, sometimes it might be best to call us and place an order over the phone. Just noticing that sometimes the shopping cart charges too much on shipping. It seems to confuse multiply items and doesn't know how to configure combined items by weight and dimension. If you think you're paying too much, just call (858) 880-1400 us or shoot us an email orders@thesignsyndicate.com
  12. Most LED MFG's will just suggest layouts and tell you how many LEDs per foot without telling you how their LEDs will match up against the Standard Lighting in our industry which is Fluorescent HO Lamps. If you haven't done any lighting for cabinets or never noticed, most fall short of even meeting the luminance that Fluorescent lamps give out on a sign face. The light that falls short is known as "Usable Light", or light that just gets you there. It's not Competitive lighting that you would need if your sign I located in a shopping center in competition with other signs looking to be noticed. So here we have our new BrightON II.... The conventional Fluorescent HO (800ma High Output) Lamp light output is the standard in the Electric Sign Industry. When loaded, configured, and installed correct with no cross talk, these lamps and ballasts are a VERY good light source that last for years. Our High Efficient High-End BrightON IV HO LED modules match the light output of Fluorescent HO lamps of our longtime Electric Sign Standards in lighting applications. More Light for Lesser Power The Brighton IV LED is Constant Current, uses a High Efficient chip for illumination, mounted on a Aluminum PCB for better thermal cooling...not that we need Aluminum for a chip that is already under driven and produces less heat & resistance due to operating on a 24V System. With the BrightON IV you'll save money in project costs over buying specialized proprietary channels/bars (Another reason for a sale) by simply purchasing some right angle aluminum channels for the top and bottom of a sign cabinet, and placing aluminum tubing in between to mount your High-End low cost BrightON IV LEDs on. Double Face Sign Test Cabinet 4’ x 4’ x 12” D Module to face 5” Sign Face 3/16” Plexiglas MC White #7328 Fluorescent HO Lamp System Lamps in single and double faces cabinet fabrication typically are spaced 12” OC (On Center) Sign Face Luminance: 156.5 Foot Candles Power Consumption: 126 Watts BrightON IV Double Face Sign Cabinet Spacing. 8” OC Module to Module, 12” OC Between Rows for Module to Sign Face in depths of 5” or 3” 5” Module to Sign Face Luminance: 156.5 Foot Candles 3.5” Module to Sign Face Luminance: 164 Foot Candles Power Consumption: 76.8 Watts 126 Watts - 76.8 Watts = 39% Savings in Energy Consumption Single Face Spacing Suggestions 5” Depth, 9” - 9.5” spacing between rows, 7.5” - 8.5” spacing between modules 3” Depth, 8” - 9” spacing between rows, 8” - 9” spacing between modules BrightON IV Usable Light Spacing If you want and need "Usable Light", here it is...some cases call for it. This lighting would be slightly brighter than Hanley's NRG4. Double Face Sign Cabinet Spacing. 9.5” OC Module to Module, 12” OC Between Rows for Module to Sign Face in depths of 5” or 3” Sign Face Luminance: 134.5 Foot Candles Power Consumption: 64 Watts 126 Watts - 76.8 Watts = 49% Savings in Energy Consumption Why use the BrightON IV LED? • For starters it's Constant Current unlike using Principal LED's Constant Voltage Qwik Mods or others. Constant Current means each module is current regulated with translates to longer life. • It's a 24 Volt system, which means our system has half the current running through the wiring and board which translates to half the heat & resistance of a 12 volt system. In other words....Longer Life. • With a 24V system you're able to use more LED modules on a single 96W channel over a 60W channel. BrightON IV Aspects 24V High Performance, High Brightness LED Module Half the Amperage, Less Heat & Resistance than a 12V LED Module Aluminum PCB 40 Modules Per Bag 32.5’ (Full Stretch) 1.23 Modules Per Foot Constant Current Regulated, NOT Constant Voltage 175˙ High Efficiency Uniformity Optics 5 year, 50K Lifetime U.L. File E520387 For Inquiries or Orders you can contact us at (858) 880-1400 | orders@thesignsyndicate.com | order through our online Shopping Cart below
  13. The BrightON-II LED .vs The Principal Qwik Mod 2 LED So....we've been getting lot's questions on how our New High-End BrightON II LED compares to The "New" High Efficient Principal Qwik Mod 2 LED Well, we did a quick "side by side" benchmark comparison to find out. They have some basic similarities. • .8 watt modules • Both 170˙/175+ Optics • Both have Aluminum PCB We compared both LED modules and placed them in 24" x 4.5" x 5" channels using a standard Plexiglas MC white #7328 white acrylic face to simulate a wide channel letter stroke . Modules spaced 6" OC from one another and 3" from the channel walls. Now to find out what the differences are... Once we lit the channel compartments one big difference was the white appearance of each light source. The Principal Qwik Mod produces more of a yellow white illumination on the sign face, whereas the BrightON II is more of a True White. The pictures here may not do justice as it's hard to capture Real Time and Real Life along with how your display may be calibrated. Both BrightON II & Principals's Qwik Mod are .8w modules....The BrightON II is 24V LED module, the Qwik Mod is 12V LED module. 24V means half the current flowing through the system of a 12V system, which translates to lesser heat, lesser resistance than a 12V system. A 24V system is more reliable and a longer life system over time for the very reasons I stated. A 24V system allows you to use a larger single watt channel PSU (96w). The BrightON LED system uses the France Lighting Solutions "True Power" LED Drivers to complete the system, "True Power" means users are able to load the PSU to 100%, where as other LED PSU's are recommended not to go beyond 85% of the rating. A full load 96W France PSU can load 120 BrightON II LED modules. France Lighting Solutions LED Drivers are the only Drivers to date that are 100% loadable. With a 12V system a single channel 60W LED PSU is typically loaded at 85% or 51W of a 60W unit, or 63 Qwik Mods. You can load more modules on a single unit but you would have to be looking at using a 120W PSU that is a dual 60W channel unit. Luminance Right away the biggest take away from this LED comparison in the image below is the Sign Face Surface light output results in Foot Candles using a ExTech Light Meter measuring the High's and Low's in the 7" x 4" rectangle area of the acrylic face. The BrightON II has a Foot Candle Average of 209 versus Principal's Qwik Mod coming in lower at 171 Foot Candles. Constant Current A HUGE difference which will play big in lighting and in life is how the current is driving across each module. The BrightON II is of course Constant Current, NOT Constant Voltage. The Qwik Mod is Constant Voltage. The quickest, simplest explanation and differences is this. On a Constant Current system, each module has a current regulator chip which means each module is current regulated, and protected not to overdrive and create more heat and run hotter. The first module on a Constant Current string is equally as bright as the last module on a string....the result is consistent lighting. If you've ever paid attention to the light testing we have been doing on The Sign Syndicate since 2009', you would know that the best and lowest light degradation or Lumen Maintenance results always came from CC LED systems, Constant Voltage or "Eco" Modules not so much. In a CV System you better hope your LED PSU is not driving above the intended voltage of 12 volts. A slight increase in a fraction of a volt... say...12.2V can kill a LED system fast depending on the makeup of the Modules. When we did our Light Testing "The Great White Hope" we had a incident where a LED PSU operating at 12.25 was used on a Permlight "El Plato Module which was CV and in under 30 days the original output dropped 30%. We had to kick out the PSU and start over with another string of EL Plato's using a manual adjustable LED PSU to assure not to go above 12V. On a typical CV System on long runs the first module will be brighter than the last module on the same string, inconsistent lighting, with a not well regulated LED PSU CV LED will tend to run hotter and brighter in some areas causing a shorter life. The system is solely dependent on the module resistors for protection. In Short.... Constant Voltage = Lesser LED life over time Constant Current = Longer LED life over time Lighting Angles Below.....you can take what you want from this part... We used equal underexposed shots from both LED light sources from a Canon SLR Camera instead of Real Time to show our audience where the optics is transferring light We used a lighting angle chart that we created, made up of 1" grids just to help in displaying where the optics and throwing light. Both Module have wide angle optics, I would just say that the Brighton II throws more light towards the edge of the chart and a little higher up the middle. What It All Means In closing, the biggest differences that can be taken away from this benchmark comparison and what separates the BrightON II are a couple of big factors. • The BrightON 24 volt system which has half the amperage, heat, & resistance than the 12 volt Principal Qwik Mod LED system. You're also able to load more LED modules on a 24V system than a 12 volt system • If you're looking for a more "Purer" white light source, better bin, then the BrightON LED Module family is for you. • More light for less power on the sign surface....better chip efficiency... that was just displayed and shown in Foot Candles....BrightON II 209 FC over Principal Qwik Mod 2 171 FC • Probably the single most important factor? The BrightON LED Family is Constant Current rather than a lower costing system that uses unregulated current in Constant Voltage. What that means for user is....Longer Consistent Life Over Time The New BrightON LED The previous High-End BrightON LED version has had a lot of success since the launch. What is new? Only some miner changes were made to make a already superior LED module even better. Same high efficient chip, improved 6500 Kelvin, different optics. Not that we needed it but, the BrightON is, and has always been underdriven but....we changed from a Fiberglas PCB Board to Aluminum. Aluminum provides better thermal cooling, but again, it wasn't needed....it's just nice to brag about it and say we have Aluminum. The New BrightON LED Family will in stock by early May 2021. **UPDATE** The BrightON LEDs can now be purchased from our our online store HERE, or you can order over the phone (858) 880-1400 | orders@thesignsyndicate.com
  14. We now have a closed private Facebook Group for all those interested. https://www.facebook.com/groups/signsyndicate/ All members can invite other members to it. Our FB Group is just an extension of this site
  15. OUCH!! A large segment of LED panels fell during a live broadcast on ESPN Colombia — landing on one of the commentators.
  16. Apparently Jewelite is out of their Gold Trim Cap until July / August, so we've been getting a lot of calls from large Sign Shops for orders of Plasco's 1" Gold to complete a rather large Sign Program. So I dug out a Jewelite Sample of Gold, compared to Plasco's Gold Channel Letter Trim Cap. In the comparison, Plasco has just a more nicer gold color, Jewelite looks more of a washed out metal coloring with a little gold in it, IMO. If you're looking to see the Gold difference between the two to substitute, I think using Plasco 1" Gold Trim Cap will make those signs look so much better.
  17. Asking for a friend, but was curious if any shops here were looking for a Neon Consultant. Someone to improve their: Existing Neon Set Up Improve their existing Benders New Teaching Airfare & Boarding would need to be pre-paid. 1st class & 5-star of course, jk...coach and roach will do. ? If there is any interest, please let me know. Thanks
  18. Over the weekend we had sent out a Email to all members about the Westrim Neon Glass Housings, apparently it attempted to go out three times at once and after a short time it over loaded the system and was shut down. There were still more wrinkles that had to be ironed out since the big upgrade, and this was one of them. It's fixed now and we sent out that Email this morning....hopefully it's going out okay All The Best Erik
  19. I was expecting a few times to be in this week but as it turns out, they will be a few weeks behind. • We just sold ALL our rolls of Westrim Burroughs Pattern Paper • Westrim Disconnect Toggle Switches All should be in mid month this month of March
  20. Nashville seems to be the Mecca of Neon lately. Welcome the the SS!
  21. Usually members contact me by email or message and we put them up. As long as their Nationals for this forum that hire subs and they are not listed here send me a list in a message or reply here and I'll get them up. Thanks for updating Steve!
  22. Are they still in business? Google says they are "Permanently Closed" odd But, anyhow they are now listed here
  23. I have to post this everyone once in a while, so I'm repeating again. For all those those who have access the National Sign & Service Company Review Forum, your participation, NOT your Distance Watching is much needed. Too many are just watching, scanning without engaging. The Review list is ONLY as good as it can be with more engagement. Good reviews of companies are just as good as the, not so good. I can't tell you how many times over the years it's helped get a lot of companies get paid, or saved companies from getting shafted From time to time I get calls or threatening emails to "Remove" content mentioned about said companies. Who does that? Well.....I refuse to do so, and will continue to refuse unless it's something you want removed from your own statement. If you're new to The Sign Syndicate, you should know that the review forum has been a good forecaster for troubled companies that may be not their way out of this industry...and when that has been the case it's drowned some subcontractors as well as suppliers down along with them. It's a sad thing, and at the same time it's saved others. These days for the non-payers they have many tools they like to use, future work carrot dangling, Non-Disclosure agreements, and lately....releasing your rights to a lien process( which in most cases is not legal). Generally trying to get Subs to give up their tools and remedies to get paid In my state of California, subcontractors MUST be paid within 30 Days of invoice, or the Primary Contractor can be fined, or lose their contractors license. So We shouldn't have this problem here in my state, but surprisingly.....we do. Mainly because Subcontractors here accept work outside the state. In most of these cases that contract is illegal because the primary party has NO contractors license in this state. ONLY licensed contractors can Subcontract for projects or maintenance in the state of California. I'm sure most other states who have contractors licenses work pretty much the same way, it safeguards the Primary, the Subcontractor, an most importantly...the consumer. But...we also need the GOOD positive reviews of the Good Guys, so we all know who they are too. This site will only be as great as those who help make it great. If a company is not listed here that you think should be listed, please reply back or contact me by message. Lastly, I'm fully aware that relationships between Contractors and Subcontractors is a two-way street. There are some crappy subcontractors who can perform just as crappy, and have no business, being in business. We have a Review forum is for that as well, HERE Reviews can also be left on the companies marker in the Installer Map All The Best To All
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