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So... I haven't posted any jobs lately and I need to play catch up. So I'll start with our latest projects and work myself backwards As we've discussed so many times on the Sign Syndicate. There is a time to retrofit, and a time not too. Neon and Fluorescent lamps/systems should not in most cases be retrofitted to LEDs unless accessibility calls for it. Otherwise, it doesn't make financial sense for the consumer to do so, or....just so a shop can make a project sale on BS energy efficiency numbers and mythical saving $$$$ So here are some retrofit jobs that make REAL sense. NEON RETROFIT Here's a chain of Studio's that I've been doing since the early 2000's. This particular sign is only partially mine, everything from the Logo and red letters. This was the first job I did for them leading up to fabricating all new signs for their locations. The white is from the previous location and Neon has been in it's original form since the late 90's, and it's 6500K Snow White. The logo is 15mm Tri-phosphor, Elite 65D I believe. The Logo and Red was done in 2008. It's very hard to tell because red and white is hard to capture and a cell phone cam does no justice but the White lettering is dimmer than illustrated and is about 50% of it's original light output. Not bad for 20+ plus year old lamps!! So the owner called up and wanted a revamp. Had I been the average shop you bet the immediate response would have been LED! SAVINGS!!!!! BULLSHIT! BULLSHIT! Well, no. We're logical over here in SoCal, a land where 50¢ modules would have replaced the Lamp Art. The logical choice, and more economical choice for the consumer? Going from a single halo phosphate 6500K Snow White Neon lamp to a Tri-Phosphor EGL Designer 7100 Series Lamps. When we moved and installed (2008) this sign we did so with Tecnolux Silicone GTO and Caps. All that was needed for this retrofit was new lamps, and leaving the awesome silicone GTO and transformers in place! Now, I owe you a night shot, the iphone pic I took was garbage, so I'll update that soon. But the Logo and White letters match up well, and even with the old faces, the sign illuminates like a new sign at night. Forgot to mention, the white faces are also from the 90's and they've held up quite well, the Trim Cap is Plasco, also held up quite well for 20+ years old. During the day, the ace look good, so no need to replace. LED RETROFIT So a new client... They called, they were moving and wanted to know if they needed a new sign or whether to fabricate a whole new on because the current was lit up like crap. Had hot spots, dim a places, and just crazy outages in sections of letters. It would have been better had I taken night pics, BUT...I didn't know I would be posting and writing about it here so Had this been some other shop, I'm sure the nightmare would have continued Yes, two different LED manufacturers in the same sign Woohoo, the electric sign industry in it's finest form right here! It made me SO proud! If you're familiar with Gaverieli Plastics, I need say no more, let alone Chinese JS LED's....well, their both China and their both crap. They don't last, they fail, they cause companies problems with having to go back and replace and most importantly...They cost the consumer, YOUR client. The second sign which they had, made at a different time and by another company was US LED, also garbage. Illumination was just as bad. Sorry, didn't get pics of that sign because again, it wasn't my plan to make a post here If this wonderful, thoughtful sign package doesn't make you cry, I don't know what will. The original plastic was green vinyl over white acrylic and in such a short time this sign was beat, and probably why they called a new contractor for the work for their sign move. Well, a new sign made no sense. They were just moving a few suites over and they weren't going to get a larger sign so the original would do. New faces with 3M Lime Green over White acrylic. The most important aspect of this Sign.... Yes! NC Reckless-3 LEDs. Top Tier Samsung Diodes running on a Constant Current system...NOT Constant Voltage. 1.2 watt modules. Most important detail about our NC Reckless LEDs? Their made in Korea NOT CHINA!!! Beautiful! Check out that crazy light meter reading! That's almost 300 surface Foot Candles, which is about the equivalent light output to a 13mm Tri-phosphor white Neon Lamp behind white acrylic. If that is not simply utterly gross and disgusting, and you're not just sickened by that number, you have no stomach These Reckless-3 LEDs will NOT be powered up by their low budget power supplies but rather our Union LED Power Supplies made in KOREA, not CHINA!!! It's usually best to retrofit out with what was already in a sign, and not change one light source to another. It's makes more financial sense in MOST cases, not all, but most.

Posting some advance pics of our newest light test, "Project Blue Light Special" This will be a smaller test than the Red Light District, mainly because there aren't that many Blue LEDs readily available unless you buy direct or pay for a special order. All Sign Syndicate Board Vendors are welcome to join in and submit their light sources. So far the specs are: (Updated 05/30/13) 2051 Acrylic blue, Makrolon (Sheffield) Polycarb 2051 EGL Horizon Blue (12mm) SS Lights LEDs (Insem) *Sloan V-series (Non-Willing Participant) NC LED AA LED Powered by Ventex (Neon), and Axiom (LED) power supplies We'll do the first test numbers this week and it will be available to all just like we announced http://www.thesignsyndicate.com/forums/index.php?/topic/6247-the-sign-syndicate-light-tests-special-announcement/

The Sign Syndicate.com - April 2013 Video Update

I took on this job recently because I wanted to purposely show what and how you can use the electric sign components that we stock here on The Sign Syndicate http://www.thesignsyndicate.com/forums/index.php?/store/category/3-sign-supplies/ as well as a few other vendors that are Vendors/friends of the SS I got this job from an architect that has worked on similar projects that I have over the last few years. He likes my work and he passed my name to a client of his that needed some sign work done. As most of you know I don't really do signs any more, I'm not in the Yellow Pages, I don't advertise and I do select jobs from time to time but only for past clients or word of mouth where their mainly non-bid. Now I'm mainly a Distributor now but I do like to dip in from time to time as Electric Signs are my passion and I will always want to keep my self updated and informed about codes, new products etc. This is knowledge & information I can also pass onto my clients, theirs nothing worse than a rep who doesn't understand what it is YOU do, what they sell, or understand your need. So let's start from the beginning. Here's the old sign and the beginning of the renovations for the venture I usually use GE Lexan from my normal supplier for the reverse channel backs but now they stock some Polycarb from Shefield. I'm just routing all the backs and 1/2" acrylic push thru's on my 4'x8' ShopBot CNC Table using my favorite Belin Bits. Now usually I make all my PolyCarb rear tabs or brackets out of the aluminum scrap and simply brake them into angles. But I wanted to try out Transco To Go's Channel Bond since it's made for bonding PolyCarb to Poly Carb. I could have saves time and used a heat rod and made 90's with these but I like to try new things. So I started off making some polycarb angles with some cutouts done on the router table One light application from a #48 applicator and clamp for an hour, I imagine I could have left on for less time but I have a lot of clamps and not a whole lot of letters Light bond to the letter backs Now Channel Bond is amazing, this stuff is strong! Try and break it! You'll probably hurt yourself trying. Notice the one metal brackets, that's for letter pan bond and part of the bonding system that is grounded back at the tranny box or raceway. You have to have at least one of those. My 1/2" acrylic push thru's with 3M white trans film. More Channel Bond for bonding the 1/2" acrylic letters to my rear cab diffuser acrylic. I cut my lettering in the aluminum .03 larger than the acrylic letter, this provides a good snug fit with very little spacing between the letter and metal. Done, Channel Bond cures pretty fast. My color of halo lighting to be used for the letters is orange. So for that we used Voltarc's Lead free 12mm Green pumped red neon gas to give it that orange color. For the Cabinet illumination we used EGL's ol Faithful Designer 13mm CL65 Tri-Phosphor glass. We also used the Transco To Go's Novaglo Lead Free Electrodes. This install day sucked, it was 85F with 84% humidity and all I did was sweat with clothes sticking to me the whole day. Here's my dad who enjoys helping me from time to time pounding all the drill point prior to busting out the hammerdrill. This is my favorite pattern paper by Westrim it comes in a 48" roll and has a 1" grid throughout. The patterns had to go up very fast before they started to wrinkle, can you tell from the pic? Work in progress Working on the rear parapet wall raceway. This sign is powered by two new, older generation Transco Transformer which was not a lot of fun to find some old stock of, but it was possible with a few calls and two France transformers as well. I like to use the manly 12kV & 15kV transformers, not the guurly 9's and smaller. I have CL signs that have been up 16-18 years and have yet to get a service call, load em up right, install them right, and you won't have any problems. Simple as that! The GTO for the system is Transco To Go's 14AWG .375" silicone GTO-15 cable. This is the first time I've ever used a thick 14AWG GTO cable, it's STILL very flexible! The Transco To Go 20amp Disconnect Switch rated for outdoor. Of course the double nutted system ground (on the bottom), and service ground (top) or the transformers. Transco To Go's Silicone "Easy Caps" with the silicone GTO. Behind in the rear you'll see my bond that is attached to the metal bracket to also in the rear electrobit grounding ring that bonds the flex to the system ground on the raceway. Speaking of Electrobit grounding rings, good luck trying to find these anymore, I had to use a few grounding rings made by another company whom I don't even know the name of of their thinner and not so bulky or as wide. But i think I like electrobits ring screw better. Wish I would have taken a pic of the ring in question but I don;t think I have one to snap a shot of. Anyone know who makes these? I don't even know how I got mine. El Fin! I love Matthes (PPG) Paint finish, it looks so nice. I'll have to go by at a later date to take a night shot. The clients were very happy with their sign. Anyway, I thought taking this job would give me a great opportunity to post later and show you all how and what you can use on your electric sign jobs, bring about new ideas with what we stock here on The Sign Syndicate.com located here. http://www.thesignsy...-sign-supplies/

The Sign Syndicate.com - July 2012 Video Update

The New November results are out! The Great White Hope - The High Powered white Neon & LED comparison (25,000+ Hours) - This month we added some products from our Board Vendors, International Light Technologies new LED line as well as LumiText's new LumiString Project Tighty Whitey - The Mid and Mini White LED only comparison (18,000+ Hours) - This month we dropped a major manufacturer and added a whole bunch of Board Vendors LEDs. International Light Technologies, Lumitext's LumiString, EGL's Veritas, and Ventex's slimline. Also adding as a Non-Willing participant, SloanLED's "Value Plus, and V-180 series" The Red Light District - The Red Neon & LED comparison (12,000+ Hours) - This month we also from our Board Vendors we added EGL's Veritas and International Light Technologies LED lines Border Security - The Neon & LED Border Tube comparison (2,600+ Hours) - Interesting results this month. Maybe to be expected and not to be expected? I think we have to keep a close on this test.