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Agreed - it looks well kept and probably shows well when clients do come by. Some places don't benefit from their signs being seen (like us) but there's still something to be said for showing off your own capabilities a little. PS - I was beginning to think I might be the only one to post in this thread - so thanks for joining in Dan :) Keep 'em coming!

I agree, and even though our sign is very plain, I'll go first. We're located in an industrial park, in the first unit of our building (facing the street). The landlord only allows plaque style sings on square blanks that are located next to each door, so we simply stuck our logo on in vinyl and were done with it. I have since been able to persuade them to allow us to make an illuminated sign that is exactly the same size, but with a little more flair. The sign will be about 3/4" thick and be internally illuminated with one of our LumiPane light panels. The face will have push-thru acrylic letters thru a laser cut and formed aluminum face. It will be mounted on 3/4" standoffs and be halo-lit around the perimeter using either color changing RGB or Warm White LEDs. We might as well make some more internal signs to match, so I'll post shots when ready - but I figured this could be a really good thread as Erik said above, and someone has to TOFTT and get the ball rolling. So with that said - let's see what kind of signs the sign guys use to show off or 'brand' their own companies. Who's got next?

Unless you have some sort of proof, you can't go throwing shit like this out there. If the so-called "expert" writers were putting misleading stuff out it would be another story and you'd have every right to think they're holding something back or have a personal interest in whats being written. There's no point getting on Amanda's case - she's doing exactly what her employer is asking. She never claimed to be a long time industry expert and writes "staff articles" in a easy to read, company approved manner. There's no reason to start throwing mud at her just because you don't like the content.

There's room in the market for many players. We have our challenges keeping communication and service at a good level - it's always easier in the beginning but harder to maintain with every customer. I'm going to have to create a sales/sevice team pretty soon. There has to be players like Axiom also, where a streamlined business model gets products to certain users at a streamlined cost with streamlined service. I think Costco might be a more fitting analogy... not as easy for the general public, but if you only need a few things and can buy in bulk, it's a good option. We grow most of our stuff locally and keep the money in the local economy, which some people prefer as a business model also. It takes all kinds.

I think when LEDs first needed to penetrate the market, it was very valuable for the LED companies to do some of the layouts for sign shops to teach them how. The problem is that the sign shops became a little reliant on these layouts and many LED companies continue offer it as a value added service, to keep the client coming. We do it, but mostly because we also offer a custom-count service with the module chains. If the layout calls for 22 modules for a letter P, that's what we ship - but that's also why we charge more than the Axiom grocery store. We're more like Whole Foods where we offer prepared sandwiches and cooking lessons ;)

The truth is that there is a middle ground between the US and Canadian systems that would be the ideal. As long as it is planned for properly and guidelines met, Americans would likely be very happy with a better system. The problem is all the crazies from both sides are hijacking any rational discussion. The same thing happens here.

I can easily flip from Maiden to Sinatra to Chili Peppers to Duran Duran to Croatian folk music. But Keith Urban or Brooks and Dunn? Sorry - I honestly just don't get it. Another one I just don't get, to be honest. I can handle everything up to Rattle and Hum, but after that I'm unable to listen. Ditto for AC/DC after Back in Black.

I watched "Flight 666" on my flight home from LA the other night, and being a long time Iron Maiden fan I loved the movie, and it has me on a bit of a Maiden kick. Up the Irons!

In NYC, it could be said that Tim Horton's is building Dunkin Donuts - but those in the south or west would have the joke fly right over their heads ;)

Those very same signs are all over touristy cities like Orlando an Las Vegas. Scottsdale just finished installing 400(?) over a 3 year period. Internally illuminated is good, but I hate those signs. Very big, bulky and ugly - and they use fluorescent - so there is constant outages needing replacement lamps. LEDs make a whole lot more sense (the traffic guys are already sold on this, with signals), which could even be powered by solar panels at the top of each traffic pole within a busy intersection. New York has several types, some with an internal edgelit system - though not exactly beautiful either. We've been playing with concepts for far too long and should probably just come out with our street signs, but the cost of getting them DOT approved, wind load tested, etc... is pretty high, which is why they've been lower down the priority ladder. It would almost be a whole 'nother company, which I just don't have time for. If anyone has some $ burning a hole in their pocket and wants to start making a kickass version of these with LED - we have solutions ready ;)

I didn't get to see enough of San Diego last time, so sign me up. I think the bi thing will be showing the demos you have in person. Having done these in varying sizes and seen others in sign shops, yours is the most thorough I have seen anywhere. By that time you'll have other tutorial or demo stuff to show as well, but I think it would e wise to keep it low key and cost effective, so as many people can participate as possible.

Yes, but many of those sign companies don't necessarily release that info publicly. It looks like it comes from the Orlando Business Journal and likely not from Poblocki themselves. I think a link should always be provided hen this sort of news or press release is posted. Puts things in better context IMO. That said - I've been to Poblocki's HQ in Milwaukee and was extremely impressed with their facility and people. It's clear they take extreme pride in their own location and their work - it felt like more like walking into Microsoft than a sign shop - and this no doubt gives their clients the confidence to deal with them. The unique "winged" monument sign out front was the nicest I've seen in front of any sign co - which is saying something.

It's really cool stuff, actually, and it does work. The Circadian light cycle is something that has crept into lighting systems, airplane lighting, etc... and there are many numbers of ways that exposure to certain types of light can trigger psychological and physiological responses. If you can trick plants into accelerated cycles,or chickens to age faster and lay more eggs simply by messing with light cycles, then of course humans would have certain reactions also. I actually made a small light engine with Red, Blue and Amber LEDs that pulsate in a pattern, and my great aunt (just turned 90) straps it to the backs of her hands daily... she says it helps a great deal. NASA owns a lot of patents for "light therapy" but there are plenty of companies that make specialty products. One even makes special light kits for the treatment of race horses. LEDs operating with little or no heat make it possible to do what other lights previously couldn't.

The Power White you have in the GWH are supposed to be about 66 lumens per module, while the MiniMax modules are supposed to be 24 lumens (basically 1/3 power and 1/3 brightness). The MiniMax uses the same LED and should be identical in brightness as the Sloan CL5, aside from help the little optic gives with the MiniMax. The ones I have are approx 250% brighter than they're supposed to be, which is in line with it also using about 250% of the power it's supposed to (1.6W vs 0.624W per mod). Something is not right here and it would be a good idea to find out if more people experiencing the same thing.

You can test it with even one module, or a string of a small number of modules. It sounded like you actually had some being tested and were surprised at the brightness. All I have is a string of 3 mods. What's your distributor's price for a roll? Is it 100 feet, or 100 pcs?

No it's not. It should be about 30~40% as bright. You may well be experiencing the same thing - in which case something fishy is going on. Remember when I was there and showed you how to measure amperage going into each string? If you can find a plain old multi meter that works with DC voltage (unlike your Fluke unit), please try this. If they are a 12V product and supposed to be 0.624W, then that would be 52mA per module. My measurement is closer to 133mA per module and 1.64W each, which would perfectly explain why it is brighter than the Power White. It will kill both the LED modules AND the power supplies, which could cause a lot of sign shops some decent sized headaches.

That's the thing about the internet - you can seldom un-ring a bell - but I think this is a good topic and no need to close or lock up.

I've got some of the GE Tetra CL in Red kicking around, though it's not a recent production batch (maybe 18 months old). I can send 'em with our Red stuff f you want, but you'll have to use the GE power supply separately for these units and not the ROAL 12V box. Is it just me, or is it getting REALLY hard to follow what these guys are doing with the part names and numbers? No sooner had they announced a new version of the Pinnacle ("Right White") and "MegaWhite Lighting ("2"!?), they now have "The Point" and "MegaWhite Plus". I've tested both and find them good improvements, with the MegaWhite Pus being very good - but find that 12 little LEDs are quite delicate and even with an inadvertent swipe of a finger, broke off 2 LEDs and permanently damaged the module. Also noticed the new GE MiniMAX is really effin bright, but also being 1.6W per module and not 0.624W like it's supposed to be. That's a HUGE difference and could be a major problem if whole production batches went out to marker like this. There are either going to be LED failures, or power supply failures (or both). Is anyone using these?

It's not that I'm trying to hide anything (or Erik or anyone else who jokes about this person), but to specifically name someone who made a decision to leave the SignSyndicate on less than amicable terms would serve no real purpose, and could attract this person undeserved attention. I'm not going to be the one that pokes this particular sleeping bear. Things are just fine here without him.

I've found the site largely positive, though the occasional throwing if mud helps to both liven things up and actually get certain things out in the open. Since the departure of he who shall remain nameless, it really hasn't been bad at all. Of course, I've been on forums where sex and religion and politics are the topics, so the little disputes that crop up here are naturally tame in comparison.

I would think more than just a few.. most of the SS regulars have been around for some time and would be familiar with "he who shall not be named" (I refuse to capitalize the H). You could probably blame me for helping drive him from the site, but meh, whatever. It's just too bad Manuel didn't sign up until after he was gone.

A good online community is one that polices itself - and if the community doesn't think kicking dead horses is productive - then the threads ought to be locked up once they reach that point. It's not that there's a bias - it's that more than one person felt that you or your thread were either annoying, disruptive or no longer relevant... probably a little of all 3. Starting new threads to complain won't help matters any... how about you join some of the other discussion and contribute something to the community? You'll have more open ears and potential allies that way.

You could argue that one led to the other.

Did you just propose the first hybrid system? Watch out man, GM will make you and your idea disappear.