Large scale message sign

Sabre was contacted by Athena Signs, who were trying to find a supplier for a 6 metre long, 0.5 metre high moving message display for installation on a night club. It appeared that signs of this size were one-off designs, so we created a custom solution for Athena. (We have since designed a modular system to construct similar signs, click here for details).

The sign was to be daylight viewable, show time and temperature, and have a scrolling message section, all controlled from the PC in the manager's office.

We designed the main sign unit using over 5000 high brightness LEDs, which were mounted on custom circuit board strips, conformally coated and installed in the waterproof housing in-situ using a hydraulic platform. The sign control unit and switched mode power supply was housed nearby inside the building and the whole system is controlled down an RS485 link from the manager's PC which is about 60 metres away. The strip assembly allows replacement of individual LED strips should any failures occur, though the long lifetime of the LEDs should make this an unlikely occurrence.

The PC software allows programming of messages which can scroll, flash, snap on etc. The time displayed on the sign can also be adjusted, although the sign will automatically correct for summer time/GMT. Each message can be programmed to display only in the morning, afternoon, evening or night, so the sign can automatically display a rolling programme of messages appropriate for the time of day without user intervention.

The nightclub found that the sign drew a great deal of attention and  later ordered a second sign to be located on the front of the building. This one was slightly smaller with 350mm letter height, housed in a custom made enclosure, and was linked into the same PC control system, allowing both signs to be controlled together or separately.