Signage in a box—the venerable cabinet sign. In a completely elementary sense, that’s essentially what users are receiving with an LED cabinet sign. Of course, to the sign provider, it’s much more intricate than that. There are measured tactics and design methods, installation techniques, and much consultation. There is a process to providing an effective, long-lasting cabinet sign.
那些你在路边所能见到的一些将标识信息显示在盒状光源上的物体，指的就是我们传统的标识灯箱。从本质上来说，这就是用户接收型LED标识灯箱。当然，对于标识供应商而言，制作比使用要复杂得多。关于灯箱测量方案、设计方法、安装技术以及许多方面都值得学习。本篇文章讲述的就是如何提供一个效率高且使用寿命长久的标识灯箱。
And sign makers must address the process by first answering a number of important questions when tackling LED cabinet sign projects. One of the biggest and most common questions often is whether to use an existing cabinet sign and retrofit it with LED components or to start from scratch with a brand new build. Here we will explore some of those issues and solutions.
标识制造商在首次处理LED灯箱标识项目之前必须先回答一系列重要问题。最重要也是最常见的问题之一就是，继续使用现有的灯箱标识还是对已有的灯箱标识内部LED组件进行改造？或是重建一个全新的灯箱？接下来我们就将针对这些问题展开讨论并提供解决方案。
To Retrofit or Not
关于是否需要改造的考量
Of course, there are benefits and drawbacks to both retrofitting and doing a new build. When working with the customer, a sign maker needs to uncover an assortment of details, including budget figures, the size of the sign, the placement, desired brightness and more. It’s this information that will help guide sign makers to make the right decisions and avoid missteps.
当然，改造和重建都有好处和缺点。与客户合作时，标识制造商需要善于发现各种细节，包括成本预算、标识尺寸大小、安装地点、需求亮度等等。这些信息将有助于帮助标识制造商做出正确的决策并避免失误。
“The biggest mistake is not knowing the overall size of the cabinet and depth—along with any structural members and current light source—and selecting a suitable LED for the conversion,” says Bill Uline, general manager at Pelham, Alabama-based Faces Wholesale Custom Sign.
阿拉巴马州佩勒姆的标识批发公司总经理Bill Uline说：“目前最大的问题在于不了解灯箱的整体尺寸和深度（包括灯箱内部结构和目前的光源类型），不知道如何选择合适的LED来进行更换。”
With that, let’s take a look at some of the factors that go into retrofitting a cabinet sign versus a new build.
因此，让我们来看看改进灯箱标识或重建灯箱标识的一些注意事项。
Customized Lighting
定制照明
Lighting is what brings a cabinet sign to life, so naturally sign makers will want to provide the most impactful illumination possible. Sometimes this means replacing an existing light source with LEDs, and since “fluorescent lamps come in a variety of fixed lengths,” explains Bob Ponzini, channel development manager, digital systems, North America at OSRAM, “some LED sign module manufacturers have introduced LED stick products in similar lengths designed to mimic and replace fluorescent. Other LED system options are available that are completely adaptable to any size sign and shape of a sign.”
照明让标识灯箱充满活力，因此每一个标识制造商都希望自己可以提供最有影响力的照明效果，这就意味着在一些情况下，可以用LED光源代替现有的普通光源。欧司朗北美数字系统标识开发经理Bob Ponzini解释说：“由于荧光灯具都有固定的长度，一些LED标识模组制造商已经开始推出相应的LED灯条用于模仿和替换这些荧光灯，LED系统可以非常完美地适应任何标识的尺寸和形状。”
Generally speaking, LEDs can give sign makers additional versatility over other options to position lighting components in desired locations.
一般来说，LED模组可以为标识制造商提供比其他照明方案更多的功能选择，以确定照明模组如何更合适地安装在灯箱中。
“With some LED module products,” Ponzini continues, “one might be relegated to specific lengths of available product while other manufacturers have products that are flexible enough to be made and installed at any length in either a new sign or in a retrofit application.” The fact that LEDs will work well in both retrofitted or new applications, is great benefit to sign makers.
Ponzini继续说：“有些产品必须经过切割来应用到特定的可用产品长度中，而使用LED模组的商家，凭借其优越的灵活性，可以将LED模组应用于任何长度的全新标识或是改装标识的应用中。”不论是改装还是全新的标识应用，LED都能在其中运作得非常好，这对于标识制造商来说是非常有益的。
“The use of LEDs in sign illumination is virtually limitless,” says Uline. “With the number of LED manufacturers and LED modules on the market today, including border tubing, it is hard to find an application where LEDs couldn’t be used.”
Uline说：“在标识照明的应用中，LED光源的用处几乎没有限制，随着当今市场中LED制造商和LED模组的数量不断增加，包括管道系统的外围也很难找到不使用LED的应用。”
However, when placing LEDs in a cabinet sign, it seems there is a sweet spot when trying to generate the optimal amount of brightness.
但是，要想将LED模组顺利地置于灯箱标识中时，只有在经过不断尝试后才能将LED模组安装在一个最合适的位置，使灯箱产生最佳亮度。
Price Differentials
预算的差异
One of the biggest factors in providing a cabinet sign is the size of the customer’s budget.
影响标识灯箱改造的最大因素之一就是客户预算的大小。
According to Farmer, “Is it more cost effective to retrofit an existing sign than make a new one? Yes, absolutely. But if the sign and framework are severely rusted, it’s a different story. Many times, we took down an old sign and replaced it with a new one mainly because it was just too much trouble to repaint the interior and exterior and redo the wiring and sockets. It was a safety issue, as well, in some cases.”
Farmer说到：“通常情况下，改造现有的标识比重建一个新的标识更能够节约成本，但是如果标识表面和内部框架严重生锈，情况就不同了。很多时候我们用新标识替换旧标识，主要是因为对内部和外部结构重新布局以及重新安装线路和插座实在是太麻烦了。在某些情况下，也会存在一些安全隐患。”
Sign makers should make suggestions based on their expertise on whether a retrofit or new install would work best. But, ultimately, it’s the customer’s choice to decide which way he or she would like to proceed.
标识制造商应该根据他们的专业知识来提出建议，以确定是选择改造还是重新安装一个新的灯箱更合适。但是，最终的安装决定权还是在于客户的想法。
“Existing sign owners have the choice of continuing with fluorescent and replacing tubes as needed upon failure,” Ponzini says. “This is the least expensive option from a material cost standpoint but could ultimately be a more expensive long-term option due to service and maintenance calls required to maintain the sign.”
Ponzini说：“目前的标识拥有者可以选择继续使用荧光灯，并在灯具损坏时根据需要更换灯管。从材料成本的角度来看，这的确是节约成本的选择，但由于维护标识所需要的呼叫和服务费用的产生，长期下来可能会导致更高额的费用产生。”
Weighing cost versus quality should always be on the customer’s mind and sign makers can emphasize this point as they discuss the costs associated with the sign.
客户应该时刻关注标识的成本与质量的关系，标识制造商在讨论与标识相关的成本问题时也可以强调这一点。
“Brand image issues also arise due to regular outages of shorter life fluorescent lamps,” Ponzini continues. “Obviously, building a brand-new sign would be the costliest, but it gives the opportunity to improve the brand image and gives the owner a brand facelift easily noticeable by customers.”
Ponzini继续说到：“由于寿命较短的荧光灯很容易损坏，因此品牌形象也很难保障。虽然更换一个全新标识的价格昂贵，但是它可以为改善品牌形象提供机会，加深客户对店主的品牌印象。”
As a final point, the cost between using LEDs and older forms of lighting will not have such a large gap as we trend toward more LED usage. According to Uline, “a competitive market demand continues to drive the price of LEDs and power supplies down.”
最后一点需要说明的是，LED与旧式照明光源的成本不会有太大的差距。随着LED的使用越来越普及，激烈的市场竞争需求会持续推动LED和电源价格的下降。
Addressing Unknowns
解决未知的问题
“Is the sign going to be a stand-alone unit or will it be located alongside other signs?” Asks Uline. “What building codes and/or tenant restrictions or requirements need to be met concerning the allowable amount of light or colors that are allowed?”
Uline问到：“标识是会作为独立的个体进行展示还是与其他标识一起展示？考虑到光通量和颜色数量的选取，需要满足哪些建筑规范或租户的限制要求？”
These are just a couple of questions to bring up before a job. Going into a project blind is never a recommended strategy. A good rule of thumb is to gather as much information as possible before actually starting on the work.
以上只是在工作之前提出的两个值得思考的问题。盲目地开始一个项目一直都不太可行，经验丰富的人在实际开始工作之前会收集尽可能多的信息。
“Not knowing what’s inside the cabinet before going up to it is one mistake, though I don’t know if it’s the most common,” says Ponzini. “For example, assuming the existing fluorescent lamps are eight feet when they are really seven feet, or two rows of four-feet lamps, may be a problem if retrofitting with LED retrofit sticks unless those LED retrofit sticks are field adaptable to any size, like the OSRAM BoxLED retrofit system is.” The answer of course, is to do a thorough site inspection of the current sign before making decisions as to how to proceed.
Ponzini说：“即使是最为常见的问题，在不了解灯箱内部的具体情况时，贸然行动都会导致错误的发生。举例来说，假设现有的荧光灯具为8英尺，那么当只安装了7英尺或是两排4英尺的灯时，如果使用LED直接改装就容易出现问题，除非这种LED模组适用于任何尺寸，比如欧司朗的BoxLED改装系列一样。”当然，在决定如何进行改装之前，应该对当前的标识进行彻底的现场检查。
Inside the Sign
灯箱标识的内部
Farmer points to the reflectivity of the sign interior as an important aspect not to overlook. Especially in a retrofit project, there can be issues with the wear and tear of the sign that may not always be top of mind.
Farmer指出标识内部的反射率是一个不容忽视的重要方面。特别是在改造项目中，由于标识磨损而出现的问题有时候可能并不是最重要的。
“One of the differences to pay attention to is that the reflectivity inside the sign has changed over time,” he explains. “The sign will be dirty inside and a lot of companies probably don’t wash and repaint those signs inside when they retrofit them."
他解释说：“需要注意的问题之一是标识内部的反射率会随时间而变化。很多公司在对标识进行改装的时候，即使标识内部很脏，他们可能也不会清洗和重新涂刷这些标识的内部。”
If the inside of the cabinet is dirty or rusty, you shouldn’t anticipate the same amount of light level on the sign’s face, according to Farmer.
根据Farmer的说法，如果灯箱内部脏污或生锈，就很难达到标识表面标明的亮度级别。
"They need to remember not to expect the same reflectivity out of an old sign and act based on the budget and their desired outcome," he says.
他说：“需要注意的是，不要期望从旧标识中获得与原标识亮度级别相同的光源反射率，要根据预算和预期的结果随时采用合适的方案。”
Sign makers should also factor in how the lighting will be arranged into either scenario, retrofit or new.
标识制造商还应该考虑如何将改造或是新建的照明设备融入到当下的环境中。
“The distance from the sign face to the light source determines whether you can use a double-sided LED module or if you need to use two single-sided LEDs,” says Uline. “A general rule of thumb is six-inches to eight-inches from the module to the face based on that particular LED’s specifications that indicate distance from the face and row spacing. So, a 12-inch cabinet would be fine with a double-sided LED, but might be a problem if the cabinet was 24 inches deep. Again, check with the manufacturer as to what would be the best application, they are the experts on what their product is capable of.”
Uline说：“从标识表面到光源的距离决定了你需要的是双面LED模组，还是需要两个单面LED模组。一般的经验法则是根据标识表面的距离和行距的详细信息来决定使用哪种规格的LED更合适，通常从光源模组到标识表面为6~8英寸。因此，双面LED适用于12英寸的灯箱，但不适用于深度为24英寸的灯箱。你可以多向制造商询问灯箱应该如何配置，因为他们是灯箱产品领域的专家。”
Completing the Job
灯箱的亮度调整
One of the biggest factors in completing a cabinet sign is making it stand out as the most noticeable in its surroundings, especially in a location with competing signage such as a shopping center. Brightness becomes a very important element.
制作完成后的灯箱标识最重要的作用之一是要使标识本身在周围的环境中脱颖而出，吸引人们的目光，尤其是在购物中心等这种标识竞争比较集中的地方。对于灯箱标识而言，亮度是一个非常重要的因素。
“I would tell my customers that if their sign is brighter than the other signs in the shopping center by 25 to 50 percent, their sign is going to get noticed every time someone drives by,” says Farmer. “If their sign has the same brightness as every other sign, their sign has only an equal chance of being noticed."
Farmer说：“我跟我的客户说过，如果他们的灯箱标识的亮度比购物中心其他的标识高25％~50％，那么即使是人们在驾驶车辆时都会注意到他们的标识，如果他们的标识亮度与其他的灯箱标识亮度相同，那么他们的标识被发现几率就跟其他的标识是一样的了。”
Color can also play a big part in being noticed. And white LEDs should not be seen as equal across the board.
在吸引关注的方面，颜色也可以发挥重要的作用，一个电路板上不能所有的LED模组均为白色。
“LEDs range in color from white, red, blue, green and yellow in various shades depending on the manufacturers,” Uline explains, stating that the Kelvin (K) value of the LED can determine its proper use with a colored sign face. “Lower numbers such as 4,000 K or 5,000 K can be used for softer, warmer colors, whereas a 6,500 K is a good all-around choice that does well with most colors. The higher values such as 7,200 K to 8,000 K is where you would have a blue color spectrum that stands out. Using an 8,000 K LED on a red background face will cause a big change in how that red will look when illuminated.”
Uline解释说：“根据制造商的不同，LED的颜色可以是白色、红色、蓝色、绿色和黄色等不同色调，LED的开尔文（K）值可以决定在标识上使用哪种颜色更为合适。较低的数值，如4,000 K或5,000 K可用于柔和而温暖的颜色，而6,500 K的值域则是大部分LED均可使用的，可以很好地适用于大多数颜色的灯箱。较高的数值，例如7,200 K~8,000 K，这时，蓝色光芒就非常明显了。当与红色背景的灯箱相互配合使用时，8,000 K的LED模组将会使红色变得非常显眼以及引人注目。”
Farmer references an example of a pole sign where “you have a clutter of signs up on poles out front of a strip center, for instance. The question is, how to get your sign to stand out,” he says. “Of course, it’s going to be the sign design and size as primary reasons, but brightness plays a role. The brighter the sign, the easier it is to read, provided it isn't so bright that the copy is washed out.”
Farmer以立柱上的广告牌为例，他说：“在购物中心区域有大量的立柱式广告牌，现在的问题在于如何让属于你的广告牌脱颖而出。当然，标识的形象设计和尺寸大小是主要原因，但是亮度也会起到一定的作用。标识越亮，就越容易被看到，如若不太明亮，就很容易被忽视。”
Beyond the pure lighting aspect, sign makers should be cognizant of what is driving the power of the cabinet sign and how it is installed.
除了纯粹的照明方面，标识制造商还应该认识到是什么在推动灯箱标识更好的发挥它的优势以及如何安装好一个灯箱标识。
“Initial awareness of power supply mounting location, manufacturer mounting hardware/accessories to aid in ease of installation, module spacing recommendations for various sign module options at available sign depth, whether true double-sided modules are available or if they will double up on single facing sign modules or LED sign sticks are all important,” notes Ponzini.
Ponzini指出：“首先要了解电源的安装位置，以方便制造商对硬件进行安装。模组间隔距离建议在参考了各类标识可见的深度之后再进行安排，无论是安装真正的双面模组还是将两个单面模组组合在一起或是使用LED灯条，根据现场条件选择合适的模组进行安装是非常重要的。”
Power Supplies
电源的选择
First, regarding the power supply according to Uline, “Most power supplies made today can operate between 120 volts to 277 volts with wattages as low as 20 watts to 180 watts for 12-volt systems. There are also 24-volt systems that are coming out on the market designed to operate 24-volt LEDs, which further reduce the amperage and/or increases the amount of LED footage that a single power supply can operate.”
首先，根据Uline对电源的研究，他表示：“如今制造的大多数电源工作电压在120~277伏之间，对于12伏的系统，瓦数可以低至20~180瓦。市场上还推出了适用于运行电压为24伏的LED模组的系统，从而进一步降低安培数和增加单电源供电的LED数量。”
If the need to include a new power supply is part of the project, then “The most important thing is that the power supply is installed in accordance with UL 48 and 879 standards, and the installation instructions for that power supply,” states Uline. “The location of the power supply will depend on whether it should be dry, damp or wet rated power supply.”
Uline说：“如果需要增加一个新的电源是该项目的一部分，那么最重要的是，电源的安装必须符合UL 48和879标准以及该电源的安装说明，电源安装的位置根据其额定功率适应的干燥、湿润或潮湿的环境来决定。”
Moving Forward
改进细节
Well learned in color additions and other minor enhancements, there isn’t a whole lot that sign makers don’t know about LED advancements. However, it’s how they implement these products that can change the way a cabinet sign performs.
随着色彩的丰富和细节的不断精进，标识制造商见证了LED光源的不断进步。他们如何利用这些产品的优势将改变灯箱标识的实际性能。
Farmer references US LED’s CP360 cabinet module that can be used in double-faced or single-faced signs. “It's installed along the return of the sign and projects the light toward the middle and evenly lights up to an eight-foot sign by having one row of CP360 at the top and one at the bottom,” he explains.
Farmer参考了美国LED公司的CP360灯箱模组，这种模组适用于双面或单面标识。他解释说：“它可以沿着标识的返回线路安装，将光线投射到灯箱中间，并通过在顶部和底部分别放置一排CP360，均匀地照亮一个8英尺的标识。”
Ponzini too notes that both single- and double-sided options can make very noticeable impacts.
Ponzini也指出，不论是单面还是双面灯箱都可以产生非常明显的效果。
“OSRAM BoxLED Plus single side and BoxLED Plus double side sign modules offer excellent luminance uniformity at typical cabinet sign depths due to their wide batwing photometric distribution and adjustable module spacing,” he says. “Available with click-and-play near tool-less mounting hardware, OSRAM BoxLED products are very easy to install, saving on labor and they are very flexible and adaptable for nearly any size sign in both new and retrofit applications.”
他说：“欧司朗BoxLED Plus单面和BoxLED Plus双面标识模组由于其宽广的蝙蝠翼光度分布和可调节的模组间距，为传统深度的灯箱标识提供了出色的亮度均匀性，欧司朗BoxLED产品具有免工具安装硬件的即插即用功能，安装非常简单，节省人力，而且非常灵活，适用于几乎任何尺寸的新型和改型应用。”
Smarter Cabinet Signs
更智能的灯箱标识
Today, with all the advanced technology available, cabinet signs are even becoming smarter with palm-of-your-hand style control capabilities.
如今，随着先进技术的出现，灯箱标识甚至可以使用手动调换程序，不需要工具的协助，变得更加智能化。
Says Uline, “Some of the newer cabinet LED systems that are coming out on the market can retro fit into an existing T12 lamp socket to remote controlled RGB systems. They have an unlimited amount of colors, and you can arrange the change of the colors all from your smart phone.”
Uline说：“一些新推出的灯箱LED系统可以改装成现有的T12灯座和遥控RGB系统。它们拥有无限种类的颜色，并且你可以通过智能手机来安排所有颜色的更改。”
Cabinet signs are making strides to constantly improve upon a customer’s current solution. Whether it is updating a current sign with a retrofit or offering a completely new build, sign makers have the freedom to think outside of the box – even when they are basically offering, well, a sign in a box.
灯箱标识在不断提高客户目前的解决方案方面上一直在飞速前进。无论是通过改造和更新当前的标识还是直接更换一个全新的标识，标识制造商都可以自由选择——即使他们的初衷就是提供灯箱标识。
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