The question of how to light low-profile LED-lit channel letters keeps coming up, no doubt because they are more in demand than ever, and today there are products designed for those applications. In fact, LED modules are tremendously versatile and are available in a plethora of sizes, colors, configurations, and beam patterns today. In fact, it can be pretty confusing because of the sheer number of choices. First, let's take a look back at LED module development.
随着低耗能LED发光字的市场需求日益增多，针对现在这一系列的产品，如何保证光源的稳定性等问题随之出现。实际上，LED模组如今可谓多种多样，有大量的尺寸、颜色、配置和发光模式可选。然而选择太多反而可能造成困扰。首先，我们一起来回顾一下LED模组的发展。 

LED Development
LED的发展
LED “string” modules were the first widely adopted LED product in the commercial sign industry. They were originally developed to replace neon in commercial channel letter applications. At that time, most channel letters were more than five inches deep in order to accommodate neon with the appropriate standoffs from the back of the letters and still provide even illumination.
在商业标识产业中，LED模组第一个被广泛应用于LED发光字的制作。他们最初被开发用于替代发光字中的氖。那时候，为了适合配套的铆螺母，以及照明时还要持续提供的氖气，大部分发光字背面留出超过5英寸深凹槽。

These early LED modules were typically peeled and stuck to the back of these letters and the natural beam angles of 100-120 degrees were adequate to evenly illuminate the letter without having to make any modifications to what was the commercially available standard in LED lamps (5mm, piranha, and surface mount parts). Although the LED lighting technology was still in its infancy, these LEDs offered reduced breakage and were easier to install than neon.
早期的LED模组通常就是去皮然后粘到字的后面，而且他们120度的照射角度能充分均匀地照亮字体，不用做任何的修改来适应商业标准的LED灯具（5毫米，强流，以及表面安装部分都十分的吻合）。尽管LED照明技术仍处在初期，但对比氖来说，仍具有减少破坏和容易安装的优点。
Although many of the “green” folks will tell you it was related to energy savings, those of us who lived through that period can tell you that while energy savings was a benefit, it was not by any means the primary driver. The primary driving force was a combination of cost, ease of manufacturing and reduced breakage.
尽管有些人会告诉你选择它会帮你节约能源，从那段时期的经验告诉我们，节约能源是一件好事，但不要以此成为你选择它的驱动所在。正确的选择是：价格、易于制造和减少破坏的结合。

Smaller, Better, Cheaper
更小、更快、更便宜
As I have mentioned in previous articles, innovation in the technology sector typically revolves around three concepts: smaller, better, cheaper. LED makers followed suit and soon there were more miniaturized strings that could fit into narrow strokes. As city regulations began to limit the size of illuminated signage, it became more critical to have modules that could fit into narrower strokes.
我在之前的文章中提到过，技术的创新通常围绕三个方面：更小、更快、更便宜。LED制造商紧随其后，很快就生产出很多适应不同要求的小型灯条。随着城市规定限制发光标识的尺寸，能够适应不同条件的模组变得更为关键。

‍‍The problem is that a channel letter sign with letters that are 6” high and 5” deep looks awkward and is difficult to fabricate. Any sign maker who has tried to get a module attached to one of the backs of these narrow, deep letters knows exactly what I am talking about.
加工一个高6英寸、宽5英寸的发光字标识，是很有难度的，这对于那些专门制造窄型或者深型的发光字的标识制造商来说，他们更能体会其中艰辛。

Small Letter Solutions
小型发光字解决方案
I am a big believer that the market ultimately tells manufacturers what they need, and designers and architects over the past few years have demanded thinner and thinner channel letters that offer a sleek form factor. As a result, LED makers went back to the drawing boards and today there are a number of different LED “solutions” that can light a letter as thin as 1”-3” for small letters. Small letter solutions typically fall into one of three categories:
我深信市场决定所需，在过去几年里，设计师和建造师要求越来越细越轻薄的发光字来提供光滑的外形因素。结果，LED制造商回归图纸蓄势待发，现在有很多不同的点亮1英寸-3英寸发光字的解决方案。小型发光字解决方案通常分为以下三类：
Perpendicular Placement—One option is to place a standard 120-degree LED perpendicular to the base of the module. In this case the light is directed perpendicular to the face and washes throughout the letter. Both SloanLED’s V180 series and ILT’s Sideview series take this approach.
垂直放置--------一种选择是将标准120度LED模组垂直于基础放置。这种情况下光源垂直于字体的表面能够贯穿整个字体。SloanLED的V180系列和ILT的Sideview系列都采用了这种方法。
Optics-Based Modules—The second approach is to use an optic. Optics-based modules work to take the native beam angle of the LED and redirect the light laterally. Many major LED modules providers such as GE (Tetra) and US LED (TD3) have adopted this approach. These systems offer the added benefit that they do not rely as heavily on the internal reflection of the letter to even out the light.
光基础模组——第二种方法是用一种镜片。光基础模组使用LED光自然角度然后改变光的照射方向。 GE (Tetra)和 US LED (TD3) 等许多重要的LED模组供应商都使用的这种方法。这些系统的附加好处是他们不需要依靠巨资来平衡内部反射的光照明。
Light Diffusing Acrylic—The third approach, which is used for ultra-thin letters (1-2”) is to take a solid piece of light diffusing acrylic and route out thin channels. A flexible LED tape strip is then placed in the channel and often silicone in place. There is some “art” to mastering this technique; however it can be a very cost effective approach. Both Principal LED and MaxBrite offer UL recognized flexible strips for these type of applications.
光漫射压克力——第三种方法适用于极小的字体(1英寸-2英寸)，拿一块光漫射压克力板标出路线通道。一根有弹性的LED条放在通道里或者用硅树脂代替。这项技术有一些后期处理艺术，然而他也是一种花费高但有效的方法。Principal LED和MaxBrite提供的UL都是这种类型的运用。

Shop's-Eye View
商家的视角
According to Chris Rogers, production manager at Direct Sign Wholesale, “This latest generation of LED is more accommodating to thinner channel letter returns. The modules are both brighter and have a wider viewing angle. Using the Principal Streetfighter LED modules has permitted us to install fewer modules and simultaneously maintain our demanding letter brightness standard. This is a plus for the customer because fewer modules means a lower utility bill and also less probability of any maintenance or repair issues.
Direct Sign Wholesale生产经理Chris Rogers说：“最新的一代LED更适合轻薄的发光字。这些模组不但更明亮而且有更宽广的视角。使用Principal Streetfighter 公司的LED 模组，使我们能少安装一些模组，同时也满足了我们对发光字亮度的要求。这对于消费者来说是一个好事，因为更少的模组意味着更少的资金和更小的维修概率。”
"For example, we literally used to pack a large set of channel letters with LEDs. Now with the wider viewing angle from these new modules, we can achieve the same brightness and illumination coverage with a smaller module quantity,” added Rogers, whose last point is very important.
Rogers补充道：“举个例子，我们在大量的发光字里使用LED。现在由于这些新型模组更宽广的视觉角度，我们可以用更少的模组来实现同样的亮度。”最后一点非常重要。
All too many sign shop owners simply ask “what is the price per foot?” when the more relevant question to the bottom line is, “What is the cost per use?” That question encompasses the total cost of the system, including assembly labor—especially in larger letter sets where the savings can really add up.
太多的标识店业主只是简单的问“每英寸多少钱？”更多涉及的问题的是“每次使用的成本是多少？”问题围绕着系统的总成本，包括组装，尤其是会增加费用的大型发光字。
Larger multi-stroke channel letters (and single-sided cabinets and cloud signs) at very thin depths (3"-5" returns) present a different set of challenges because of three primary factors:
深度非常小（3’’-5’’）的大型多面冲孔发光字（单面柜和云标识）产生了一系列不同的挑战因为以下三方面主要因素：
1.Sidewall Spacing—The sidewalls are further apart, which reduces the ability for light to reflect off of the return and even out the lighting.
侧壁间距——侧壁的距离远，减少了光的反射能力甚至均匀照明。
2.Poor Diffusion—Many of these larger signs use materials other than acrylic (like polycarbonate or flex face material) which do not typically diffuse the light as well as it passes through the sign face.
扩散能力弱——许多大型标识用的材料不是压克力板（像聚碳酸酯或者弹性面材料），因为他通常不能像穿透标识面板那样很好的扩散光。
3.Shadowing—Often there is internal structure to provide additional support to these thinner-but-large signs that can introduce shadowing.
阴影——通常给这些薄，但大的标识提供额外支持的内部结构会产生阴影。 
In these cases, products that redirect light (categories 1 and 2 above) work really well and can often save money and time over even the lowest cost non-optic module options. Let’s take a block 60” letter “A” that is 4” deep as an example. The layout was taken using the layout rules in Sign Wizard of both a batwing optic and standard non-optic LED (seeFigure 1).
在这些情况下，改变光（以上的类别1和2）的方向的产品真的有效，省钱省时间，甚至是成本最低的非光学模组。我们以4英寸深60英寸的字“A”为例。Sign Wizard中的布局规则蝙蝠视和标准的非光学LED被用于布局（见图1）。

Evaluating Cost Per Use
评估每次使用的成本
The illustration in Table 1 shows a typical exercise that any sign company can go through in order to evaluate “cost per use.” As you can see, the batwing product requires significantly less material and although it is more than twice the cost per module, it actually is more cost effective to use. The counter side to this is that it will not be as bright; however, the extra modules added in the non-optic example were added to provide evenness of illumination, not to increase brightness.
表1图证明了一个现象就是，任何标识公司都可以评估每次使用成本。正如你所看到的，蝙蝠产品需要较少的材料，虽然它每个模块是两倍以上的成本，它实际上有更高的成本效益。另一方面，它不明亮，但是，额外添加在非光学例子的模块，增加了照明的均匀度，不增加亮度。

Remember, this is a shallow letter and therefore the second example will provide more than enough output at the sign face. This evaluation does not take into account any extra power supplies that may be required or energy savings to the end user. Even if you put zero value on your labor time, the optics product in this exercise is a breakeven endeavor.
记住，这是一个阴影字，因此第二个例子在标识表面将提供足够多的输出。这个评估不需要使用者考虑任何额外需要或节能的电源。即使你施工安装没有赚取利润，此款LED模组也会使你盈亏平衡的。
Again, I am not saying it works out this way every time and in the event of deeper letters (>5” deep) a non-optics solution is in many cases the better choice. However, in thin channel letters and single-sided cabinets, systems that wash light laterally can offer significant savings (both time and money) and in some cases may be the only product that works.
再次强调，我并不是说它每次都有效，在深的（深大于5英寸）发光字体中非光学解决方案中，它可以算是最好的选择。然而，横向光源系统在薄的发光字和单面柜的应用中有显著的成效（时间和金钱），在这种情况下它却是唯一有效的选择。

Large, Thin Signs
更大却更轻薄的标识
“We are trying to take optics to the next level for really large, thin LED lit signs,” according to Daryl Foreman, VP of Sales with Principal LED. “Our new Street Fighter Knockout is a high power (7W) module that uses a special LED design and can cover between four and nine square feet at depths from three and a half to eight inches with a single module.”
“我们正致力于把光学用于大而轻薄的LED发光标识。”LED协会的销售副总裁Daryl Foreman说，“我们新的Street Fighter Knockout是一个高功率（7W）模组， 采用一种特殊的LED设计，一个模组能覆盖四至九平方英尺之间，从三英寸半到8英寸深的范围。”
Mark Abernathy with US LED agrees, adding that they are taking a similar approach with their TD3 product that can be used at even shallower depths. “For shallow channel letters we are seeing more and more people go to a lensed module," he says. "In the past when manufacturing a shallow letter people struggled with seeing hot spots from the LEDs.
US LED的Mark Abernathy也同意此说法，并补充说道：“他们在更浅深度的TD3产品也用了这种方法，对于浅的发光字，我们会发现越来越多的人采用透镜模组。在过去，制作一个浅的发光字时，人们总是在和LED的热光点作斗争。”
"The solution to this hot spot issue used to be over-populating the letter which raised the overall cost of the project. Now with lensed products, like the TD3 from US LED, manufactures can populate shallow letters evenly without having to over populate. For instance, with the TD3 you can have a depth of three inches on the letter and still achieve even lighting with an eight-inch row-to-row spacing.”
之前，为了解决热光点问题，唯一的方法只有过度填充光源。如今有了透镜产品，像US LED的TD3，制造者可以平滑地填充浅字而不用过度填充。比如，TD3产品可以达到均匀照明三英寸深，且行间距为8英寸的字体。”

Understanding Production Costs
理解产品成本
One of my favorite sayings is, “Don’t trip over dollars trying to pick up nickels.” Taking the time to research what you build, understanding your real productions costs and then matching that up to a solution that is right for the application can result in significant savings and an improved bottom line.
我最喜欢的一句俗语是“ 不要因小失大”。花时间研究你制造的产品，理解你的产品的真正成本，然后提出能够适合要求、显著节约成本和提升底线的解决方案。
More importantly, thin channel letters are a growing part of the market today as architects and designers demand a more streamlined image, and knowing how to properly illuminate very thin letters cost effectively can provide your company with a major competitive advantage.
更重要的是，在设计者和建造者对发光字的要求更加流线型的今天，轻薄发光字所占有的市场比重将会不断增加,如何有效的控制成本，选用恰当地LED模组、以及制造出更加轻薄的发光字，这将能给你的公司带来非常重要的竞争优势。