We were uncertain when we were asked if we could help with the new LED message board upgrade. The municipal permit for the upgrade had been issued almost six months before us being asked to help. That’s never a problem, but when we can engage at the beginning of a project, it allows us to flush out all the possible landmines before we get to the fabrication phase of the project.
We were asked to step in because the company that was managing the upgrade of the company’s signage was struggling with the LED message board. The municipal permit was issued with the understanding that any upgrade had to remain inside the frame of the existing sign. That’s not too terrible. The company they represent couldn’t manufacture a system that fits inside the box. It was either too short or too wide. We were asked if we could provide a system close to filling the box. Because we work with three different suppliers of LED systems, we had plenty of options. We found a system that came within a few inches in both directions and had a healthy track record. We submitted the amended proposal to include Optimum Signs as the vendor and update the permit. Because we were within the “box,” the city decided they didn’t have to do anything further, and we were able to proceed.
For this project, we chose to use American LED out of Florida. We have a history with them, and they are a quality shop. They use primarily domestic components (where they can source domestically) and build the signs in their plant in Florida. They also offer a system imported from China that applies to different market segments. Either way, they are a quality shop with a quality product. The module with one side of the message board and the new frame had to be attached to the post that holds the sign in place. We discovered that the sign was struck by a car at some point in the past because everything wasn’t square, not even close. It was bad enough that as soon as we opened the sign, somewhat attached pieces began falling off it. Our installers decided the right thing to do is to step back and adequately fasten the parts to the sign so that this wouldn’t be an issue again. When we had the frame and the first side installed, we had to attach the back face and install the “brains” of the sign facing the building.
One of the great features of this system is that it comes with a dedicated laptop built to control the sign. Our customer decided that they didn’t want us to install the point-to-point router connection inside the building as they already had a wireless connection established for the sign. Overall a very cool project that Optimum Signs was able to bring in on time and on budget.
