Why Your LED Business Sign is Flickering (And How to Fix It)

LED signs in Melbourne are bright and colourful and catch the eye of your customers. However, if they’re not working right and flicker, then they’re catching the eye for all the wrong reasons. Your LED school sign could be telling Melbourne about your fete or your business signs could be sharing your open hours for passing traffic. Instead, a flickering LED sign is an eyesore that could be costing you money.

The good news? Most flickering LED signs have a straightforward cause and an equally straightforward way to fix it. In this guide, we’ll walk through the most common reasons LED screens and business signs flicker, and what you can do about each one.

At Swift Signs, a trusted provider of business signs and LED screens in Melbourne, we see this issue regularly and we’re here to help you get your sign back to its best. If you want help getting your LED signage back to its best, get in touch today.

What is an LED sign?

An LED sign is a dynamic and creative way to display your message. They use incredibly energy efficient Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) to create bright text and graphics, even videos, for advertising or informational reasons. They are highly durable and low maintenance, and equally suitable for indoor and outdoor usage.

LEDs consume far less electricity than neon lights and have a lifespan of over 100, 000 hours. The signs can be fully programmed to change the message, the colour of the text, animations and more. The creativity you can bring to an LED sign is pretty much limited by your imagination.

What are the Benefits of an LED Sign?

A benefit of using LED signs is their visibility. They are bright at night and in low-light  conditions, such as rain or fog, so your messages can be seen clearly from a long way away.

LED signs are quite tough. They are weather resistant and as  they’re not made of glass, they’re quite shatterproof.

They also operate at lower temperatures than neon lights, so you can easily handle LED signs, even when they’re on.

Most Common LED signs

The most common LED signs include lightboxes, channel letters, programmable message boards and LED neon signs. LED signs are mostly favoured for storefronts, retail branding and high-traffic advertising.

• Lightbox Signs. These are enclosed boxes with internal LED lighting that shines through a translucent front panel. That panel often has a logo or a menu or special offers.
• Channel Letters. These are 3D lettering, individual letters often hung on the outside of buildings to create a high-impact experience. The LED lighting gives a backlit, halo effect to the letters.
• Programmable Message Signs. Dynamic signs that allow a business to change the message, change the colour of the text and program some rudimentary graphics. Very popular to have on the side of the road, and to advertise special offers.
• LED Neon Signs. While looking like neon signs, and having that nostalgic feel, LED Neon signs are a more energy efficient alternative. These are often seen in bars, cafes and other trendy indoor spaces.

Common Reasons Your LED Sign is Flickering

There are some common reasons that an LED sign might be flickering and not working as you’d like.

• Faulty LED Driver. The driver which regulates voltage to the LED sign, may be worn out or it could be too small for the load.
• Loose Connections or Wires. Vibration or poor insulation can sometimes lead to loose wires or broken connections.
• Overloaded Circuit. You could be trying to run too many devices off the one circuit. This can cause the voltage to drop or dip, causing the flickering.
• Environmental Damage. Moisture or extreme weather can corrode wiring and damage components of your LED sign. This is particularly true with signs outside.

How to Fix Your LED Sign

Here are some simple ways you can check your flickering LED sign and do some repairs. If you find they don’t work, consider contacting our team and we can help solve the problem if it is more serious.

• Check the Power Supply. Use a multimeter to ensure your driver is outputting the right voltage. If it isn’t, then you need to replace it with a driver of the same specifications.
• Tightening the Connections. Check all the wiring connections, while your LED sign is turned off. Tighten or solder the connections that need attention.
• Replace Dimmers. You can upgrade your LED-Compatible dimmer, or you can bypass the dimmer and see if that was the issue.
• Replace Broken Components. If you can see some obviously broken parts in your sign, you can replace them and see if that fixes the flickering problem.
• Consider a Data Booster. If you have a large LED sign, the flickering can sometimes be caused by too much sign, not enough power for the data. Adding a data booster can often fix this problem, and stop the flickering.

Getting Your LED Sign Back to its Very Best

A flickering LED doesn’t have to be a headache for you or for anyone who tries to view it. Usually the problem is small and you can fix it yourself. The key is catching the issue early before it becomes a bigger problem.

If you’ve gone through the steps above in both identifying a problem and fixing it, but your sign is still flickering, it’s time to call in the big guns. At Swift Signs we’ve helped many businesses and schools all across Melbourne get their LED signs and screens working perfectly. Let’s do the same for you

FAQ

Q: How energy efficient are LED signs compared to neon?

LED signs consume significantly less electricity than traditional neon lights, making them a smarter long-term investment for your business.

Q: Can Swift Signs repair or maintain my existing LED sign?

Yes. Swift Signs offers repair and maintenance services to keep your LED signage performing at its best.

Q: What types of LED signs does Swift Signs offer?

Swift Signs offers a range of LED signage including LED illuminated signs, LED digital screens, lightboxes, neon flex LED, and illuminated letters.

Q: What types of signage does Swift Signs offer?

Swift Signs offers a comprehensive range of signage including vehicle graphics, pylon and wayfinding signs, illuminated signage, corporate rebranding, general signage, and digital printing.

Q: Does Swift Signs handle design, fabrication, and installation?

Yes. Swift Signs provides a complete end-to-end service covering design creation, sign fabrication, delivery, and professional installation.

Q: Does Swift Signs do vehicle signage?

Yes. Swift Signs offers a full range of vehicle graphics including vehicle wraps, fleet branding, trailer graphics, vinyl graphics, and one-way vision.

Q: Can Swift Signs create school signs?

Yes. Swift Signs specialises in school signs and pylon signage for Melbourne schools, including LED school signs for displaying messages and notices.