For Our Partners Positioning and Presenting Our Brand
Our Goal With This Training Section is To Teach You Our Unique Values To Help Sell More EMC’s
Quality and UL Listing
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ThinkSIGN is the manufacturer. The majority of others today are resellers and not the OEM. This gives us control over the quality, process, and parts availability for future support. This is not the case with resellers.
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The Entire ThinkSIGN EMC is UL listed. Resellers only use a single UL component to carry the mark. Did you know UL lost a lawsuit against this recently, allowing inferior products to reference UL48?
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ThinkSIGN borderless displays offer more square footage. This is very beneficial in small applications.
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ThinkSIGN has 20 years of experience with manufacturing LED display products.
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FCC Certification
What is the importance of FCC US Based Testing?
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Within our US jurisdiction.
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Not an overseas report.
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Ensures your customer won’t face fines from interference.
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The most stringent and reliable testing.
Hardware
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Steel Frame Benefits
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A 2” powder-coated steel C-channel runs the entire perimeter of the back of the cabinets and across the vertical cabinet seams.
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Making the EMC easy to bolt or weld into place immediately directly off the pallet.
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Less material and time for fabrication and installation.​
Cabinet Benefits
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The importance of the cabinet is to house and protect the components from the elements. Components consist of AC power distribution, controller and datahub, power supplies, and modules.
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5” cabinet depth + 2” C-channel means 7” depth overall.
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All Aluminum cabinets.
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Powder-coated
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Patented hinge design makes installation and service easy. (Pictured Below)
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Cabinet door seals like a car door with drip channels and gaskets making water intrusion impossible.
Module Benefits
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The role of the module is important, it houses the LEDs and integrated circuits that tell the LEDs what to do. So protecting them is essential. Module plastics must withstand 10-20 years of extreme heat, cold, and precipitations.
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Unique benefits of a ThinkSIGN Module:
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GE plastics are used to ensure long life and no water intrusion.
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A Four-layer PCB circuit board houses the driver chips and is stronger and has fewer points of failure compared to cheap 2 layer boards.
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PCB board and LED solders are fully encapsulated in silicone to protect them from humidity, salt, or corrosion.
Front
Back
LED Benefit
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This is the most expensive and crucial component. This is an opportunity to explain why your customer should pay more. The most often asked question by buyers, “I can get that for half of what you’re quoting.” Why? In a word: Quality.
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ThinkSIGN uses the best LED’s available. Only two vendors in the US have access to this LED chip: Watchfire and ThinkSIGN. It is the brightest, longest-lasting, best looking LED on the market.
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ThinkSIGN offers the brightest 10mm outdoor available. 9,000 NITS.
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Why is that important? In LED manufacturing, only the best chips can handle the current to achieve high performance. They also command the highest price, the lower quality LEDs are sorted and sold at a lower cost. The problem is unscrupulous assemblers will try to pass low cost/low brightness packaged LEDs as sufficient for outdoor use, and they simply are not.
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Indoor LEDs are half the cost because they are half the brightness.
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Software
Software is a crucial decision criterion and ease of use is of the utmost importance. Our software is free to download at https://www.thinksign.com/download-led-software and it is also included on a USB with the sign.
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What sets ThinkSIGN apart?
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Our proprietary software, Smart LED Manager Pro (SLMP), is the easiest and most comprehensive software available.
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An auto-fit tool for importing pictures and videos.
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A video trim tool to help you tailor content.
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A free animation and still image library. (600 animations & 1000 stills)
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Wednesday Webinars at 11ET every week for training and questions. (Sign up is on our website: www.thinksign.com/wednesday-webinar)
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The software of all the LED Sign manufacturers being considered should be evaluated and tested before purchase. (8/10 who do, choose ThinkSIGN)
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Runs on Windows 8 or higher. SLMP is a small application and not a burden on the CPU.
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A cloud-based solution is in development.
Communication
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There are many options and ways to communicate with new displays. 4G is popular, wireless bridges are still employed, as well as a direct connection with CAT5/6, and fiber.
Here are a few key points about each option:
4G (M2M)
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4G is popular but comes with a risk of lack of service and a higher cost. Be sure to check with ThinKSIGN or Verizon Wireless before choosing this solution.
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$1,600 for Lifetime (that is only $1,000 more than wireless radios!)
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Excellent solution for off-premises and when the sign is not within 1500’ of the office or PC controlling the sign.
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Easiest installation. The router is installed in the sign. Simply power on, and search for the given IP address.
Wireless Bridges
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Wireless Bridges have been the most used method for on-premise signage for over a decade.
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ThinkSIGN uses Ubiquiti's latest wireless bridges.
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1500’ reach without obstruction.
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ID where the controlling computer will be located. If a concrete wall, no window, or multiple walls impede a clear line of sight, instruct the installation team to mount a sender radio on outside of the building.
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300’ of CAT5/6 is the maximum distance from radio to POE adapter (Power over Ethernet).
Direct Connect
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This is the most consistent, fastest, and reliable method to connect. There are qualifying questions that should be asked.
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Is there a conduit run with Cat5/6 or Fiber to the sign site? Is that desired or possible?
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If Cat 5/6 is the sign within 300’? Cat5/6 data only runs a max of 300’.
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Is Fiber run?
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What type of connectors are used?
Support
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ThinkSIGN will not sell where we can not support our product.
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ThinkSIGN parts are available for 10 years.
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Technical support is available M-F 9-5:30 pm ET.
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Field Support - our regional sales managers are available to assist on-site for installation, training, and on-going support to customers.
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Helpful Hint - Always have your ThinkSIGN order # when calling or emailing support.
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Tech Support 888-271-6807
Solutions
ThinkSIGN currently produces the finest on-premise EMC available. The cabinet design makes installation easy, the software is easy to use, the product is reliable, and our support is second to none. ThinkSIGN currently offers 20mm RED and RGB, 16mm RGB, 10mm SMD, and 6mm SMD. Each has its benefit, and place in today's market.
Pixel Pitch Explained
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Pitch: The space between pixels measured in millimeters. The smaller the space (between pixels) the more pixels can be placed in a given area. As shown in these two, 1' squares.
SMD VS. DIP LEDs
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SMD (surface mounted diode) technology simply stated is an LED chip packaging method that reduces points of failure, and compacts the three traditional colors (red, green, and blue) into a significantly smaller space, allowing higher resolution displays, and lower meantime(s) to failure. SMD chip packaging is most commonly utilized with LED pixel pitches < 10mm.
DIP (dual inline packaging) technology has been around for a long time. It requires that each Red, Green, and Blue LEDs that comprise a pixel have two “pins” or an anode and cathode to move current through the chip that creates illumination. DIP will remain relevant for a long time because it’s higher brightness capability, and lower cost serves large outdoor displays well.
20mm RED
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Still used today by those only interested in the simplest of messages.
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The module is 16 pixels by 16 pixels.
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Module size is 1’05’ x 1.05’
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An easy way to remember is odd-numbered inches are .5” and even-numbered inches are whole. 1.05’, 2’ 1”, 3’ 1.5”, 4’2”, etc.
20mm RGB
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Budget-friendly full-color display. Still popular with some who need large copy messages, simple images, and shapes.
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The module is 16 pixels by 16 pixels.
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Module size is 1’05’ x 1.05’
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An easy way to remember is odd-numbered inches are .5” and even-numbered inches are whole. 1.05’, 2’ 1”, 3’ 1.5”, 4’2”, etc.
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10,000 NITS of brightness.
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Best for audiences 100+ feet away.
16mm
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Popular middle resolution display. Still relevant resolution for many years to come.
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The module is 20 pixels by 20 pixels.
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10,000 NITs
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Best suited for projects >25 ft. sq.
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Best for audiences 80+ feet away.
10mm
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High-resolution display, able to display more complex images and videos.
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The module is 32 pixels by 32 pixels.
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2.5X the number of pixels than 16mm for only 50% more cost.
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SMD (Surface Mounted Diode) means better color mixing for close viewing and wider viewing angles.
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Best suited for businesses that need to show products.
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Excellent for projects < 25 ft sq and high profile displays.
6mm
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Our highest-resolution display, able to display complex images and videos in the smallest of spaces.
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The module is 48 pixels by 48 pixels.
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Excellent for pedestrian traffic
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6mm has 2.5X more resolution than our 10mm
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SMD (Surface Mounted Diode) means better color mixing for close viewing and wider viewing angles
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Best suited for businesses that need to show videos.
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Excellent for projects < 25 ft sq and high profile displays
Synchronous Displays
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Synchronous display simply means the LED screen is mirroring a PC that is connected to it. This provides enough processing power for large displays, better color, and more utilities and tools.
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Synchronous signs are used for displays with 60,000 pixels or more.
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ThinkSIGN has a Smart LED Manager software version for Synchronous signs.
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Synchronous signs can also use 3rd party software. Motion Rocket, Blip, etc.
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To qualify if a software can be run ask:
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Can the software create a unique matrix?
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Can the software output to HDMI or DVI?
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Synchronous signs require an internet connection. 4G, Wireless, or Direct.