For any LED product, light attenuation is an inevitable phenomenon. If you want an LED screen to have a long lifespan, you can only achieve it through proper early decisions and later maintenance. This article will tell you everything about light attenuation and how to delay it to the greatest extent.
What is LED Decay？
After being used for a period of time, LED light beads will become dimmer. The phenomenon is described as LED decay. Unlike incandescent lamps, the way LEDs age is by becoming dimmer and dimmer until you can hardly see them emitting light. Therefore, LED decay is a very important indicator for measuring LED lifespan.
Measurement of LED Decay
Even though the process of LED decay is slow and affected by many factors, you can still measure it. It is measured by lumen maintenance, which is usually expressed in the form of L + a number. For example, L70 means the LED’s maximum luminous flux is only 70% of its initial value.
At the same time, this indicator is also commonly used to measure LED lifespan. The lifespan of high-quality LED displays is usually measured by the L70 standard. Typically, the L70 lifespan of a high-quality LED display is 50,000 to 80,000 hours.
Why Do LEDs Experience Brightness Decay?
LEDs generate light based on semiconductor materials, such as GaN. After long-term operation, the crystal defects will increase, which brings out lower light efficiency. This is an irreversible process.
LED decay is the result of multiple factors. In addition to chip structure, several other factors also cause brightness reduction, such as high temperature, phosphor efficiency loss, and aging of packaging materials. Therefore, LED decay is an unavoidable result for every LED bead.
The Impact of LED Light Decay on Display Performance
Image Quality Decline
The most obvious effect of LED decay on LED displays is the overall brightness decrease of the image. The screen gets darker, and it becomes harder to see, especially for outdoor LED displays. Besides, the contrast and grayscale performance of the image will also decrease. The light and dark levels of the content may be blurred, and details in dark areas may be unclear.
Color Performance Degrades
LED decay can also cause a color shift. Because different LEDs decay at different speeds, especially blue light, the color of the LED beads may shift to different degrees. For example, white may turn yellow during this process.
In addition, different modules and areas decay at different rates, so the colors on the screen may be inconsistent. This leads to uneven overall color and affects your communication effect.
Lifespan Decrease
If the LED beads are of low quality or your maintenance method is improper, the LED decay may happen faster. If the screen brightness drops to L70 too early, your communication effect and brand image may decline. At that time, your standard for replacing the LED display may not be failure, but low brightness.
ROI Decline
Screen ROI is an important indicator to measure the profitability of your display project. Since LED decay needs to be predicted and its speed varies with actual conditions, your payback period might be disrupted. This will increase your total investment and reduce your total returns and ROI.
8 Tips to Slow Down LED Light Decay
Choose LED Beads of High Quality
LED beads are the most critical factor that determines the decay rate. This is because the LED beads contain most of the materials that affect the decay rate, such as GaN chips, phosphor, and packaging materials. That is to say, high-quality LED beads age very slowly. If you want the LED display to last as long as possible, you need to use high-quality LED beads.
Adopting a Good Heat Dissipation Design
The heat dissipation design also affects the LED decay speed. When an LED is operating, some of the electrical energy will be converted into light, while the rest will be converted into heat. If the heat is not removed in time, it will accumulate inside the module. This will accelerate the aging process of the LED chip.
Therefore, good thermal design is very important, especially for large outdoor LED displays. If necessary, you can install a fan or air conditioner for your screen.
Choose a Stable Driving Solution
The stability of LED light output depends on the current; If the current is unstable, the LED light output will be unstable. If the current is unstable for a long time, the LED chip may experience local overheating and material fatigue. These will accelerate LED decay.
To avoid problems caused by unstable current, you can choose a constant current driver with proper model matching and overcurrent protection.
Control the Working Temperature
High operating temperature can also accelerate LED aging and may cause uneven decay of LED beads on the screen, which will affect the display’s performance. To avoid this, you need to control the operating temperature of the LED. The methods you can use include:
- Control the ambient temperature
- Install the screen in a well-ventilated location
- Avoid high brightness operation under direct sunlight
Avoid Prolonged Static Highlighted Screens
When some LEDs on the screen operate under high load for a long time, they may age faster and even show local dimming or burn-in. To avoid this, you need to prevent long-time display of static bright content. You can add a carousel mechanism or some dynamic elements, and avoid faster aging in some areas.
Regular Maintenance
The accumulated dust on the surface of the module will block the light and also hinder the natural heat dissipation of the module. It is wise for you to clean the screen surface regularly and remove dust and stains.
In addition, you need to carry out regular inspections, including checking the power supply, signal lines, box structure, and ensuring that the screen is in good working condition.
Add Intelligent Brightness Control
Excessive brightness will cause the heat to accumulate continuously, which may lead to insufficient heat dissipation from the screen.
To solve this problem, we can provide smart brightness adjustment for your screen. This system can reduce the average current and brightness of the screen, reduce heat buildup, which will extend the LED’s lifespan, and lower overall energy consumption.
Leave Brightness Headroom
Brightness redundancy refers to the margin between the maximum brightness capacity of the screen and the actual operating brightness. Keeping brightness redundancy can prevent LEDs from running at full load, which will slow down the light decay and extend their lifespan. For normal screens, like advertising LED screens, about 30% brightness redundancy is enough.
FAQs
What Is the Difference Between LED Decay and LED Aging?
The aging process of an LED display includes brightness reduction, color shift, packaging material aging, loose connections, and changes in electrical performance. LED light decay is a form of aging. In other words, when light decay occurs, the aging process is ongoing.
Can LED Decay Be Repaired or Calibrated?
LED light decay is irreversible. You cannot restore LEDs that have already decayed. However, you can adjust their brightness and color through calibration to compensate for the visual effect. Also, if a fault occurs, you can replace the corresponding module.
However, as the service time increases, the cost of calibration and replacement will become higher. At that point, you will need to consider replacing the entire screen.
Do Low-Cost LED Displays Decay Faster?
The low-cost LED displays usually use lower-quality LED beads and poorer heat dissipation design. Therefore, such screens are more likely to experience light decay and other various issues. However, it is worth noting that a higher price does not necessarily mean better performance. You need to carefully evaluate before making a purchase.
Which LED Packaging Technology Has Slower Decay?
Generally, LEDs with COB and high-quality SMD packaging have slower light decay, while DIP packaging tends to decay faster. However, the LED decay cycle does not only depend on the packaging type; it also depends on LED quality and packaging process. If the process is poor, even COB packaging may experience fast light decay.
Final Thoughts
LED decay is an important indicator of LED display quality and lifespan. You need to keep an eye on this parameter throughout the screen’s entire lifecycle. If you want a controllable LED decay cycle, JINGYLED can provide you with a reliable solution. Please feel free to contact us at any time for assistance!
