Almost everyone has come into contact with LED displays. In fact, it’s arguable that there’s not a person in America who hasn’t seen or interacted with an LED display. LEDs are used in our homes and for small business advertising. Larger operations use LED displays even more frequently. If you’ve ever been to a sporting event, the outdoor digital signage displays that announce the game’s score probably utilized LEDs. For something that occurs so frequently in our modern world, full of bright lights and technology, LEDs are generally not well understood.

What, Exactly, Are LEDs?

LED is an abbreviation for “light-emitting diode,” and LEDs function by passing an electrical current through a microchip that then illuminates the smaller light sources, the LEDs themselves. These tiny light sources combine to create the visible, illuminated image that we see in LED displays.

The Beginning of LEDs

While many people think that LEDs are a recent technological development, LEDs have actually been around for over fifty years. In fact, LEDs were discovered by James R. Biard and Gary Pittman in 1961. Soon afterwards, the first LED was sold in the summer of 1962. LEDs were initially used in IBM computers which controlled punch card readers, replacing the tungsten bulbs originally used.

Current Uses

Today, LEDs are used as alternatives for incandescent and neon lights. They are also utilized in larger RGB screen displays. A few of the places you may have encountered LEDs are:

• • Cellphones
• • Flashlights
• • Watches
• • Advertisements and outdoor digital signage displays
• • Televisions and other home technologies
• • Traffic lights
• • Remote controls
• • Automobile Headlights

However, there are countless other applications for LEDs, and there will soon be even more.

Looking Forward

With such a flexible and useful technology, there is no doubt that even more uses will be found for LEDs in the future. As technology advances, so does the need for smarter and more efficient LEDs. As more and more individuals begin using LED displays for advertising, advancements such as ease of color change and brightness adjustment, as well as LED networking, are in high demand. There are also medical applications for LEDs in both operating rooms and the very exam rooms you visit during your yearly check-up.

To learn more about how you can use LED displays to optimize your lifestyle, visit AD Systems for more information about our variety of LED displays, indoor and outdoor digital signage displays, and more.