The Basics of Rigging LED
If you have ever seen a video online of a stage collapsing or an LED wall wobbling back and forth…
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Your first foray into the world of LED displays can be daunting. There are so many new terms to learn and before you can make any decisions, you have to figure out what decisions you should be making!
This primer gives you some insight into what you will need to install an LED display or wall in your church, conference room, lobby, or retail shop.
The Components of an LED Display
The main components of an LED system are:
- LED Panels
- Rigging or Mounts
- Ethernet Cables
- Processor
- Processor Control Software
LED DISPLAY PANELS
These are the parts you see. LED displays are almost always made up of a number of LED panels combined together to produce an image. Depending on space, design needs and desired output resolution, these LED panels will be combined and connected by ethernet cables.
An LED panel is made up of thousands of individual LEDs set into a module. A single module or multiple modules will be combined into a frame or chassis. On the back of this chassis will be a power supply and a receiving card.
RIGGING OR MOUNTS
Your LED display will be mounted in some fashion. There are three options for mounting. Some LED panels are better than others for different mount styles.
Flown LED displays
A flown LED display uses a rigging system to hang LED panels from a height. This is usually a stage truss structure designed to support the weight of numerous LED panels connected together.
Wall Mounted LED Displays
A wall mounted LED display will be mounted on a frame that is mounted on a wall. When wall mounting an LED panel, it is nice to have an LED panel that provides front access to the serviceable parts in the back. This makes it easy to change cables that might be faulty or make other adjustments. Wall mounted Led displays usually look better with a frame on the outer edges.
Ground Stacked LED Displays
Some applications require LED panels to be stacked together on the ground. In this mounting system, the weight of the panels is supported by the ground. Often stabilizers will be added, or ladder style frames can also be used to be able to access higher panels.
CABLING
There will be two cables feeding each LED panel. Generally, only one panel will require a “home run” or longer cables connecting to the processor and power supply. Other panels in the display will be connected to each other.
The second type will be the signal or data cable. This will be a CAT5/6 ethernet cable. In order to have your Led wall display correctly, the signal cables will need to be ordered correctly. The order is defined by the processor.
PROCESSOR
The processor takes the signal from your output device (usually via HDMI) and formats it for the LED wall. Each processor brand has its own color adjustment options, but they all define how to get your video onto the panels in the right order for a proper display. The processor feeds the receiving card of the LED panel. The receiving card must be the same brand and format as the processor.
PROCESSOR CONTROL SOFTWARE
The software runs on a computer connected to the LED Wall processor. This is how you will setup the LED Wall and adjust brightness, color options, and other features provided by the manufacturer. The two main brands of Processor are Brompton and NovaStar.
NovaStar processors are a great value, particularly if you plan to setup your LED walls in a fixed location and plan to adjust them infrequently. Smaller churches, conference rooms, and signage applications will benefit from NovaStar processing.
Brompton processors offer the most control over the display image. If you plan to move your stage, use LED panels in rental applications, or need detailed control over content, Brompton is the way to go.
For details about how to plan your LED Display wall, reach out to us and we can help. The THOR AV team has roots in AV integration. We designed our LED panels to meet the needs of customers we’ve worked with over the years. We can help you!
