The real quality of a sign shows up after its first winter, not on installation day. Very few of the faults we see on site are LED modules reaching the end of their life; most are decisions made during installation surfacing a few months later.
One letter went dark — why did its neighbours go too?
LED modules are wired in chains, and each chain is fed by one driver. When a connection in the middle of a chain fails, everything after that point goes dark. So a fault reported as "one letter has gone out" is usually a connection problem along the run rather than a single failed module.
The five most common faults
| Symptom | Likely cause | Permanent fix |
|---|---|---|
| Light flickers | Driver specified right at its capacity limit | Driver rated at least 20% above total load |
| A whole section is dark | Broken module chain or terminal on that run | Replacing the full run |
| Goes out after rain | Unsealed cable entry into the cabinet | Proper gland and sealing |
| Light has yellowed | Low-grade LEDs or UV yellowing of the acrylic | Module and face replacement |
| Dims as the night goes on | Driver overheating, voltage dropping | Ventilated layout, correct cable gauge |
What an annual service should cover
- Checking the cabinet for standing water and confirming drain holes are clear.
- Retightening terminals and cable connections — vibration loosens them over time.
- Measuring driver temperature under load.
- Cleaning the acrylic face with a soft cloth; no solvent-based cleaners.
- Visual inspection of fixings and anchors into the façade.
When repair stops making sense
If more than one run fails in a single season, the problem is not the individual modules but the power and sealing design. Replacing modules then defers the cost rather than ending it. Where the cabinet itself is sound, renewing the internals completely is the better option; where it is not, replacing the sign is.
For signs we manufacture, Royal Reklam covers manufacturing and LED faults free of charge during the warranty period. We also service and repair signs built by other companies.