Spring is synonymous with wanderlust. To escape the urban bustle, you plan a country picnic. After packing the cooler and loading the car, you drive out to enjoy your favorite hilltop vista. As you sprawl on your back, peacefully gazing into an azure sky, you are startled by the scintillating message, "Run flat." That huge object floating above you is the Goodyear blimp, and it’s promoting a new brand of puncture-proof tire that addresses motorists’ fears of unexpected delays and lug wrenches. The May sunshine is brilliant, but the blimp’s message is equally potent. Sipping lemonade, you scratch your head and think, "It must be an LED board."
Everywhere we look today, from automotive lights to traffic signals, LEDs are pinch-hitting for incandescent bulbs. As super-bright, durable and efficient light sources, LEDs meet the needs of many product designers. But an LED is more than just another pretty semiconductor. For an increasing number of users, LEDs help solve marketing problems and improve business efficiency.
The floating message
When incandescent, electronic message boards were originally installed on Goodyear’s airships in the mid-1960s, the system was dubbed the "Super Skytacular