As you scan the wide variety of LED products available and have that spec sheet staring at you, just what is it trying to tell you? With all the documented terms, it can be confusing to figure out what everything means and how those measurements will affect your sign. But taking the time to read and learn the basic principles of a spec sheet will arm you with key information that will help you to determine the best LED product to fill your needs.Think of a spec sheet as an all-inclusive fact sheet, suggests Jill Bonilla, marketing manager of SloanLED.?
当你在浏览各式各样的LED产品说明书时，你想了解什么信息呢？当你看到每一项数值与术语时，你可能会感到困惑，不知道这些数值对LED的性能会产生什么影响。那就花些时间阅读和了解说明书的基本原理，它有助于选择满足你需求的最佳LED产品。SloanLED公司的市场经理Jill Bonilla建议说：“人们可以把说明书看作是详尽的数据参考。”
“I think that people need to be able to find what the product does. It’s kind of like a fact sheet in one place. What is the voltage? What size is the module? Can I use it in a small application? What colors does it come in?”
“我认为人们需要先了解LED产品是什么以及它的相关组成要素，再去查看说明书。比如，什么是电压？模组的大小？LED可以在什么环境下使用？LED光源一共有几种颜色？”
For instance, one particular LED product line may offer a full color range, says Bonilla, while another series from the same manufacturer only provides white LEDs. As basic as it sounds, diligently inspecting your LED spec sheet will tell you anything and everything you need to know.?
Bonilla说：“一个特别的LED产品系列可以提供一个完整的颜色范围，而同一制造商的另一个系列只提供白色LED。仔细查看说明书就可以获知你想要了解的信息。”
Spec sheet prinicples
说明书原理
When examining your spec sheet, the lumens-per-watt figure is key, says Chris Smit, chief technical officer of US LED. Lumens per watt measures the product’s ability to convert energy to light. Basically, this figure tells you the LED’s efficiency. Keep in mind, the higher the number, the more efficient that LED is, says Smit. And that higher efficiency means a cost savings on energy.?
美国LED首席技术官Chris Smit说：“查看说明书时，要特别留意每瓦特的数字。每瓦的流明度代表产品将能量转换为光源的能力。流明度的数值越高，LED的照明效率越高，也会更节省电源。”
The color temperature is another important metric, which measures the hue of a specific type of light source. By identifying the color temperature on the spec sheet, says Kirk Fowler, Western region sales manager of Sylvania, you will ensure your that your LEDs are all of the same illumination. Color temperature is measured in Kelvins.?
色温是另一个重要的度量标准，它代表特定类型光源的色调。西尼亚州西部地区销售经理Kirk Fowler说：“通过了解说明书上显示的色温数据，你可以确保你的LED照明光源都处于同一色温范围。色温以开尔文（K）为测量单位。”
“Within an LED module, you want to have every LED chip be at the same measurement—say, 2700 K—so they all look the same. Where you get into inconsistencies is when you have a 2700 K LED right next to one measuring 3300 K,” says Fowler.
Fowler说：“假设同一组LED模组的色温均为2700 K，那么你可以看到LED芯片所呈现的颜色是一样的。而当你将色温为2700 K的LED模组与色温为3300 K的LED模组放在一起时，你就会发现这两个模组的颜色完全不一样。”
This concept is true for colored LEDs, as well, but the metric to look for on the spec sheet is based on the wavelength, which is listed as nanometers, says Fowler. To ensure your LEDs are at a matching color temperature or wavelength, look for the product code, which sorts the modules based on those measurements. However, Smit says the exact measurement is dependent upon the end user’s preference.?
Fowler表示，这一概念同样适用于彩色LED光源，在说明书中，LED的度量标准以波长为主，以纳米为单位。为了确保你所使用的LED光源的色温或波长是合适的，就需要在说明书中找到正确的产品代码，并根据这些测量数据对模组进行分类。但是，Smit说，分类的结果取决于用户的偏好。
If you are planning on installing a high-rise application, Eric Stevenson, global product manager of signage of GE Lumination, suggests looking for a remote power-supply option on the spec sheet, which allows the unit to be fixed in a convenient location.?
如果你打算在高层建筑上安装LED发光字，GE照明标识公司的全球产品经理Eric Stevenson建议在说明书中找到“远程电源供应”一栏，它可以指导你在一个方便的位置安装电源装置。
“Let’s say you have a channel letter sign that is placed 20 stories high on a building, and you are not able to remote-mount the power supplies to the LED system. Instead, your power supply would more than likely have to be placed inside the letter, which usually is the weakest point of the LED system,” explains Stevenson. “Somebody would have to hire a crane, or somebody would have to send someone up to take the face off the letter to change the letter.?
Stevenson解释道：“假设在20层楼高的建筑物上安装发光字标识，你很难对电源进行远程安装，相反，你需要将电源安装到LED发光字里，这通常是安装程序中最困难的环节。有些人必须借用起重机，否则就得派人从高层建筑上卸下发光字再把电源安装进去。”
But, instead, if that installer could remotely mount the power supply, then maintenance or repairs could be controlled by an accessible unit.?
但是，如果能够远程安装电源，那么电源的使用和维修可以用一个触手可及的装置来控制。
Of course, avoiding those incessant trips to the power supply is ideal for any installer, so Smit recommends finding an LED that provides acceptable lumen maintenance, meaning the lifetime expectancy of the module. A 50,000-hour lifetime generally is sufficient for signage needs. But after those 50,000 hours, the LED brightness begins to fade by a 30 percent drop off, leaving the LED illuminating at 70 percent from its original brightness, notes Smit. Because of that 70-percent figure, the spec sheet often refers to lumen maintenance as L70.
避免电力供应的间断对于任何安装程序来说都是很重要的。Smit建议找到可提供流明维持功能的LED光源，因为这代表着该模组的预期寿命。Smit说，5万小时的照明时数通常足以满足标识的使用需要。但在这5万小时之后，LED亮度开始下降30%，LED光源的照明亮度只能达到原来的70%。因此，说明书通常将流明维持率定为L70。
Stevenson also recommends that you closely look at the viewing angle of the LED product. For example, Stevenson explains that if you have a viewing angle of 100 degrees, your spacing approximately will measure 3" in between each LED stroke. However, a viewing angle of 155 degrees allows for 7" spacing between those LED strokes, which also improves the illumination of the sign face for a more even look. Bonilla points out that a wider viewing angle also requires fewer LED modules. Of course, fewer modules means less cost to your bottom line.?
Stevenson还建议你从不同角度仔细观察LED产品。Stevenson解释说如果LED发光字的发光角度为100度，则每一个LED模组之间的间距大约是3英寸。当LED发光字的发光角度为155度时，这些LED模组之间的间距是7英寸，这也使标识表面的光照更均匀。Bonilla指出，发光角度越宽，对LED模组的数量需求也越少，成本也会越低。
Supplement guides
补充指南
In addition to the spec sheet, Bonilla says the density guideline chart is a valuable tool. This chart tells the installer what color of LED should be used with a specified substrate.?
除了规格说明书外，Bonilla还表示密度指导图是一份很有价值的参考表。这个图表告诉安装者在指定的基底上应该使用什么颜色的LED。
“Sometimes, when using yellow acrylic, instead of lighting that acrylic with a soft yellow, maybe a warm white might be the best way to light it up versus using a yellow-amber color, which might make that acrylic a darker shade,” says Bonilla.?
Bonilla说：“当你使用黄色的亚克力来制作发光字表面时，就不必使用浅黄色的LED光源来照亮发光字，暖白光LED光源也许是照亮它的最好选择，浅黄色LED光源可能会使亚克力发光后的颜色阴影更深。”
The density guideline chart particularly is handy when working with dark-colored substrates, especially blue, adds Bonilla. To create the blue color, more pigments are required, which, in turn, means more LEDs are required to effectively light the sign face.?
Bonilla补充道，在使用深色基底时，密度指导图特别方便，尤其是蓝色。为了制作蓝色基底，通常需要更多的颜料，这就意味着需要更多的LED光源来有效地照亮标识表面。
Bonilla believes this chart is useful because they already have tested the acrylic and vinyl products from various manufacturers, which eliminates the guess work from the installer.?
Bonilla相信这个图表是有用的，因为他们已经对来自不同制造商的亚克力和乙烯基产品进行了测试，这就消除了一些会在安装过程中产生的疑惑。
Remember, you also can take advantage of the complimentary layouts offered by many LED manufacturers. Your selected vendor specifies how many LED modules you need for that particular project as well as their locations within the sign.?
请记住，你还可以利用许多LED制造商提供的免费指导，它会告诉你需要多少个LED模组，以及它们需被安装在标识中的什么位置。
Become informed
变得见多识广
By learning to accurately read a spec sheet, you will become an informed buyer and can more readily make educated decisions regarding your LED product.?
通过学习准确地阅读规格说明书，你将成为一位有见识的买家，并且在关于LED产品的选择上能更容易地作出明智的决定。
“If you yourself can go online and take two spec sheets and look at them side by side, you should be able to determine what is the better product by whatever you deem the most important whatever it might be,” explains Fowler. “If brightness is the issue, then that is your most important spec; and you can say, is brightness so important that I’m willing to double the wattage—and so it’s just a way to be informed.” ?
Fowler解释说：“如果你上网查找，拿两份说明书对比看，你就应该能够确定什么是更合适的产品。如果你对亮度有疑问，那么你需要着重阅读和参考与之对应的规格；如果你觉得亮度很重要，你可以选择瓦数更高的LED产品。”
