Gas Price Signs Being Converted to LED

[Brian556]

Gas price signs are quickly being converted to LED. I like the look of Chervron's & Phillips 66's, with the white LED's, the best. Racetrac's are pretty cool, they have red, green, and amber for different grades.

Are there any chains using blue LED's?

So, take pictures of the old ones while you can. I suspect the chains will get the conversion done within the next decade (or less), and the old manual type will only been seen at older mom-and-pop stores in the country

DSC_0378 by Brian Kosich, on Flickr

DSC_0375 by Brian Kosich, on Flickr

11.6.2018_FM_407@GardenRidge by Brian Kosich, on Flickr

10.21.2018_B121@Corporate by Brian Kosich, on Flickr

[SSOWorld]

you would think that with the change, the 9/10 would go.

Why buck a tradition though?

[Truvelo]

I'm sure a compelling reason for the conversion to LED is the convenience of altering the prices. It saves having to send someone up a ladder.

[abefroman329]

Are there any chains using blue LED's?

Yes, although I can't remember which one(s). Blue is harder for me to distinguish against a black background than any other primary color, and I suspect I'm not the only one (allegedly men can "see"  fewer colors than women, plus I'm colorblind).

[Mccojm]

There's a loca gas station by me thatbuses red white and blue, needless to say the blue is almost impossible to read day and night

[hotdogPi]

This blue is hard to read as an LED, but cyan should be just fine, and I haven't seen any of those at gas stations.

[Kniwt]

In Utah, blue generally is used to denote "ethanol-free" gas. Not the best photo, but it was the best I could find quickly:

[jon daly]

This isn't that new, I think. I've seen LED for a while; although it isn't universal.

I wonder if there will be nostalgia for the pre-LED generation of signs. At this time, petroliana buffs like older stuff. I'm into oil company roadmaps myself and the one's I like are around fifty years of age; especially legacy brands like Esso or Atlantic.

[US 89]

This thread is about ten years too late for Utah; ever since the gas price spike in 2008, most stations have been converting to LED displays.

In Utah, blue generally is used to denote "ethanol-free" gas. Not the best photo, but it was the best I could find quickly:

Here's another example in Centerville, Utah. I think it's a Maverik thing, since your picture appears to be in Nevada.

[ErmineNotyours]

In gas station sign collections I've seen gas sold in prices ending in fractions other than 9/10th.  I'll have to look for that when I get home.

[vdeane]

Stewarts around here has used LED signs for a while, at least at their newer locations.  They've also started converting the signs on the pump to LEDs.  I can read the signs for the road just fine, but the ones at the pump are harder; my brain more easily picks up the dots for each individual LED at that distance.

[Scott5114]

I'm a little sad that most places are using the traditional squarish seven-segment displays instead of spending the extra few bucks for a full-matrix display that can show rounded digits.

Are there any chains using blue LED's?

There's a Love's I pass by that uses blue for CNG.

[PHLBOS]

I'm sure a compelling reason for the conversion to LED is the convenience of altering the prices. It saves having to send someone up a ladder.

Actually at this station near me; the station manger changes the prices using suction cup with an extended arm to slide in-and-out the numbers.  Note: the sign today still uses the old-school price numbers.

[kphoger]

You'd think that, with all those LEDs, the numbers would be designed to look more natural and less like a digital alarm clock.

[abefroman329]

You'd think that, with all those LEDs, the numbers would be designed to look more natural and less like a digital alarm clock.

Well, you want them to be legible by passing drivers, above all else.

[jeffandnicole]

I'm a little sad that most places are using the traditional squarish seven-segment displays instead of spending the extra few bucks for a full-matrix display that can show rounded digits.

Are there any chains using blue LED's?

There's a Love's I pass by that uses blue for CNG.

So does a Wawa in Paulsboro, NJ (I think it's blue and white, actually).  Amazingly, the GSV hasn't been updated since 2013, before they got the CNG pumps, and the more recent views from I-295 are blocked by trucks.  (FWIW, CNG is self-serve in NJ)

[Brian556]

Are there any chains using blue LED's?

Yes, although I can’t remember which one(s). Blue is harder for me to distinguish against a black background than any other primary color, and I suspect I’m not the only one (allegedly men can “see” fewer colors than women, plus I’m colorblind).

Those colors us men can't see must include yellow and brown, since women always notice and complain when we forget to flush

[kphoger]

You'd think that, with all those LEDs, the numbers would be designed to look more natural and less like a digital alarm clock.

Well, you want them to be legible by passing drivers, above all else.

I really don't see how a 7-segment is more legible to passing drivers than something more closely resembling real numerals.

[GaryV]

Gas price signs are quickly being converted to LED. I like the look of Chervron's & Phillips 66's, with the white LED's, the best. Racetrac's are pretty cool, they have red, green, and amber for different grades.

Are there any chains using blue LED's?

So, take pictures of the old ones while you can.

You mean like this?  https://www.google.com/maps/@42.504296,-83.1251927,3a,75y,191.41h,100.96t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1srr10_9GJTigJrXss44BMOw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[bing101]

Gas price signs are quickly being converted to LED. I like the look of Chervron's & Phillips 66's, with the white LED's, the best. Racetrac's are pretty cool, they have red, green, and amber for different grades.

Are there any chains using blue LED's?

So, take pictures of the old ones while you can. I suspect the chains will get the conversion done within the next decade (or less), and the old manual type will only been seen at older mom-and-pop stores in the country

DSC_0378 by Brian Kosich, on Flickr

DSC_0375 by Brian Kosich, on Flickr

11.6.2018_FM_407@GardenRidge by Brian Kosich, on Flickr

10.21.2018_B121@Corporate by Brian Kosich, on Flickr

Here in California the LED Signs for gas prices have been around for nearly a decade.

[jon daly]

You guys had me looking at gas stations on my way home from work. About half still use plastic rectangles for numerals. The other half have converted to LED. It never occurred to me that green stood for diesel (does that higher MPG offset the dirtier emissions and is it really more earth friendly?) Then again, last time I used diesel was in the Army.

[ErmineNotyours]

Local regulations will prevent this sign from being converted to LEDs.  This is in Leavenworth, Washington, where every sign has to be Bavarian, and wooden.

Leavenworth gas station sign by Arthur Allen, on Flickr

[txstateends]

One chain I have noticed that has not adapted LED price signs is QuikTrip.  They seem to be happy for now with their black/white plastic numbers.  IINM, another chain where I haven't seen LEDs yet is Murphy.  All the ones by me are still plastic numbers.

The LED displays that have no decimal showing (it's not $205, it's $2.05), like the white ones found at most Chevron and Texaco locations, are a bit of a pet peeve, but they're not going to add the decimal point just for me.

The RaceTrac stores nearest me seem to have a bolder font for their LED signs than the ones in the picture posted above.  Their LED signs are much better-looking than their sloppy old yellow/black metal ones.  Now, if their stores were -- well, I guess that's another thread discussion altogether.

LED price signs seem to be quite the transformative thing in the gas/c-store industry.  For the most part at the locations that have converted, the numbers are much easier to see.  No more forgotten/faded numbers.  No more lag between what the pump quotes and what the sign says.  No more suction cup sticks, ladders, or weather issues when it's time to update.

[abefroman329]

The LED displays that have no decimal showing (it's not $205, it's $2.05), like the white ones found at most Chevron and Texaco locations, are a bit of a pet peeve, but they're not going to add the decimal point just for me.

In England, fuel prices are in pence per liter, meaning it's actually correct to omit the decimal point.

[Eth]

The LED displays that have no decimal showing (it's not $205, it's $2.05), like the white ones found at most Chevron and Texaco locations, are a bit of a pet peeve, but they're not going to add the decimal point just for me.

In England, fuel prices are in pence per liter, meaning it's actually correct to omit the decimal point.

Also, the Chevron sign quoted above doesn't appear to have a $ anywhere on it, so the argument can be made that the price displayed is simply 269 9/10 cents.