I have seen the future...

[sammack]

If Mr Winkler or anyone else wants to jump in, feel free.

Driving around the southwest I have seen numerous billboards that flash absolutely perfectly.

I guess these are led, are they not?

Anyhow, presuming these get cheaper as I am sure they will, it is only a matter of time before DOT's start using them for a variety of applications

[realjd]

Orlando has LED speed limit signs on a stretch of I-4 through downtown, as does I-10 on the bridge over Mobile Bay. This is the best picture I could find, from Central Florida News 13:

[TheStranger]

Crazy thought: variable control cities!

No, not as a complete replacement of existing control city assignments on fixed signage, but more like a way to mark "best way" to get to a destination, particularly useful for two branches of a loop route (i.e. are there times when 35E in Dallas is the better through route than 35W in Fort Worth?  then "Oklahoma City" would be a good LED control city to switch between the two based on active traffic counts).

[Ian]

I-495 in Delaware has VMS speed limit signs.

[agentsteel53]

crazy thought: hax0r the variable speed limits to something practical like 90.

[realjd]

Crazy thought: variable control cities!

No, not as a complete replacement of existing control city assignments on fixed signage, but more like a way to mark "best way" to get to a destination, particularly useful for two branches of a loop route (i.e. are there times when 35E in Dallas is the better through route than 35W in Fort Worth?  then "Oklahoma City" would be a good LED control city to switch between the two based on active traffic counts).

Orlando attempts to do something like that also. Depending on which parking lot entrance is open for Universal Studios, the guide signs along I-4 switch (although the displays don't use LED's and tend to be broken as often as not):

(from AARoads)

Also, Orlando has a few other old variable sign oddities. Along I-4 just "east" (north) of downtown, there's a brown sign with a display that cycles between various attractions. It also doesn't used LED's and is hard to read, partly because they wanted the display to be transparent so the underlying brown sign could be seen through it:


There's an even worse variable-BGS sign along SR-528, although I couldn't find a picture of that one. It's similar to the brown one above except green, and it cycles mileage to a few of the attractions. The white lights barely show up on the green background (when it's actually powered on), so it's essentially useless.

[roadfro]

Driving around the southwest I have seen numerous billboards that flash absolutely perfectly.

I guess these are led, are they not?

Anyhow, presuming these get cheaper as I am sure they will, it is only a matter of time before DOT's start using them for a variety of applications

I assume that the post is referring specifically to "off-premise advertising signs", commonly referred to as "billboards".  The newest technology in billboards is electronic display screens, typically using LED technology.  Advertising/billboard companies (i.e. Lamar, Clear Channel, etc.) like these electronic displays because they can display multiple messages/advertisements, and can be changed remotely.  (*)

Electronic billboards are only supposed to display static content -- no flashing or animations. The signs can have multiple messages/displays, though. As such, the only only activity on electric billboards should be a switch of the ad content, which is on a timed cycle that shouldn't be any shorter than 4-5 seconds.  Such limitations are the case in Nevada, and may even be standard on the federal level.

I recently skimmed a research report about electronic billboards and their possible distraction to drivers. It seemed to indicate that these billboards don't cause any major distraction or contribute to an overwhelming increase in accidents...so that's good.  It also mentioned additional uses of the electronic displays that have been utilized in some states, such as Amber Alerts (with ability to display an image of the missing child) and extreme emergency road closure info--evidence of a good partnership between the billboard industry and local officials.


(*) A specific distinction is made between off-premise LED billboards and their "on-premise advertising sign" counterparts. Examples of on-premise advertising signs include scrolling marquees on a shopping center signs, or a video screen on a hotel/casino sign displaying the specials/restaurants/shows located therein. Electronic on-premise advertising signs are given the leeway to include flashing and animation/video.

[Scott5114]

Why couldn't they "revive" button copy, but instead of having button reflectors, they have LED's? That'd be the most awesome use of LEDs for road purposes that I could see, other than perhaps Botts dots with LEDs in the middle.

[agentsteel53]

Why couldn't they "revive" button copy, but instead of having button reflectors, they have LED's? That'd be the most awesome use of LEDs for road purposes that I could see, other than perhaps Botts dots with LEDs in the middle.

I need to make a "cateye" sign with 1/2" LEDs.  Just need to find some, and then find someone to buy it.

[Scott5114]

I'm sure you can get them at a Radio Shack or a similar store for rather cheap, or you can order them from an electronics catalog.

[agentsteel53]

I'm sure you can get them at a Radio Shack or a similar store for rather cheap, or you can order them from an electronics catalog.

they are easily obtained, but between that and the power supply, some thinking's gotta go into how to design it correctly.

[thenetwork]

Anybody know what state had the first VMS that did not rely on using little light bulbs (as in Weigh Station Open/Closed sign lights)? 

I remember seeing variable speed limit signs (LCDs??) as early as 1977 on I-40 west of Asheville, NC.

[agentsteel53]

I remember seeing variable speed limit signs (LCDs??) as early as 1977 on I-40 west of Asheville, NC.

I don't think LCDs would've been around in 1977 - they wouldn't have been nearly bright enough for cost-effective models.

neon has been around since the 1910s. 

[Scott5114]

You could have also be seeing a vane display, which is a kind of neat technology where retroreflective strips are mounted in a seven-segment display pattern. Each strip is on a hinge that allows it to pivot 90°. If the segment is supposed to be "off", a small motor rotates it so that the retroreflective surface is perpendicular to the background, so it's seen edge-on (and thus "invisible") to the driver. If it is supposed to be "on", the motor rotates it so that the segment's retroreflective strip is parallel to the background, thus seen face-on by the driver.

Many game shows used them to prevent the washout that occurs with LEDs under bright studio lights. (If you remember the giant calculator used on "The Price Is Right", that is a good example.) OTA used them on a few of its tollbooth "AMOUNT DUE" displays, though I've never actually seen one display anything.

[joseph1723]

Ontario has some new colour CMS signs that are currently being installed, some have already went up but are still not working yet. Here's a pic of a colour CMS behind a working yellow LED CMS. 


Some older CMSs here from the '80s used flip disk displays like the ones used on some buses. They worked kind of like the vane display shown above but with retro reflective dots mounted in a dot matrix display pattern. Each dot was connected to a solenoid that flips the disk 180° to show either the reflective side or the blank side. If the reflective side is shown then the driver would see a yellow dot on the corresponding pixel. By flipping select pixels to the reflective side, you could form different characters on the sign.



I have a question for you guys though, when were the neon CMSs used and which roads still have them in operation?

[agentsteel53]

I have a question for you guys though, when were the neon CMSs used and which roads still have them in operation?

some of those may go back to the beginning of the Turnpike in 1956.  I believe the one I found at the on-ramp to the 80 freeway in San Francisco (at 8th street or so) is 1950s as well.

[Scott5114]

Some older CMSs here from the '80s used flip disk displays like the ones used on some buses. They worked kind of like the vane display shown above but with retro reflective dots mounted in a dot matrix display pattern. Each dot was connected to a solenoid that flips the disk 180° to show either the reflective side or the blank side. If the reflective side is shown then the driver would see a yellow dot on the corresponding pixel. By flipping select pixels to the reflective side, you could form different characters on the sign.

Ah, yes. Those found a game show application too–the Fast Money board on the classic Family Feud (Dawson, Combs, and Dawson versions).

[jdb1234]

^^  I see someone watches GSN frequently. 

[Scott5114]

I don't even have cable...