Common Failures and Solutions of LED Displays

Common Failures and Solutions of LED Displays


LED displays are great for getting your message out, sharing information, and promoting your brand. They get the viewers’ attention with size, color, and eye-catching graphics. When they are working well, nothing beats them. An LED display is a machine, though, and like any machine, it can break down and not function properly. Read on to learn some common failures of LED displays and our recommended solutions. We suggest that you call our team of experienced technicians to handle all the repairs your display needs. Knowing what to look for will help you describe the problem in better detail and give us somewhere to start.

Receiving Card Failure

Each area or panel of the display has a receiving card that interpolates the data from the controller and addresses it correctly to the individual panels to make up the entire image. When a receiving card malfunctions, the section or panels that are addressed by the receiving card will fail. The receiving card is designed to be repaired quickly by simply replacing it with a new one and recalibrating, if necessary.

Power Supply Failure

When the display or a section of it goes dark, first check the power supply. Perform a basic inspection to make sure it’s plugged in and the circuit hasn’t been tripped. Check all the connections and make sure everything is secure. If all those things are satisfied and it still doesn’t work, a service call is in order. A trained tech will be able to solve the problem quickly.

Module Failure

Occasionally, the module won’t be dark enough or bright enough. If there are some plates in the horizontal direction that aren’t bright enough, check whether the line connection between the normal module and the abnormal one is in good condition, and if not, then replace the bad cable.

Missing Color in the Module

Sometimes a module will not have any color. Check for damaged or loose cables. Unplug it, then replug it in a few times and see if that helps. If not, replace the cable. Then check to make sure the cables fit tight. This is a challenging fix for massive outdoor LED displays, so calling a service tech is a good idea.

Communications/Controller Failure

Think of the display as a giant computer monitor in that it shows the images that you program it to. One of the more common failures of LED displays is a communication error from the controller. Something has interrupted the signal telling the display what to show. Check all the connections, make sure they are secure, then run a check on the controller to make sure it’s working.