Thermal Design Best Practices in LED Displays
Heat is the enemy of performance.
Whether you’re deploying a fine-pitch indoor wall or a large-format outdoor LED system, how your display manages heat directly impacts image quality, power efficiency, and longevity.
At i5LED, we engineer thermal strategies specific to each display type—because not all pixel tech handles heat the same way.
Understand the Heat Sources
LED displays generate heat from:
- Diodes during light emission
- Driver ICs managing current
- Power supplies and control systems
Without proper dissipation, this heat can lead to:
- Color and brightness loss
- Component degradation
Passive vs. Active Cooling
- Passive: Heat spreaders, metal-core PCBs, and natural airflow
- Active: Fans, ventilation systems, or air conditioning for enclosed spaces
- Smart Control: Intelligent brightness and power tuning based on ambient temps
COB vs. SMD: Different Structures, Different Cooling Needs
COB (Chip-on-Board / Flip-Chip)
- Direct chip-to-substrate bonding and minimal encapsulant thickness significantly improve heat dissipation and enhance contrast
- Ideal for fine-pitch, high-resolution environments
Best for: boardrooms, control rooms, retail, and digital art environments where silent operation and image fidelity matter.
SMD (Surface-Mount Diode)
- Traditional diode packaging, slightly higher heat concentration
- Optimized via airflow design, heatsinks, or active cooling
- Proven performance in large-scale indoor and outdoor environments
Best for: outdoor signage, stadiums, flexible specs, and large format video walls.
Look for These Engineering Details:
- Cabinet design with thermal flow modeling
- Diode binning consistency (minimizes color shift under heat)
- Power redundancy to reduce stress on any one source
- Long-life components rated for your environmental conditions
Work with a Partner Who Plans for Heat
Every environment is different. We’ll help you choose the right pixel and cooling strategy. Need help spec’ing your next LED project?
