Quick answer
Look at a road sign, a microwave panel or an air conditioner controller and you are looking at an LED display doing its job without being noticed. Newer technologies such as MicroLED and MiniLED share similar light-emitting structures with traditional LED displays. Standard LED displays offer a lower cost, especially for custom shapes.
Table of Contents
What’s LED Display? What’s The Difference In Between LED Display, MiniLED & MicroLED?
LED displays are commonly found in various aspects of our daily lives, including road signage, home appliances, and motorcycles. Besides traditional LED displays, newer technologies like MicroLED, MiniLED, and OLED, which share similar light-emitting structures, have emerged.
The LED Display’s Characteristic
The structure of LED displays is straightforward, allowing them to easily meet outdoor brightness and color requirements by adjusting LED current and using different LED materials. The epoxy-based assembly also ensures that these displays pass reliability tests for outdoor applications. Due to their relatively low cost, standard LED displays are widely used in traffic lights, temperature meters, home appliances, countdown meters, and more.
The Non-recurring Engineering Expense (NRE cost) for custom LED displays—especially those with special sizes, unique heights, additional components, or custom colors—is significantly lower compared to LCD, Mini LED, and Micro LED displays. This cost advantage is particularly notable for irregularly shaped displays. For more details on custom LED display tooling costs, please refer to this article.
Generally speaking, in order to customize an LED display, Opto Plus typically requires a tooling cost ranging from US$3,000 to US$10,000, depending on the overall design.
The Structure of LED Displays
LED displays can be categorized into two types based on their structure:
- LED display without reflective cover.
- LED display with reflective cover.
LED Display Structure (Without Reflective Cover)
The structure of an LED display without a reflective cover can be divided into three components:
- Dot matrix display cover
- Light Emitting Diode (LED)
- Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
For example, a common application is the traffic signal display, often referred to as the “little green man display.” This display uses a dot matrix structure: the upper section shows the countdown numbers and red stop sign, while the lower section features an animated walking green man. The LEDs are mounted on a PCB, which controls the circuitry and switching to create the digital countdown and animations.
Most large LED displays are designed without reflective covers to reduce costs. In recent years, MiniLED and MicroLED technologies have been developed, offering highly compact LED displays without reflective covers. These technologies reduce LED size and spacing to millimeter (mm) and micron (μm) levels, making them suitable for high-resolution displays.
LED Display Structure (With Reflective Cover)
- Light Emitting Diode (LED)
- Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
- Reflective Cover
A typical example is the floor display in an elevator. This display uses a dot matrix design to show combined icons: the upper left corner typically represents the floor number, while the lower section displays an approximate structure. The LEDs are mounted on a PCB, which manages the necessary circuitry. A reflective cover is placed over the LEDs to ensure uniform light distribution and to prevent interference between the light points. These LEDs are arranged in a matrix to form the desired display pattern.
This article will primarily focus on LED displays that incorporate reflective covers, such as seven-segment displays, alphanumeric displays, dot matrix displays, and bar graph displays.
The structure of an LED display with a reflective cover can be exemplified by the internal design of the dot matrix display used in elevator floor indicators.
The Type Of LED Display
LED displays can be classified into four types based on the content they can display:
- Words.
- A certain picture.
- Limited words +certain pictures.
- Any pictures.
Type Of LED Display– 7 Segment Display
The main structure of a 7-segment display consists of seven emitting segments and an additional bottom-right emitting area, commonly referred to as the DP point (Decimal Point). When all segments are lit, they form the number 8, which is why it’s often called a “7-segment display” or an “8-segment display,” also known as a “numeric display” for showing numbers.
At Opto Plus LED Corp., we define each segment in a clockwise direction from segment A to segment G, including the DP point. For detailed information, please refer to the data sheet or technical specifications for OPS-S4010SE-GW
If you want to learn more about the internal structure and details of 7-segment displays, refer to the article titled “Introduce each kind of 7-segment display, 16-segment display, and internal structure!”.
For information on how to represent Arabic numerals or the English alphabet using 7-segment displays, check the article “How to Represent Numbers and Letters in 7-segment and 16-segment LED displays?”.
Additionally, if you want to protect your LED display by using a current-limiting resistor, the article “How to design a 7-segment display with a current-limiting resistor?” can be helpful.
Type Of LED Display– Alphanumeric Display
An alphanumeric display is an advanced version of the 7-segment display, designed to show numbers (0-9) and letters (A-Z). Alphanumeric displays follow a similar naming convention as 7-segment displays but with more segments to represent both uppercase and lowercase letters. The three common configurations are:
- 9 emitting segment – 9 segment display
- 14 emitting segment – 14 segment display
- 16 emitting segment – 16 segment display.
The most popular type is the sixteen-segment display. Like the 7-segment display, Opto Plus LED Corp. defines each segment from A to P, including the DP point. For more information, refer to the data sheet for OPD-AS8020(1)LA-GW.
If you would like to learn more about the internal structure and details of 16-segment displays, please refer to the article titled “Introduce each kind of 7-segment display, 16-segment display , and Internal structure!“.”If you are interested in understanding how 16-segment displays can be used to display Arabic numerals or the English alphabet, you can find information in the article titled “How to Represent Numbers and Letters in 7-segment and 16-segment LED display? Furthermore, if you wish to protect your LED display using a limited current resistor, you can refer to the article titled “How to design a 7 segment display with limited current resistor?
Type of LED Display: Icon/Bar Display
Using icons and light bars to display information is a common and intuitive approach in home appliances. This method not only simplifies progress indication but also helps overcome language barriers, making the information universally understandable.
Here are two example products that combine icons, bar displays, and 7-segment displays: OPS-V32 and OPS-B500LA-UT-GW . The OPS-V32 is a custom display that integrates a 7-segment display, icons, and a bar for customer-specific applications. The OPS-B500LA-UT-GW can be connected to multiple units to meet various display requirements.
Type of LED Display: Mix-Type Display
Most mixed-type displays are customized to meet specific customer needs, including large sizes, irregular shapes, compact designs, or thin profiles. A typical example is the dashboard display in the Gogoro 2 Plus, which combines various features to enhance functionality, aesthetics, and dynamic performance:
- Large and irregularly-shaped design
- Oversized 7-segment display for speed indication
- Icon displays for indicators such as turn signals, ABS, and IOS
- Bar display for battery level
- RGB ambient lighting for enhanced visual effects
Type Of LED Display– Dot Matrix Display
LED dot matrix displays use individual light-emitting dots to display images or letters in various languages. These displays can be divided into two categories:
- Displays for dynamic or flexible information (e.g., programmable messages)
- Displays for limited information (e.g., simple signs)
Dot Matrix Display– To Display Limited Information
A typical application of dot matrix LED displays is numbering indicators for traffic lights, designed to show limited information. For example, the top section displays two yellow numbers for a countdown, while the red figure indicates no walking. During the countdown, the bottom section shows a walking green figure.
These displays use monochrome LEDs arranged in a dot matrix to display simple information. They are often used in larger applications and employ DIP/THT monochrome LED lamps or SMD LEDs. This type of display is cost-effective and suitable for basic functions.
Dot Matrix Display– Can Display Any Information
Most monochrome or full-color moving signs fall under this category. The image below shows a moving sign created with 96 pieces of 8×8 LED dot matrix displays (OPD-M58810W-GW).
If you want to learn more about the internal structure and details of dot matrix displays, refer to the article “Introduce dot matrix display’s name, type, internal structure, and application scene.” For displaying information like Arabic numerals or the English alphabet, a 3×5 dot matrix is the minimum requirement, with 5×7 being the most common format. For Traditional Chinese characters, at least a 16×16 dot matrix is required, while more detailed representations use a 64×64 matrix. For a detailed explanation of how dot matrix displays render numbers, letters, and graphics, check the article “Explain how dot matrix displays render digits, English letters, and pixelated graphics.”
The Difference Between LCD Display, LED Display, OLED ,Mini-LED & Micro-LED.
The two main types of displays in the market are LCD and LED. LCD technology is commonly used in TVs and screens to display complex information. Traditional LED displays, such as 7-segment and dot matrix displays, are used in home appliances and dashboards to show simple information like digits or icons. However, newer LED technologies like OLED, Mini-LED, and Micro-LED offer superior brightness and contrast when displaying complex information compared to LCD. Despite these advantages, LCD displays are generally more affordable due to their mature mass production technology.
Traditional LED displays, OLED, Mini-LED, and Micro-LED are all made using similar technologies but differ in scale and color mixing methods. In this article, we will explore these aspects and provide explanations from these two perspectives.
Use a proportion chart to understand the major differences between traditional LED displays, Mini-LED, and Micro-LED.
The basic concept is to use single-color chips in an area to display information and images. Using the OPTO PLUS standard dot matrix LED display OPD-M21610(1)LR-GW as an example, we can highlight the differences between traditional LED displays and Mini-LED/Micro-LED displays.
In LED displays, the size and spacing of each dot are referred to as the dot diameter and pitch, whereas in Mini-LED/Micro-LED and LCD displays, they are referred to as pixels and pixel pitch. A key difference lies in the size of these dots. For instance, the OPD-M21610(1)LR-GW is a 12 x 12 dot matrix LED display with 144 dots, each having a dot diameter of 1.9mm and a pitch of 2.54mm. Below are the outline dimensions and a GIF showing its illumination.
As mentioned earlier, the major difference between LED displays and Mini-LED/Micro-LED displays lies in their scale. The following table and picture illustrate the difference in size.
| Dot diameter / Pitch | |
| LED Display | 1.9(mm) |
| MiniLED | 50–200 (µm) |
| MicroLED | 10 (µm) |
In order to demonstrate the difference in scale between these displays, we have arranged three displays side by side in the following picture to show the variation in size.
The Advantage to Use MicroLED/ MiniLED/ OLED Display To Replace LCD display
Smaller pixels lead to higher resolution, giving MicroLED, MiniLED, and OLED displays a clear advantage over LCDs in terms of resolution.
Unlike an LCD, which relies on a backlight behind a light-guide plate, MicroLED and OLED displays emit their own light. MiniLED is different: in its dominant commercial form it is itself an LCD backlight, divided into hundreds or thousands of independently dimmed zones. This allows them to react faster and provide better color contrast. LCDs struggle to achieve true black due to light leakage. MicroLED and OLED are self-emissive, so a pixel can be switched fully off and true black is possible. A MiniLED backlight raises contrast substantially through local dimming, but because an LCD panel still sits in front of it, the result approaches black rather than reaching it.
Additionally, MicroLED, MiniLED, and OLED displays are more energy-efficient than LCDs.
However, the two technologies sit at very different stages of production. MiniLED backlights have been mass-produced for years and are now standard in mainstream TVs, monitors and tablets, so the cost gap against LCD is modest. MicroLED still suffers from low mass-transfer yields and has only reached small-volume production, which is why MicroLED displays remain far more expensive than LCDs.
FAQ
An LED display is a technology widely used in daily life, commonly found in products like traffic lights, thermometers, and home appliances. It has a simple structure, is low-cost, and can be customized, with relatively low development costs.
LED displays are mainly divided into five types:
7-Segment Display: Composed of seven light-emitting areas, it is often used to display numbers. It is also known as a “numeric display” due to its shape, which resembles the number “8”.
Alphanumeric Display: An advanced version of the 7-segment display that can show numbers and English letters. Common types include 14-segment and 16-segment displays.
Icon/Bar Display: Uses graphics to display information, such as a progress bar, which can overcome language barriers and is suitable for the global market.
Mix-Type Display: These are typically fully customized displays with irregular sizes or special designs that can simultaneously show numbers, icons, and multiple colors. A motorcycle dashboard is an example of this.
Dot Matrix Display: Displays graphics or text using an array of light-emitting dots. This type of display can be categorized into two kinds:
those that can only show specific information (like a traffic signal light) and those that can show any information (like an LED marquee).
What are the main differences between traditional LED displays, MiniLED, and MicroLED?
The primary difference between them lies in the size and spacing of their LED chips.
Traditional LED displays: The light-emitting points typically have a diameter in the millimeter (mm) range, for example, 1.9 mm.
MiniLED: The LED chip size is smaller, typically 50 to 200 micrometers (µm).
MicroLED: The LED chip size is the smallest, approximately 10 micrometers (µm).
Compared to LCDs, MiniLED and MicroLED displays offer the following advantages:
Higher Resolution: Smaller pixels allow for more detailed images.
Higher Contrast Ratio: They can present “pure black” in the case of MicroLED, where each pixel can be switched off completely. A MiniLED backlight uses local dimming to cut leakage sharply, but an LCD panel still sits in front of it, so it approaches black rather than reaching it.
More Energy Efficient: MicroLED needs no separate backlight at all, and MiniLED saves power by dimming or switching off the backlight zones that are not needed.
Currently, the production yield rates for MiniLED and MicroLED are still low, which results in high costs and makes mass production difficult, so their market prices are also higher.
Related Custom LED and Replacement Resources
Continue with these closely related resources to verify selection, circuit, and application requirements.