Overheard: The technology behind the NASDAQ sign at Times Square

The NASDAQ display is notable because it’s the largest continuous sign in Times Square. It has close to 9,000 square feet of display space — about a quarter of an acre. Have you ever wondered what it takes to make a sign like this? It looks relatively sleek and simple, but there’s actually a massive amount of technology involved. Marshall Brain, How the NASDAQ Times Square Display Works

On any large LED sign like this, it’s normal to use clusters of LEDs to make one pixel. For example, a sign might use two red LEDS, two blue LEDs and three green LEDs to make a single pixel. By changing the amount of power going to the LEDs of each color, it’s possible to mix the three primary colors together to create any color of the rainbow. Turn all the LEDs on and you get white light; turn them all off and you get black.