LED 101 / Systems
Mounting and structure
Cabinets hang on steel, not on hope. Wall load, hanging scoreboards, and outdoor frames need engineering separate from the LED product sheet.
An LED wall is heavy, concentrated, and often hung over people. Electrical certification says the product is safe to energize. It does not say the building can hold it. Structure is a separate deliverable.
Indoor fixed walls usually bolt to a steel subframe that spreads load into the building structure. Fine-pitch COB walls may sit close to the finish wall on a factory mount; the dead load and fastener schedule still need a competent design. Gym and arena end walls often sit high above the floor or ice. Ask for stamped drawings when the jurisdiction or the owner requires them.
Centre-hung scoreboards and flown rental cabinets hang from roof steel or temporary truss. Rigging, seismic restraint, and access for service are part of that package. Ground-stacked rental cabinets need a rated base and tip resistance.
Outdoor signs add wind, ice, and foundation loads. The LED cabinets ride in a frame or enclosure designed for the site. Cable paths, drainage, and a place for the controller enclosure belong on the same drawings. See IP rating and outdoor LED.
On the quote, separate line items for LED product, structure, electrical rough-in, and AV control help you see who owns each risk. Change orders often appear when electrical and steel were never coordinated with the cabinet weight and circuit count. See How to read an LED quote and Power and heat.