Wall to Wall: See and Be Seen

Since last year, the Max Planck Institute has been operating two research centers in Erlangen.

Each of the two buildings features a prominently placed LED wall, creating a visual connection between them, as both screens display an image from the respective other building.
Anyone who steps up to one of the LED walls can interact with a visitor to the other building.

So far, so good – relatively simple.

In the original proposal, the camera was to be located above, below, or on the side of the LED wall. But we wanted to put it in the optimal position – at eye level. In the middle of the LED wall.
But that will break the wall! That was the consensus of all the experts. But we weren't convinced.

What's the big deal? Why not just cut a hole in an LDM and install the camera – no problem!

The problem, of course, is the circuit board on which the LED pixels and associated electronics are soldered. It uses not only SMD components (surface-mounted devises using subminiature electronics) but also PCBs (multi-layered circuit boards) as carriers for the electronics.

These boards have several layers of copper conductors. Cutting a hole would damage these layers, severing the connection. Kaputt!

Looking for a way to solve the problem, we experimented first on defective LDMs before trying it out on a new module.

We used a microscope and cut through the conductors, then replaced them with new strands.

The result is impressive – we‘ve got a clear view with the other location.

This is one aspect of our work that sets us apart: We go the extra mile if we think there's a better way.

We're not satisfied with "standard operating procedure.”