Why COB LED Faces Multiple Challenges in Outdoor Applications

With the rapid development of fine-pitch LED technology, COB (Chip on Board) is regarded by many as the future of the LED industry due to its higher contrast, better flatness, and more delicate image quality.
While COB has demonstrated impressive visual performance indoors, it faces multiple stringent challenges when deployed outdoors. Many clients, engineers, and industry peers often ask:

Why is it difficult for COB LED to operate stably outdoors for the long term?

In fact, this is not due to limitations of COB technology itself. The outdoor environment imposes extremely high requirements on COB, and traditional improvements or simply adding air conditioning are not sufficient. Heat accumulation, UV aging, rain and humidity, dust, and day-night temperature fluctuations are all “multiple challenges” that COB faces outdoors.

The industry has long lacked COB products truly designed for outdoor environments, and CNLC’s air-conditioned COB P1.25 offers a complete, system-level solution, making outdoor COB operation possible.

Outdoor COB Challenges: It’s Not Just About Heat

High-density chips + full encapsulation → Heat dissipation difficulties
COB mounts a large number of LED chips directly on the PCB and covers them with full-surface encapsulation. Traditional fans or passive cooling are far from sufficient under strong sunlight. Long-term operation can lead to brightness decay, color shifts, and chip aging.

UV radiation → Encapsulation aging
The encapsulation can yellow and become brittle under sunlight, reducing light transmittance and affecting overall screen color uniformity. SMD screens, with protective housings, are better suited for outdoor use as they resist UV radiation more effectively.

Humidity, dust, temperature fluctuations → Encapsulation damage
If micro-cracks appear in the full-surface COB encapsulation, moisture can penetrate and affect chip stability. Ordinary glass covers or added waterproof strips can only partially mitigate these issues and cannot fundamentally solve the problem.

Summary: The challenges for outdoor COB are multi-dimensional, not limited to heat or protection alone.

CNLC Air-Conditioned COB P1.25: System-Level Design Enables Outdoor COB

CNLC’s innovation lies in a fully systemized design:

• Built-in air conditioning + optimized internal airflow: Maintains the cabinet interior at around 40°C, allowing chips to operate in a stable environment even when outdoor temperatures range from 0–60°C.

• 99% UV-blocking optical glass + IK10 impact resistance: Blocks ultraviolet light, enhances hardness, reduces glare, and withstands outdoor impacts.

• IP66 fully enclosed cabinet: Keeps electronic components shielded from the air, combined with air-conditioned circulation for true protection against water, dust, and humidity.

• 3500 nits high brightness: Solves traditional COB brightness deficiencies, ensuring clear visibility under direct sunlight.

This is not simply “adding air conditioning.” It is a full-chain optimization from PCB encapsulation to cabinet structure, thermal management, optical glass, and protection rating, allowing COB to achieve long-term, stable outdoor operation. Previously, the industry often said: “COB cannot be used outdoors.” Now we can say:

COB is not inherently unsuitable for outdoor use; the problem has been the lack of a system-level, outdoor-focused solution.

CNLC’s air-conditioned COB P1.25 redefines the possibilities of outdoor COB through full-chain optimization from chip encapsulation to cabinet structure, thermal management, optical glass, and protection rating.
It is not simply an indoor screen placed outdoors; it is a true technological reconstruction—each component is carefully designed to ensure COB can operate stably outdoors over the long term.

Global Debut at ISE 2026 – Experience It Firsthand

As a milestone achievement of CNLC’s years of R&D, the air-conditioned COB LED P1.25 will officially debut at ISE 2026.
This will mark the first time the industry sees a COB product genuinely capable of long-term stable outdoor operation, representing an important moment as CNLC and global partners explore the future of outdoor LED displays.

We sincerely invite you to visit ISE 2026, experience this breakthrough technology firsthand, and witness the future possibilities of outdoor COB.