DESIGN & SUPPLY CHAIN

FROM THE DIODE UP

We design the circuit boards, choose the diodes and work with the factories that build them. Every link in the chain is one we know by name.

01 · DIODENationStarREESTAR premium RGB diodes 02 · BOARDHOLODECK LEDMIP PCB design at 0.78, 0.9 and 1.2mm 03 · PLACEMENTBentuoSurface-mount lines in Hangcheng, Bao’an 04 · ASSEMBLYHOLODECK LEDFinal assembly and RMA, Guangming, Shenzhen 05 · RE-MODHOLODECK LEDNew modules for the screens you already own 06 · RE-FRAMEHOLODECK LEDNew frames for old modules

01 · THE DIODE

It starts with NationStar

We build on NationStar’s REESTAR premium RGB diodes. The diode sets the ceiling for color, brightness and consistency, so it is the first choice we make.

Founded in 1969, NationStar diodes ranks No. 1 worldwide in high-definition display LED market share, 2020–2024 (TrendForce)

NationStar headquarters, Chancheng, Foshan: its LED packaging and module production base.

646,000sq ft of land (60,050 m²)

1.5 millionsq ft of floor space (140,552 m²)

1969year NationStar was founded

John Hu and Brian Evans of HOLODECK LED with Mr. Qin, General Manager of NationStar, and Mr. Xie and Mr. Ma of NationStar’s RGB LED Business Unit, at NationStar headquarters in Foshan.

A REESTAR line at NationStar. REESTAR is NationStar’s high-end RGB LED brand.

The length of NationStar’s production floor, seen from the visitor corridor.

The lobby at NationStar headquarters, Foshan.

NationStar’s new headquarters in Foshan.

On the show floor together

As a critical partner, we exhibit with NationStar at trade shows, including InfoComm 2025 in Orlando and ISE 2026 in Barcelona. NationStar wants its name to stand out, and we are glad to share the stand.

Unknown to many, NationStar supplies many of the world’s largest LED display makers. A 2020 analyst report names its REESTAR line as a core supplier to Leyard and Unilumin.¹

Few display brands say whose diodes are inside, because they would rather promote their own name. We would rather be transparent.

1. Dongguan Securities, NationStar (002449) in-depth report, April 29, 2020.

Our booth with NationStar at ISE 2026 in Barcelona.

The HOLODECK LED and NationStar teams at InfoComm 2025 in Orlando.

02 · THE BOARD

We designed NationStar’s MIP boards

As NationStar moves into MIP (Mini LED in Package), we designed the circuit boards in three pitches: 0.78mm, 0.9mm and 1.2mm.

At these fine densities the board is critical. Trace routing, power delivery and heat all have to be right for the finished display to be uniform. Surface copper coverage of 90%, vs the 75% industry average.

Our PCB design work is done by Chipstar PCB Design, the design house owned by the Zhang brothers, part owners of HOLODECK LED and our head of R&D and factory manager.

0.78MM MIP

0.9MM MIP

1.2MM MIP

PCB circuit design

Circuit and board layout for LED modules, from the driver circuit to the finished board

PCB design of a 1.9mm board, IC driver side.

Mechanical design

Cabinets, frames and finished products, designed around the display they carry and each client’s needs. Our mechanical design is co-developed with the former head of ROE Visual’s industrial design team, who was responsible for the iconic BP2 and BP2V2.

Mechanical drawing of the HoloVision Billboard 2 by 1 ft cabinet, rear view, with handles, power box and connectors — HoloVision™ Billboard cabinet, rear view: our proprietary 2 × 1 ft panel, designed by our Mechanical Design Division.

CAD rear view of a self-contained LED module with a 2-in-1 power supply and receiver card

CAD three-quarter view of the same module, showing the rear housing, heat sink fins and power inlet

A self-contained module design, with a 2-in-1 power supply and receiver card, shown in CAD: rear view and three-quarter view.

03 · PLACEMENT

Diodes placed and modules made at Bentuo

Bentuo started out in Shiyan, Shenzhen, next door to ROE Visual’s (Radiant Opto Electronics) original workshop, and worked alongside ROE as it grew. Today Bentuo runs its placement lines in Hangcheng, Bao’an. Made at Bentuo to our formula: our board design, our REESTAR diodes, our choice of every component.

Bentuo headquarters, Shenzhen.

2009founded, June 2009

86,000sq ft of plant (8,000 m²)

200staff

ISO 9001quality system, certified by SGS

A surface-mount line at Bentuo.

Component reels loaded for placement.

John Hu and Paul Galando with Mr. Jiang, owner of Bentuo.

An operator on Bentuo’s line.

Reflow ovens, where the parts are soldered to the board.

04 · ASSEMBLY

Assembled and tested in Guangming

Final assembly happens at the HOLODECK LED facility in Guangming, Shenzhen. This is where the modules join up with power supplies, logic boards and the frame to become finished panels, and where panels are tested before they ship.

John Hu and Brian Evans with the Zhang brothers, our head of R&D and factory manager and the owners of Chipstar PCB Design, at the Guangming facility in 2019.

Water-spray testing on finished cabinets.

The “click” and “lock” cable connector on HoloVision™ Billboard panels.

A proprietary SoftFlex™ module, bent by hand.

HoloPod™, HoloTotem™ and HoloLectern™ displays in the showroom at our Guangming facility.

Inside our final assembly workshop.

05 · RE-MOD

A second life for a fleet of panels, or a network of digital billboards.

Re-mod builds new modules for the panels you already own, regardless of original manufacturer: a fleet of 6mm panels can be refaced at 3.9mm, for example, without replacing the frames.

Upgrade the pitch at a fraction of the cost

New, finer-pitch modules built to fit your existing panels and frames. Re-mod = same frame: your frames stay, only the modules are new. All at roughly half the cost of new panels.

Orphaned fleets

When the original maker or its suppliers stop making parts, or if they ever go out of business, we find the module on the open market or, for a private design, build new tooling to replicate it.

Ten years of parts

Microsoft specified 10 years of parts availability and life cycle for its Mountain View Cube. We hold our most demanding clients to the same standard.

CASE 1

Show Screen, Touring Remod of Rocketsign

3.9mm, 1,000 sqm, 4,000 panels, 16,000 modules.

Concert stage framed by Show Screen LED walls, with a youth orchestra and soloists — Show Screen on stage.

Back of the client's original 2017 RocketSign module (left) beside the back of the new 2025 Re-mod module (right) — The client's original RocketSign module (2017, left) vs our Re-mod module (2025, right).

Side-by-side comparison of a client's original RocketSign PCB board from 2017 (left, maker now defunct) and HOLODECK LED's Re-mod PCB upgrade from 2025 (right) — The client's original RocketSign PCB board from 2017 vs our Re-mod PCB upgrade in 2025 (right).

3D design of the new Case 1 Re-mod module — The 3D design of the new product: premium NationStar LEDs with high-refresh MBI Macroblock ICs.

New 3.9mm plastic housing for the Re-mod module — 3D Printing prototype used to ensure final product fits exactly

Die-cast mold tooling for the Re-mod module — The module tooling we created for the new Re-mod (about $7,000).

Force gauge reading 4.90 kg pressing against an LED module during a strength test — Our PCB design pushes LED strength to 4.90 kg, almost double the ~2.0 kg industry average. We use better material and thicker copper: over 1.0 oz vs the typical 0.8 oz.

Show Screen owner testing module reliability at the factory — The owner of Show Screen doing repeated solder strength and reliability tests personally at our factory.

CASE 2

Department Store Fixed Install Lighthouse 8mm Module Remod + Reframe

8mm, 64 sqm total.

We re-modded and re-framed the original 2015 8mm Lighthouse panels in Fukuoka, Japan, reusing the existing steel structure with every dimension matched up for a fine-tolerance fit.

Hakata Marui building facade — The Hakata Marui facade, home of the original screen.

Old Lighthouse panel, 2015 — The old Lighthouse panel.

New Re-mod frame, 2026 — The final result: the new Re-mod upgrade, 2026 complete with MET certificate

Original shop drawing for the Hakata Marui project — The original shop drawing for the Hakata Marui project.

Zoom call to discuss project details — A Zoom call with the project team to discuss the details.

Site coordination: mounting plate adjustment — Site coordination: the client's engineer noted the mounting plates had no slotted holes for front-to-back adjustment, and reworking the steel frame was not in the work plan, so we solved the alignment by adjusting module thickness instead.

Adapter plate tolerance check — Tolerance check: the adapter plate holes could not be re-machined on site, so we matched every dimension exactly for a high-tolerance fit of the new frames into the existing steel structure.

3D design of the new Re-mod frame — The 3D design of the new product: premium NationStar LEDs with high-refresh MBI Macroblock ICs.

06 · RE-FRAME

New frames for the original modules

Reframe, refurbish, recalibrate, repurpose, resell.

Re-frame: we design new frames and panels for the original salvageable modules, recalibrated for repurposing or resale on the secondary market.

Calibration

We recalibrate brightness and color module by module, so an older wall looks even again.

Refurbish

New power supplies where they are needed, or an upgrade to the latest logic cards.

LED display wall before calibration, uneven brightness (left), and after calibration, uniform brightness (right) — Before and after calibration.

Have a board to design, or a fleet to retrofit?

Tell us the pitch, the product and where it is going, and our engineers will take it from there.

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