Project Background

This inquiry came from an Australian customer planning a temporary outdoor LED installation for a hospitality venue in Wickham, Western Australia.

The screen itself was relatively straightforward:

• approximately 4.5 m wide × 2.5 m high

• approximately 11.25 m²

• around 45 pcs 500 × 500 mm rental LED cabinets

• freestanding rather than attached to a building

However, this was not a normal one- or two-day event installation.

The customer expected the LED system to remain outdoors for approximately three months.

The customer also described the installation site as being in a tropical cyclone region and clearly stated that the LED structure was not expected to remain operational through a cyclone.

Instead, the requirement was that the LED cabinets—and where appropriate other parts of the system—could be removed relatively quickly when a cyclone warning was issued.

At first, the RFQ seemed very specific:

“Freestanding aluminium ground-support / stage truss for outdoor LED screen.”

But after reading the complete requirement, we did not immediately start selecting an aluminum truss size.

The rest of the RFQ pointed toward a different structural problem.

The Customer Was Asking for More Than an LED Truss

The original RFQ included:

• freestanding LED support structure

• screen hanging/support hardware

• large bases

• outriggers where required

• ballast provision

• clamps and connectors

• export packing

• assembly instructions

• approximate dismantling time

• recommended number of people for dismantling

The customer later added another important requirement:

theft resistance.

They asked us to consider options including:

• lockable or security hardware for LED cabinets

• tamper-resistant fasteners

• anti-theft brackets

• security for processor and control equipment

• cable protection

• possible CCTV or alarm integration points

• overnight securing procedures

So the project was no longer simply:

Which aluminum truss should hold a 4.5 × 2.5 m LED screen?

The more useful question became:

What temporary structural system can support the LED while also providing space for ballast, rear working access, maintenance, dismantling, security measures and monitoring?

That change in question led us away from the product named in the RFQ.

Our Initial Judgment: Consider Ringlock First

Our first response to the customer was:

“I would suggest Ringlock truss system for your need.”

This was a practical proposal based on our previous temporary-structure experience, not a completed structural calculation.

Why did Ringlock come to mind?

Because many of the customer's secondary requirements benefited from a three-dimensional modular structure with usable depth, rather than only a relatively narrow aluminum ground-support frame.

A Ringlock structure can potentially provide:

• a larger freestanding footprint

• multiple horizontal and vertical connection points

• usable space below and behind the LED

• room for a future verified ballast arrangement

• rear working platforms

• secondary restraint points

• positions for CCTV or other monitoring equipment

• a modular structure that can be changed according to the final requirement

For general Ringlock system information, see:

Ringlock Structure System

For project-oriented LED structural configurations, see:

LED Screen Structure

Option A — Follow the RFQ Literally: Aluminum Ground-Support Truss

The customer's requested solution was familiar:

aluminum event truss + bases + outriggers + LED support hardware.

There was nothing inherently unreasonable about that concept.

For many temporary LED applications, aluminum ground support is a practical solution.

It also matched the product language the customer already knew.

But in this case, the difficult part was not simply holding the LED screen in place.

The RFQ also included:

• approximately three months of outdoor use

• ballast provision

• cyclone-warning dismantling

• theft deterrence

• monitoring

• equipment security

• maintenance access

If we followed only the words:

“professional aluminium event/stage truss preferred”

we could easily end up answering the product request without fully answering the operating requirement.

Option B — Treat It as a Ringlock LED Support and Working-Access Structure

Our alternative was to stop thinking of the project as a simple aluminum frame around an LED screen.

Instead, we considered it as a small Ringlock LED support system with working access behind the screen.

Suggested caption: Preliminary Ringlock concept showing how a deeper modular structure could support the LED while also providing space for working platforms, ballast planning and security integration.

The difference is important.

A Ringlock structure does not only create a front support line.

It can create usable depth behind the LED.

And in this project, that depth could solve one of the customer's most important operational requirements.

The Cyclone Requirement Was Really an Access-and-Dismantling Requirement

The customer did not ask us to design an LED system that would remain in service through a cyclone.

The RFQ specifically said that the LED cabinets should be relatively quick to remove when a cyclone warning was issued.

That changes the structural question.

The issue is not only:

How do we support the LED during normal operation?

It is also:

How do technicians reach the rear of the LED when the cabinets need to be inspected, serviced or removed?

This became another strong reason for proposing Ringlock.

Ringlock Can Create a Working Platform Behind the LED

With Ringlock, we can extend the structure behind the LED wall and add Ringlock pallets / working platforms.

These platforms can provide technicians with a defined working position directly behind the LED cabinets.

Conceptually:

LED Screen

↓

Rear Installation / Maintenance / Dismantling Platform

↓

Ringlock Support Structure

This means the support structure can serve more than one function.

During normal operation, the rear platform can help with:

• LED cabinet inspection

• cable access

• power and signal connection checks

• routine maintenance

• replacement of individual LED cabinets

When the customer receives a cyclone warning, the same platform can support a more organized dismantling process.

Technicians can work from behind the screen rather than trying to access the cabinets only from the ground or from temporary ladders.

Why the Rear Platform Is Economical

Another advantage is that this does not necessarily require us to design a completely separate maintenance structure.

The customer already needs a Ringlock support system.

By adding the required pallets / working decks and access components, the same structural system can create the rear working area.

So instead of:

LED support structure

separate maintenance platform

we can potentially use:

one Ringlock structure performing both functions.

From our practical quotation experience, that can be a relatively economical way to add installation, inspection and dismantling access.

It also fits the modular nature of the system.

If the final layout changes, the location and number of pallets can be adjusted together with the Ringlock bay arrangement.

Quick Dismantling Does Not Mean the Whole Ringlock Structure Must Come Down First

There is an important distinction here.

A Ringlock structure contains more individual components than a minimal aluminum ground-support frame.

Therefore, we should not automatically claim that the complete Ringlock structure is faster to dismantle.

That is not the real advantage we were proposing.

The practical sequence may instead be:

1. provide rear access platforms behind the LED;

2. allow technicians to reach the cabinets directly;

3. remove LED cabinets and vulnerable electronic equipment first;

4. remove cables and related equipment;

5. then deal with the remaining support structure according to the final cyclone-response procedure.

So the benefit is not:

Ringlock always comes down faster.

The benefit is:

Ringlock can provide a permanent working position behind the LED, making the critical equipment-removal operation more practical.

The exact removal sequence still needs to be confirmed after the final LED mounting and Ringlock configuration are established.

For This Project, the Structure Also Needed to Support the People Working on the LED

This became an important part of our thinking.

The customer initially described a structure for supporting an LED screen.

But once installation, maintenance and emergency removal were considered, the structure had another job:

It also needed to provide practical access for the people installing, maintaining and eventually removing that LED screen.

That is why the rear working platform mattered.

Without considering access, it is easy to design only around the equipment.

But in real operation, someone still has to:

• install the cabinets;

• connect cables;

• inspect the system;

• replace a damaged cabinet;

• dismantle equipment when required.

The support structure should therefore be considered together with its operating access.

Why the Ballast Requirement Also Changed Our Thinking

The customer explicitly asked us to include ballast provision.

A deeper Ringlock structure gives us physical space below and behind the LED where a ballast arrangement can potentially be incorporated.

In our initial message to the customer, we explained that ballast could be placed within the lower Ringlock structure.

But there is an important engineering boundary here.

We should not say:

Put a certain amount of ballast underneath the LED and the system will be cyclone-safe.

That has not been established.

The customer already stated that the LED system was not intended to remain operational during a cyclone.

So the correct statement is:

Ringlock gives us useful physical space for a future ballast arrangement, but the actual ballast quantity and placement must be determined from the final geometry, LED area, site conditions, wind requirements and appropriate engineering verification.

No ballast quantity has been calculated at this proposal stage.

Theft Resistance Was Another Reason We Looked Beyond a Simple Truss Frame

The customer's follow-up message introduced another requirement:

make the installed outdoor system as theft-resistant as practical.

Some of the requested solutions were equipment-specific:

• cabinet security hardware

• tamper-resistant fasteners

• cable locks

• lockable processor racks

But part of the question was structural.

Could the support system itself provide more opportunities for secondary security?

This again made a three-dimensional Ringlock structure attractive.

Secondary Chains and Security Restraints

In our reply, we suggested that secondary chains could be used between the LED cabinets and the Ringlock structure.

The multiple ledgers, standards and braces provide many possible attachment positions.

The exact restraint arrangement still needs to be confirmed according to the final LED hardware and structure.

The important point is simply that Ringlock gives us many available structural locations from which additional security measures can be developed.

This does not make the installation theft-proof.

It gives the project more physical options for theft deterrence.

CCTV and Monitoring Positions

The customer also asked about CCTV and alarm integration.

Again, Ringlock offers a practical advantage because the structure contains many standards, ledgers and working levels.

That means cameras can potentially be mounted:

• above the LED

• behind the screen

• along the side structure

• facing equipment-access areas

• overlooking processor or cable locations

The Ringlock structure itself is not a security system.

But it provides multiple physical mounting points for the security system the customer eventually chooses.

The Rear Working Platform Can Also Help With Security and Maintenance

Once pallets are installed behind the LED, that rear zone can serve several functions:

normal operation

• LED inspection

• cable management

• maintenance access

security operation

• camera placement

• inspection of cabinet restraints

• checking cables and control equipment

cyclone-warning operation

• technician access

• LED cabinet removal

• cable disconnection

• equipment dismantling

This is one reason the Ringlock proposal became increasingly logical as we read more of the customer's RFQ.

The same structural depth was answering several different operating problems.

We Did Not Follow the Product Name in the RFQ

This is the part of the inquiry that makes it useful as a DragonStructure Case Study.

The customer explicitly asked for:

“Freestanding aluminium ground-support / stage truss.”

We could easily have responded with:

• aluminum towers

• top beam

• large bases

• outriggers

• clamps

and stopped there.

Instead, we looked at the requirements underneath the requested product:

three-month outdoor use

freestanding installation

LED support

ballast provision

rear maintenance access

cyclone-warning dismantling

anti-theft measures

CCTV integration

and our judgment became:

This sounded more like a Ringlock LED support and working-access problem than a conventional aluminum ground-support truss problem.

That does not mean Ringlock has already been proven to be the final solution.

It means the complete RFQ gave us enough reason to change the structural direction before quotation continued.

What the Ringlock Concept Potentially Solves Better

At this proposal stage, our reasoning can be summarized as follows:

The rear working platform was particularly relevant because the customer had already asked us to consider how the LED cabinets could be dismantled relatively quickly when a cyclone warning was issued.

What Ringlock Does Not Automatically Solve

It is equally important to state what the preliminary Ringlock proposal does not prove.

Ringlock does not automatically establish:

• the required ballast;

• cyclone resistance;

• wind rating;

• dismantling time;

• labor requirement;

• final LED capacity;

• Australian compliance;

• foundation requirements;

• engineering approval.

Those questions remain project-specific.

The concept drawing demonstrates the direction of the proposal, not a verified final design.

Current Proposal Status

This project is still at the proposal stage.

The confirmed decision process so far is:

Customer RFQ

Aluminum freestanding ground-support truss.

↓

Additional requirements

Three-month outdoor installation, ballast, theft deterrence, CCTV, maintenance and cyclone-warning dismantling.

↓

Our judgment

Do not assume aluminum ground support is automatically the best system simply because it was named in the RFQ.

↓

Alternative proposed

Evaluate a Ringlock-based LED support system.

↓

Additional Ringlock function identified

Add pallets behind the LED to create:

installation + maintenance + dismantling working platforms.

↓

Current status

Awaiting further customer discussion.

There is currently:

• no final approved structure

• no final BOQ

• no confirmed ballast quantity

• no verified dismantling time

• no final engineering calculation

We therefore describe this as a proposal-stage Case Study, not as a completed project.

Why This Proposal Is Still Worth Documenting

Not every useful Case Study begins after an order is completed.

Sometimes the most valuable part of a quotation happens earlier:

the moment we realize that the product the customer asked for may not be the best way to solve the actual operating problem.

The customer knew the phrase:

aluminum ground-support truss.

That was the product they asked suppliers to quote.

But their detailed requirements were really about:

• support;

• access;

• ballast;

• security;

• maintenance;

• monitoring;

• dismantling.

Once those requirements were read together, the project looked different.

That decision process already has value, even before the customer decides whether to accept the Ringlock direction.

Experience-Based Judgment vs. Engineering Verification

This distinction is especially important because the inquiry involves outdoor LED equipment, wind exposure, ballast and dismantling procedures.

Confirmed Facts

The supplied customer correspondence confirms:

• LED screen approximately 4.5 × 2.5 m

• around 11.25 m²

• approximately 45 pcs 500 × 500 mm cabinets

• freestanding installation

• temporary outdoor use for approximately three months

• installation in Western Australia

• customer-described tropical cyclone exposure

• structure not intended to remain operational through a cyclone

• requirement for relatively quick LED removal

• request for ballast provision

• request for theft deterrence

• request for CCTV/security integration

• request for dismantling time and crew recommendations

• our preliminary recommendation to evaluate Ringlock

• our proposal to use the Ringlock structure for LED support, ballast space and security integration

• our proposal to add rear pallets / working platforms for installation, maintenance and dismantling access

Experience-Based Judgment

Our preference to examine Ringlock first was based on practical temporary-structure experience.

The reasoning included:

• a deeper support footprint;

• usable space below and behind the LED;

• ability to add working platforms;

• space for future ballast arrangements;

• multiple security attachment locations;

• multiple CCTV mounting positions;

• modular configuration flexibility.

These are proposal-stage practical judgments.

They are not structural calculations.

Not Yet Verified

The current project information does not provide verified:

• wind calculations;

• cyclone resistance;

• ballast quantity;

• footing/foundation requirements;

• allowable LED loading;

• safety factors;

• dismantling duration;

• required crew size;

• residual-frame wind condition after LED removal;

• Australian certification or compliance;

• engineering approval.

Those items require final project data and appropriate verification.

This separation between confirmed facts, experience-based judgment and verified engineering conclusions is a mandatory DragonStructure writing principle.

What This Case Shows

The strongest lesson from this inquiry is not:

Ringlock is better than aluminum truss.

That would be too broad.

The useful lesson is:

Do not let the product name in the RFQ prevent you from re-reading the actual operating requirement.

The RFQ said:

“Aluminum ground-support truss.”

But the complete requirement sounded more like:

a Ringlock LED support, working-access and operations problem.

The customer did not only need something that could hold an LED screen.

They also needed to think about:

• where ballast could eventually go;

• how technicians would reach the back of the screen;

• how LED cabinets could be inspected;

• how equipment could be removed after a cyclone warning;

• where cameras could be mounted;

• how secondary anti-theft restraints could be arranged.

Once those requirements were considered together, the structural direction changed.

And perhaps the most useful sentence from this project is:

For this project, the structure was not only supporting the LED. It also needed to support the people who would install, maintain and eventually remove it.

What Still Needs to Be Confirmed

Before this proposal can become a final structural solution, we still need to confirm:

• actual final LED dimensions

• actual total LED weight

• cabinet support/hanging arrangement

• final Ringlock geometry

• required working-platform height and depth

• rear access route

• site dimensions

• available footprint

• ground conditions

• applicable local wind requirements

• ballast requirements

• cyclone-warning dismantling procedure

• which parts must be removed first

• security hardware

• CCTV / monitoring responsibility

• processor and cable protection

• packing and transport

• final installation schedule

The customer also requires the full package to be available in Perth before January 2027.

That schedule can only be confirmed together with the final scope, production plan and shipping arrangement.

FAQ

Why didn't you immediately quote aluminum ground-support truss?

Because the customer's RFQ included much more than basic LED support. The three-month outdoor installation, ballast requirement, cyclone-warning dismantling, maintenance access, security and CCTV requirements made us consider whether a deeper modular Ringlock structure would better address the complete operational requirement.

Does this mean Ringlock is always better for outdoor LED screens?

No.

Aluminum ground support and Ringlock can both be suitable depending on the application.

Our proposal was driven by this project's particular combination of support, working access, security, ballast and dismantling requirements.

How does Ringlock help with LED removal when a cyclone warning is issued?

The main advantage is not that the entire Ringlock structure is automatically faster to dismantle.

The useful feature is that Ringlock pallets / working platforms can be installed behind the LED screen, giving technicians direct access to the rear of the LED cabinets.

That can make inspection, cable disconnection and cabinet removal more practical.

The actual dismantling time, crew size and sequence still need to be confirmed from the final structure.

Can the rear Ringlock platform also be used during normal operation?

Yes.

The same platform can potentially provide access for:

• installation;

• maintenance;

• cable work;

• cabinet replacement;

• inspection.

This is one reason we considered it an economical addition to the support structure.

Is the proposed Ringlock structure cyclone-rated?

No cyclone rating has been established.

The customer specifically stated that the system is not intended to remain operational during a cyclone.

The final response to cyclone warnings, wind conditions and the remaining structure would require project-specific engineering verification.

How much ballast is required?

That has not yet been calculated.

The preliminary Ringlock concept only gives us useful physical space for incorporating ballast.

The actual quantity and arrangement must be determined from the final structure, screen configuration, site conditions and appropriate engineering analysis.

Can Ringlock make the LED installation theft-proof?

No.

The Ringlock structure can provide multiple positions for secondary chains, anti-theft hardware, CCTV and other security measures, but the overall installation cannot responsibly be described as theft-proof.

How long would LED dismantling take?

No verified time has yet been established.

The customer asked for dismantling time and recommended crew size, but those figures should only be given after the final screen mounting arrangement, access platform and removal sequence are confirmed.