Please consider that maybe, just *maybe*, your product does not need a blue LED (lame

[Mangetout]

Now I remember the sepia-toned days of the 70s and 80s, when all we had was red, green and amber LEDs - they weren't very bright, but we were thankful, so I was every bit as geeked-out as the best of them when along came beautiful blue, violet and white LEDs, along with ultra-bright green, red and yellow.

But here's the thing: Blue LEDs, although they're still a lovely idea, are too fucking bright to put on every conceivable piece of electronic equipment. They hurt to look at, and when your product happens to be one that people have to look at in order to use, they make your product a right pain in the arse.

Now, yes, I could shop around and maybe find one of the dwindling number of products where the manufacturers haven't yet jumped on the blue LED bandwagon, but that doesn't work for buying online.

So, manufacturers of electronic devices, please consider whether your product is truly enhanced or, like in most cases, actually diminished by the gratuitous inclusion of an eyeball-searing blue LED. We don't want them in our faces.

[Princhester]

Resistance is futile. You shall have blue LED's.

[Aankh]

I am completely on board with this rant. I just purchased a $20 set of speaker-headphones. Plug it into the USB hub and voila! Instant blindness!

Some designer intelligently thought that sticking a BRILLIANT BLUE FLASHING LED on a volume control about 10cm from your face would be a good idea. It doesn't even serve any purpose; it just flashes. Increase volume? FLASH FLASH FLASH. Decrease volume? FLASH FLASH FLASH. Twiddle your thumbs and do nothing? FLASH FLASH FLASH.

Maybe I'm supposed to feel my cheap headset is more substantial thanks to that blinking horror of an LED, I don't know. All I know is, it's bright enough to reflect off my walls 10 feet away, and it's 10cm from my face!

Ugh.

[CynicalGabe]

Link

[Mangetout]

See, that I don't mind at all - it's a string of blue lights - its main purposes are to be a)bright and b)blue.

[Ale]

Oh man, are you right about that.

I love my laptop, very good stuff, but right now there are 11 (I shit you not) blue leds at an average of 1.5 inches from the screen, it´s fucking annoying, I even thought about taping them over.

[Mangetout]

A little blob of nail varnish is apparently quite good - if you pick the right colour, it just mutes the brightness down to a comfortable level.

The blue LED thing has been bothering me a while, but the thing that tipped me over the edge today is the arrival of my new USB hub - one of these - there's a blue LED - painfully bright, of course - right in the middle. The odd thing is that the transparent flip cover includes an opaque plastic button/label that completely covers it (when the lid is closed) - it's as if they stuck the blue LED in there, then realised 'fuck, that hurts to look at', and covered it up.

[neutron star]

I'm an LED fanatic - I admit it. As soon as someone starts LED Anonymous, I'll probably join.

Of course, I'm far from impartial in this debate, since I've been known to take apart the DVD drives in my computer and replace the boring status LEDs with brilliant blues. For a real kick I like to go with "pink" LEDs. I put that in quotes because it's more of a purplish pink, and is my favorite-colored LED. (Why yes, I am a nerd )

The problem with blue LEDs is that pretty much all of them are ultrabrights.

Ultrabrights in the original colors do exist (and I love to use them), but are not commonly used in consumer products.

I do sympathize with your situation, but the only real options (besides covering the offending light with electrical tape, which I have done), are:

1. Replace the blue LED with a dim green one. The voltage requirements are similar.
2. Add a resistor to dim the brightness of your LED.

I do not recommend either of these options if you don't have any experience with soldering electronics. Hell, even if you do, surface-mount LEDs are sometimes used and they can be a royal PITA if you only have a cheap soldering iron.

[enipla]

Agreed. My new modem for Internet satellite has FIVE of the things on it. It’s up in the loft above our bedroom. It was so damn bright it kept us up at night.

I ended up putting electrical tape over them and cutting a tiny little hole over each one so I could monitor them.

Still enough light leaks out of the cooling vents that it’s like having a night light on.

[Testy]

How about a butane lighter? I bought a cheap butane lighter a few days ago. The sales guy at the local mini-market told me these were very good and lasted a long time.
Anyway, I took the thing home and the first time I used it I discovered that it had a pair of extremely bright red and blue LEDs that flicker for about five seconds every time I use the lighter.
I bought a different lighter.

Testy

[Mangetout]

Wise move. Five seconds is long enough for the snipers to get you.

[Szlater]

Blue LEDs keep ninjas away.

[Anaamika]

Er....I really like those blue LED lights.

:looks shamefaced:

I'm more likely to buy the equivalant product with blue lights than anything else. So I guess you should be pitting me, and consumers like me.

But...they're so pretty!

[Nancarrow]

My new (well, four months now) laptop has blue LEDs. In fact, as well as the three little dots for power, HD usage and whatever, it's got two STRIPS of blue LEDs, left and right at the front, graded in brightness so the brightest bits are near the centre, and then they fade as you go to the edge.

I think these are really really really cool. x 20.


I heart blue LEDs. Blue LEDs are my friends. Nay, they are my fuckbuddies.


There is no product that does not need blue LEDs. I wish my coffee mug had blue LEDs.

[Testy]

Originally Posted by Mangetout

Wise move. Five seconds is long enough for the snipers to get you.

I couldn't believe how bright the things were. I hurriedly shoved it back in my shirt pocket but you could still see the lights.

Aanamika

No problem. I'll send you all these lighters I come across.

Regards

Testy

[Anaamika]

Testy, honestly, I would love that! I no longer even like yellow LEDs.

[Mangetout]

Originally Posted by Anaamika

Er....I really like those blue LED lights.

:looks shamefaced:

I'm more likely to buy the equivalant product with blue lights than anything else. So I guess you should be pitting me, and consumers like me.

But...they're so pretty!

That settles it. I'm going to build a human-scale version of these, using blue LEDs as the lure.


Seriously, I like blue LEDs too, I just don't like them skewering my eyeballs on items I have to look at for any length of time.

[ErinPuff]

My external DVD burner has a blue LED that's bright enough to see by when the lights are off. It's on my desk right next to my laptop, so I cover it up to avoid going mad.

[Szlater]

Originally Posted by Mangetout

That settles it. I'm going to build a human-scale version of these, using blue LEDs as the lure.


Seriously, I like blue LEDs too, I just don't like them skewering my eyeballs on items I have to look at for any length of time.

Have you considered taking a little sandpaper to the top of the LED to make it more diffuse?

[Mangetout]

Originally Posted by Szlater

Have you considered taking a little sandpaper to the top of the LED to make it more diffuse?

That's not a bad idea (although not always practical as sometimes they're located behind transparent fascias or are recessed into the plastic). But I just tried diffusing the light on my USB hub by putting a piece of translucent plastic over the top, and it still hurts to look at.

[Sunspace]

Originally Posted by Ale

I love my laptop, very good stuff, but right now there are 11 (I shit you not) blue leds at an average of 1.5 inches from the screen, it´s fucking annoying, I even thought about taping them over.

My laptop has one white LED in the lid-release button on the edge. There's a tiny green/yellow LED in the power-adaptor cord. That's it.

My cellphone, on the other hand... blue all over! Extra-special blue pulsing lights half-hidden under a painted surround! Blue backlight on the keyboard!

Anaamika, Nancarrow, have you ever checked out the LED Museum? LEDs of every colour, including blue and ultraviolet! Flashlights! LEDs by themselves! Blue lasers!

[Mike Fun]

I was having some work done on my modular synthesizer and I since the red LEDs needed to be replaced anyway, I thought it would be cool to have blue LEDs. There's 8 of them, and damn are they bright. I can't look directly at the device when it's running. I put a strip of tape over them when needed. The only cool aspect is that when it's running and cycling through the lights, it looks like the police just arrived.

The builder even called me to warn that the lights were on the bright side, and that he had other colors available if I didn't like the red, so I guess it's my own damn fault for not heeding his warning.

[Nanoda]

I think I posted here about the stupid LEDs on the servers in our server room; the one on the top rack continually blinded me when I bent down to pull out the KVM.

Last month I put a piece of regular tape over it, then coloured overtop of it with a black marker. Result: An LED of the proper brightness, and a lack of punches from our IT guy for doing anything permanent to the servers.

[Trunk]

The stupidest is that they put them on alarm clocks.

You can read by the fucking things.

[Sunspace]

I have a cheap toaster oven with a blue light. To be fair, I don't think it's a LED, but still...

[Antinor01]

Originally Posted by Trunk

The stupidest is that they put them on alarm clocks.

You can read by the fucking things.

I've got one of those. I had no idea it would be so bright when I bought it! I have to turn the thing away from the bed to be able to sleep, damn thing would keep me awake otherwise.

[TroubleAgain]

When that chapter of Blue LED Anonymous forms, somebody let me know, 'kay?

Hi, I'm TroubleAgain, and I'm an LED addict....

[Bobotheoptimist]

Originally Posted by Nanoda

I think I posted here about the stupid LEDs on the servers in our server room; the one on the top rack continually blinded me when I bent down to pull out the KVM.

Rack after rack of 1U Dells, all with one Psycho-Brite LED... it hurts to look that direction.

If it was an error indicator and/or UID (like they used to be) it wouldn't be so bad, but they are on all the time, and they blink when powered off. I hate 'em!

Now, on the end of a staff or embedded into the back of my Millennium Falcon, that'd be cool, but dozens of them, all lined up, all day every day, isn't so much fun.

[dwc1970]

Originally Posted by Szlater

Have you considered taking a little sandpaper to the top of the LED to make it more diffuse?

Or how about using a piece of Scotch^TM tape? This might diffuse the light without causing any damage to the unit, and it would get around the aforementioned problems with recessed/embedded LEDs.

FTR, I like blue LEDs.

[Anaamika]

Originally Posted by TroubleAgain

When that chapter of Blue LED Anonymous forms, somebody let me know, 'kay?

Hi, I'm TroubleAgain, and I'm an LED addict....

Ooo! Can I be president?

[Lightnin']

Preach it, brother.

My TV has a fairly bright blue LED on the front, which turns on whenever the TV is on. It's freakin' annoying, and serves no purpose whatsoever except to attempt to outshine whatever's displayed on the screen at the time.

The worst, though, is my toothbrush. My freakin' toothbrush, man! It's a rechargeable electric toothbrush, and it does a really good job of keeping my pearly whites their pearly whitest. However, when you place it back on the charging base, a searchlight-bright blue LED inside the toothbrush starts flashing BLUE. BLINK. BLINK. BLINK. BLINK.

It can take up to 24 hours to recharge, since it's just an induction charger. Even worse, my bathroom sinks are basically in the bedroom, and face the bed. So all night long, when my toothbrush needs recharging, my otherwise dark, comfy bedroom is subjected to BLINK. BLINK. BLINK. BLINK.

I'm gonna go postal real soon now, I just know it.

[Anaamika]

I would so buy that toothbrush

The TV I agree is annoying though.

[Sunspace]

Originally Posted by Anaamika

I would so buy that toothbrush

:: ponders method of informing Anaamika's SO about her blue LED enthusiasm ::

[Anaamika]

Originally Posted by Sunspace

:: ponders method of informing Anaamika's SO about her blue LED enthusiasm ::

Oh, my love for bright shiny things would be no surprise to him! He knows all about it.

[control-z]

Black Sharpie marker or black electrical tape. Problem solved. Is this MPSIMS or something?

[Anaamika]

Originally Posted by control-z

Black Sharpie marker or black electrical tape. Problem solved. Is this MPSIMS or something?

Why, because there's not enough cursing or anger? Well here! I fucking LOVE Blue LED lights!

[Anne Neville]

I like blue LEDs. My mouse with the cool blue LED scroll wheel died a little while back, and I miss it

[control-z]

Originally Posted by Anaamika

Why, because there's not enough cursing or anger? Well here! I fucking LOVE Blue LED lights!

You're a fucking idiot douche-bag if you like blue LEDs! Green LEDS FTW!!!!!!!111!

[RogueRacer]

Originally Posted by Anaamika

I'm more likely to buy the equivalant product with blue lights than anything else. So I guess you should be pitting me, and consumers like me.

But...they're so pretty!

RogueGF? Is that you?

RogueGF is seriously into the blue LEDs. Just to tease her, when I put my last computer together, I used an Antec Nine Hundred case.

[Anaamika]

Originally Posted by RogueRacer

RogueGF? Is that you?

RogueGF is seriously into the blue LEDs. Just to tease her, when I put my last computer together, I used an Antec Nine Hundred case.

Ooooooooooooooooooo is pretty.

[Sunspace]

Originally Posted by Anaamika

Oh, my love for bright shiny things would be no surprise to him! He knows all about it.

So I take it you'll be buying one of those LCD TVs that has a rim of coloured lights around the back of the edge that illuminates the wall to match the program?

[bouv]

I love blue LEDs so much that on my old optical mouse, I replaced the red LED with a blue one.

I didn't do it with my current one only because the plastiuc base is already red-colored plastic, so the blue wouldn't shine through as much.

I currently have (counts LEDs and electronics in room) 16 blue LEDs in my computer (that has a window on the side...though most of those LEDs are on the fans, to be fair.) My fanbus is also blue LED backlit. My alarm clock uses blue LEDs. My phone has a couple on it. My LCD monitor has a blue on indicating when it's on.

[Anaamika]

Originally Posted by Sunspace

So I take it you'll be buying one of those LCD TVs that has a rim of coloured lights around the back of the edge that illuminates the wall to match the program?

I don't think he'd let me. My LED lights are limited to my sewing room. The rest of the house must be...*gasp!* tasteful.

[Sunspace]

Originally Posted by Anaamika

I don't think he'd let me. My LED lights are limited to my sewing room. The rest of the house must be...*gasp!* tasteful.

"Let"? This is where your charm and negotiation skills come into play/

[Anaamika]

Originally Posted by Sunspace

"Let"? This is where your charm and negotiation skills come into play/

We've been together 10+ years. He's on to me.

[Viridiana]

Aww...I love blue LEDs on everything I touch, including my bedposts, showerheads and packages of airline peanuts! I wish they had blue LED cereal.
My eyes aren't great, so I like the bright ones, too.

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

My husband has wireless headphones infested with these things. I was trying to sleep one night, and wondered what that brilliant flashing was, which was penetrating right through my eyelids and keeping me awake. Well, naturally, it was the headphones, which were four feet away, inside a drawer behind a sign saying, "Beware of the leopard"! I make him turn them off as soon as he gets home now.

[corkboard]

Originally Posted by Trunk

The stupidest is that they put them on alarm clocks.

You can read by the fucking things.

My wife bought a replacement alarm clock a couple months ago. Of course, nothing on the packaging alerts you to the fact that it uses blue LEDs. That night, she unpackaged it and plugged it in- HOLY SHIT. The nighttime room lit up like we had fucking aircraft landling lights next to the bed. Turn it away from the bed, you say? Good fucking luck. It just reflects off the wall and bounces around the room. And covering them with duct tape sort of defeats the purpose of having the alarm clock in the first place.

That night we threw a shirt over it and the next day, it went back and we bought one with nice, gentle, green LEDs. Aaahh, so much better.

Fucking fuck (since this is the Pit, and all).

[Liberal]

And apparently, they're making them brighter now than they used to.

http://members.misty.com/don/blushoot.html

[Ms Macphisto]

Originally Posted by Nancarrow

There is no product that does not need blue LEDs. I wish my coffee mug had blue LEDs.

It's not quite a coffee mug, but my new kettle has blue LEDs in the little window that lets you see how much water is in it. It's an absolutely gratuitous use of LEDs, but it's kind of fun watching the illuminated blue bubbles as the water boils, especially first thing in the morning before I've had any caffeine.