# Fuuuuck LEDs on electronics **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 6, 2013, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279 "2013-06-06T11:06:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/1 "2013-06-06T11:06:53Z")
My printer apparently has a green LED that flashes constantly. I don’t use my printer much, so I didn’t notice it until I was in bed trying to sleep. It wasn’t until I was half-asleep that my eyes had adjusted to the point where the LED was disturbing me, so I had to get up out of bed, walk across the room and unplug the printer. Who the fuck decided it was a good idea for all electronics these days to have bright-ass LEDs light up on them, even when they’re not in use? And to have them _blink_ constantly just to maximize the irritation? My external hard drive has a bright white LED that stays on when it’s on, and _flashes nonstop forever_ when it’s asleep. I usually cover it with paper or other objects. I think I’m going to have to go on a rampage with some electrical tape tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/2 "2013-06-06T11:14:18Z")
I with you on obtrusive LEDs, but if your printer LED is blinking, that usually means there is something wrong with it. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/3 "2013-06-06T11:35:40Z")
Blinking is certainly annoying, but with all the LED-lit devices I have in the house, I don’t need nightlights to walk around any room at night. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/4 "2013-06-06T11:59:16Z")
I got up to pee last night and saw an LED blinking in a corner of the living room where there isn’t anything electronic. I turned on a light, squinted, but decided it was my imagination. After turning off the lights I saw it again. Took a while to figure out that a lightning bug had gotten into the house and was dying on the floor. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/5 "2013-06-06T12:37:23Z")
I have a desktop computer hooked up to my TV, directly underneath it. When the power is on, a blue strip lights up, it’s an L shape that curves around 2 inches up the side and 4 inches across the top. Obnoxious! There’s a 5.5 inch strip of electrical tape over it. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/6 "2013-06-06T12:51:21Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] I with you on obtrusive LEDs, but if your printer LED is blinking, that usually means there is something wrong with it. [/QUOTE] In the case of HP printers, no, it’s just a “heartbeat” - the power light on my Officejet eternally fades in and out ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/7 "2013-06-06T13:00:37Z")
Inside the handle of my rechargeable electric toothbrush is an incredibly bright blue LED. When it’s fully charged and sitting on the charger, it’s got a continuous blue light which is easily bright enough to illuminate the entire bathroom. When it’s charging, though, it’s particularly obnoxious… 'cause it blinks. BLINK. BLINK. BLINK. BLINK. BLINK. BLINK. Since the LED is actually inside the handle, we can’t even cover it with electrician’s tape- the light actually bleeds out through the entire handle. I hate that damn thing. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/8 "2013-06-06T13:14:20Z")
Black electrical tape is your friend. Been there. Done that. **Lightnin’** - with enough black electrical tape you can still solve that problem. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/9 "2013-06-06T13:20:35Z")
I was at a performance last week. There was a guy playing bass almost directly in front of me. Everything was great, until he decided to move his stool a few inches, and that shifted his bass enough to reveal two **incredibly bright** blue LEDs aimed right in my eyes. At intermission, I asked a stagehand to put some tape on them, which he did. Now, that’s _really_ stupid - designing an Amp with LEDs that are so bright they are painful. I mean - this is a device that is supposed to be used in a darkened room, and is designed to go onstage! Who would do something like that? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/10 "2013-06-06T13:25:00Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Blinking is certainly annoying, but with all the LED-lit devices I have in the house, I don’t need nightlights to walk around any room at night. Same here, but I hate it. I have an ongoing project to dim and blank all LEDs, status panels and other useless lights in my house, using a combination of removing, covering and adjusting them. I call it the _Glow to Hell_ project. One of the worst offenders is an electric corkscrew that lights up blue while you’re, um, screwing… and lights up in its charger base so brightly you can read with it without waiting for any kind of dark adaptation. I’d guess it puts out about as much as a conventional 15W bulb. (The solution there is to just leave it on the counter, where it’s good for about 50 bottles, and put it in its charger base in the utility room once a month or so.) ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/11 "2013-06-06T13:33:41Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > Black electrical tape is your friend. > > Been there. Done that. > > **Lightnin’** - with enough black electrical tape you can still solve that problem. Absolutely, every LED in my bedroom is covered with black tape. I even travel with a roll so I can deal with annoying LED’s in hotel rooms ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/12 "2013-06-06T13:35:47Z")
So, are you seeing a doctor about your insomnia? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/13 "2013-06-06T13:42:38Z")
I love the blue LEDs on my computer fans, I find them comforting at night. I specifically chose a case with lights on it. I’d be very annoyed by a flashing one, though. On or off, pick one! > [@kayaker](#): > > I got up to pee last night and saw an LED blinking in a corner of the living room where there isn’t anything electronic. I turned on a light, squinted, but decided it was my imagination. After turning off the lights I saw it again. > > Took a while to figure out that a lightning bug had gotten into the house and was dying on the floor. Lux Et Distress! The original LED. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/14 "2013-06-06T13:53:42Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Since the LED is actually inside the handle, we can’t even cover it with electrician’s tape- the light actually bleeds out through the entire handle. Perform some surgery. Take it apart and I’ll bet you can find a way to disable or cover the light. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/15 "2013-06-06T14:12:24Z")
We got a new treadmill recently, and when it’s not in use, the display (which is made up of a panel of LCDs) is constantly cycling shifting patterns, sort of like a screensaver. It’s incredibly obnoxious. The only way to get it to stop is to actually turn off the power, which involves a tiny switch located on the underside in a very inaccessible place. Luckily, we have it in another room where it doesn’t bother anyone, but lots of people have treadmills in their bedroom. I can’t imagine trying to sleep with this damn thing blinking at you all night. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/16 "2013-06-06T14:16:59Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > but lots of people have treadmills in their bedroom. A friend’s wife has a very nice exercise bike in their bedroom. He calls it her menstrual cycle, since she is on it about once a month. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/17 "2013-06-06T14:50:27Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > One of the worst offenders is an electric corkscrew I was going to call out the OP for first world problems, but then you had to go and raise the bar. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/18 "2013-06-06T15:03:15Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > Absolutely, every LED in my bedroom is covered with black tape. I even travel with a roll so I can deal with annoying LED’s in hotel rooms ^Absolutely. Best Western has a wall thermostat that is bright enough to read by. I had to tape a menu over it. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/19 "2013-06-06T15:10:34Z")
having an indicator light/led telling you something is turned on is a good thing. being able to see that indicator in a lit environment, like daylight or room light (which is our environment except when sleeping), is a good thing. it helps you turn things off when they aren’t in use, it saves electricity and wear on the device. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2013, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/20 "2013-06-06T15:24:40Z")
I agree. It is very important to know the status of your electric toothbrush. Imagine what would happen if one morning you found it wasn’t charged? You would be fucked, unable to brush your teeth. Who wants to live in that world? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279.md?page=2)