# 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:** 4
**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 9, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/61 "2013-06-09T14:11:50Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > _(sorry 'bout the hijack, but..)_ > you open 50 bottles of wine every month? > > [/hijack] Life is good. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/62 "2013-06-09T20:53:01Z")
With luck all those blue LEDs will fall out of fashion, hopefully sooner rather than later, like Sylvania TVs with Halo Light, sack dresses, chrome _Automatic_ (some even in script) on the backs and sides of '50s cars, '60s flower-power typefaces, '70s leisure suits and disco music and 'the entire decade of the '80s (though 10 years was a helluva long time to wait). Twenty years from now, gadgets with blue LEDs that scream Late Elizabethan Age will be worth a fortune. ---
**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 10, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/63 "2013-06-10T04:17:36Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > With luck all those blue LEDs will fall out of fashion, hopefully sooner rather than later, like Sylvania TVs with Halo Light, sack dresses, chrome _Automatic_ (some even in script) on the backs and sides of '50s cars, '60s flower-power typefaces, '70s leisure suits and disco music and 'the entire decade of the '80s (though 10 years was a helluva long time to wait). > > Twenty years from now, gadgets with blue LEDs that scream Late Elizabethan Age will be worth a fortune. I can’t wait until we get to _this_ design aesthetic: > [@](#): > > Every time I press one of these black controls, labelled in black on a black background, a little black light lights up black to let me know I’ve done it. ---
**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 10, 2013, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/64 "2013-06-10T13:55:42Z")
I just purchased a new air filter unit yesterday. Plugged it in, and of course all these blue lights come on at the control panel. But wait…there’s a little icon on the panel with a picture of a light bulb. I press it and unit goes dark while still continuing to run. THANK YOU HONEYWELL. You get it. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/65 "2013-06-10T14:39:16Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I can’t wait until we get to _this_ design aesthetic: some kind of galactic hyper-hearse. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/66 "2013-06-10T19:55:06Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > 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… Oh hell yes. I had a whole concert ruined for me by one of these once that blinked on and off in a completely random manner. I spent the whole show with my brain obsessed with determining the input-output relationship driving this mysterious light to trigger. Was it a stomp box? A volume gate? A stage scene setting? Every time I thought I may have had it, it would blink/not-blink my current theory into shreds. The only conceivable possibility was that this equipment rack was busy calculating pi and transmitting each digit by Morse code to the aisle ushers. Or it was directly hooked up to the bathroom hand dryer button. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/67 "2013-06-10T22:38:46Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > All of these examples clearly come down to a case of “marketing thought it would be cool.” Before little glowy lights were put on everything, it was product descriptions - for years we had an electric can opener that had a zoomy “Stainless Steel Blade!” on its front panel, as if anyone would care once they got it home. Ditto for the three lines of gosh-wow on a blender or something like that, and a zillion other examples. It looks great and attracks the buyer in stores, then becomes redundant and irritating. At least our can opener didn’t light up the kitchen. I’m always impressed by your ability to complain about marketing. Normally it’s a subject that will arouse my sympathies, but you do it so that I feel like I’d sympathize with that used car salesman who sold me a lemon in 1992 so long as he was complaining about you. The electric can opener has long been high on my list of stupid products for stupid people. It’s one spot lower today, though, because I had to make room for the electric corkscrew. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/68 "2013-06-11T07:09:52Z")
When you switch on my washing machine, it plays a little tune in ear-piercing electronic bleeps. Yeah, thanks for waking up the neighbours for no reason… ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/69 "2013-06-11T16:40:16Z")
I totally agree with this Pitting. I hate blinky lights when I’m trying to sleep. It’s not having light in my field of view. I can sleep in daylight, if it’s dispersed. Hell, I managed to sleep on a plane staring out the window in sunlight. But it’s having a bright spot in my field of view. Annoying as hell. One spot bright while the rest is dark. Bad offender for me, a room heater. It has LED buttons for the settings, so you can see the status. It also has a remote, so you can adjust from across the room. Except I’m trying to sleep and the room glows green. I covered over it with a piece of plastic taped as a hinge. Because I have to have access to the buttons to turn it on and off. The sensor for the remote is also there. Not that I use the remote. Hotel I stayed in this weekend had blue LED lights on the light switches. I guess to tell if the switches are on or off. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2013, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/70 "2013-06-11T17:08:43Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Hotel I stayed in this weekend had blue LED lights on the light switches. I guess to tell if the switches are on or off. WTF? They’re there so that you can find the switches in the dark in an unfamiliar room. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/71 "2013-06-12T19:00:13Z")
I have a complaint about hard drive lights on computers. They are either too dim or don’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/72 "2013-06-12T20:46:02Z")
> [@Cartooniverse](#): > > The big offender is the intense blue l.e.d. embedded in the buttons of my C.P.A.P. machine. It sits quite near my head off the side of the bed because it kinda has to. I’ve taped over a piece of thick black duvateen to block the light out. You can sleep with CPAP- but the blue LED keeps you up? That’s like if Rambo turned out to be the Princess with the Pea. 😃 Meanwhile, LED grow lights are freakin’ awesome and getting awesomer daily. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/73 "2013-06-12T21:14:26Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > Meanwhile, LED grow lights are freakin’ awesome and getting awesomer daily. Preach it, brother! Testify! ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/74 "2013-06-13T06:56:24Z")
I whole heartedly support this rant. I have used every trick in here so far listed. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/75 "2013-06-13T19:50:42Z")
> [@aNewLeaf](#): > > You can sleep with CPAP- but the blue LED keeps you up? > That’s like if Rambo turned out to be the Princess with the Pea. 😃 > [@This Is Spinal Tap](#): > > I can’t help the way I am- I’m just as God made me !! I know, it’s really weird. The sound AND positive pressure get me to sleep and yet those freakin’ lights !! Arrrgh. I have them beat back with a scrap of Duvateen but really, why are we fighting these lights? I see a great side-business here. "LED-Darkeners ". All manner of small black cloth with magnets, suction cups, etc to cover irritating lights up. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/76 "2013-06-13T21:25:28Z")
The road to hell is served by…[Air Canada](http://www.airliners.net/photo/Air-Canada/Boeing-777-333-ER/1335321/&sid=54ce6840599e18f551c2e4646381801f) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/77 "2013-06-13T23:30:46Z")
> [@Hippy\_Hollow](#): > > I can solve this problem for you. I can solve it even easier. Turn the damned thing off until you need it. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/78 "2013-06-15T22:41:02Z")
This may be a slight hijack, but someone mentioned a Wii upthread. I hate that the Wii uses a yellow LED to indicate that it is in standby mode, and a green LED to indicate that it is on. Really? There weren’t two other colors you could have used, Nintendo? Maybe green and blue? Perhaps yellow and blue? The green and yellow is so close together in shade (to these old and tired eyes), that half the time I end up turning it off if it is on. Yeah, first-world problem, I know. ---
**Author:** ![MsJinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/278dde/32.png) [@MsJinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsJinx)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/79 "2013-06-16T00:21:17Z")
[quote=“Amateur\_Barbarian, post:41, topic:660279”] Four long, loud beeps. Five seconds apart. Which will not stop repeating at 15-minute intervals until the door is opened. This was driving me crazy with my new Bosch, too…then my daughter read the manual and there is a way to stop it. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279/80 "2013-06-20T21:54:00Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I can solve it even easier. > > Turn the damned thing off until you need it. Doesn’t solve the problem when the device has LED’s that light up when off. Or if it’s a device that doesn’t (and shouldn’t) ever shut off. Like my new router. The blue LED’s on this thing are ridiculous, and even covering the front of the unit with black tape doesn’t help as the lights are so bright they shine back through the unit and cause the cooling vents to glow very bright blue as well. And taping up the cooling vents is a bad idea unless you want to kill the router. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuuuuck-leds-on-electronics/660279.md?page=3)