# Wanted: External USB light which I can control with an API or command line
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanted-external-usb-light-which-i-can-control-with-an-api-or-command-line/615268
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [March 9, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanted-external-usb-light-which-i-can-control-with-an-api-or-command-line/615268 "2012-03-09T14:35:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2012, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanted-external-usb-light-which-i-can-control-with-an-api-or-command-line/615268/1 "2012-03-09T14:35:46Z")
Often things happen on my computer for which I want to be notified. These could be anything like IM, alarms, compile completed, etc. Sound would be a good way to let me know, but this is in an office environment and I prefer not to have random _bings_ going off all the time. What I really want is a light or something which sits on my desk to tell me of these events.
The perfect device would be a USB device which had a light on it. It would come with a simple API and command line interface which I could use to turn the light on when one of these events happened. The device would have a button on it which would turn the light off. Does anything like that exist?
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### Author:  [@SunSandSuffering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunSandSuffering)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2012, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanted-external-usb-light-which-i-can-control-with-an-api-or-command-line/615268/2 "2012-03-09T15:02:59Z")
Something like this maybe?
[http://www.delcomproducts.com/products\_usblmp.asp](http://www.delcomproducts.com/products_usblmp.asp)
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### Author:  [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanted-external-usb-light-which-i-can-control-with-an-api-or-command-line/615268/3 "2012-03-09T16:09:33Z")
> [@SunSandSuffering](#):
>
> Something like this maybe?
> [Delcom Products - USB Visual Signal Indicator Lights](http://www.delcomproducts.com/products_usblmp.asp)
Yes! That’s pretty close to what I need. But wow! look at the price. Around $100.
One thing that would almost work is a USB mouse which has a light on it. Like the [Intellimouse](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006B7HB). I wouldn’t use it as a mouse. It would be just for the indicator light. Then I could turn on the light from the computer and then click one of the mouse buttons to turn it off.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanted-external-usb-light-which-i-can-control-with-an-api-or-command-line/615268/4 "2012-03-10T02:26:58Z")
I don’t know if [this](http://usb.brando.com/usb-mail-box-friends-alert_p01725c035d15.html) has an API or not…
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### Author:  [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanted-external-usb-light-which-i-can-control-with-an-api-or-command-line/615268/5 "2012-03-10T03:16:27Z")
You can use this to control an LED
[http://www.phidgets.com/products.php?category=0&product\_id=1011\_0](http://www.phidgets.com/products.php?category=0&product_id=1011_0)
If you look in the lower right they show the languages they support. I find it very easy to program. I can usually cut and paste their code samples.
[http://www.phidgets.com/documentation/Phidgets/1011\_0\_Product\_Manual.pdf](http://www.phidgets.com/documentation/Phidgets/1011_0_Product_Manual.pdf)
If you look on page 6 they show how to wire up an led.
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### Author:  [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanted-external-usb-light-which-i-can-control-with-an-api-or-command-line/615268/6 "2012-03-12T19:50:40Z")
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> I don’t know if [this](http://usb.brando.com/usb-mail-box-friends-alert_p01725c035d15.html) has an API or not…
I had not thought of using a USB mail indicator. I can easily enough setup a POP mail server or even write my own to respond to the events and fake an email message. By pointing the device at my own POP server, I should be able to have it light up when I want it to.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [March 12, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wanted-external-usb-light-which-i-can-control-with-an-api-or-command-line/615268/7 "2012-03-12T20:53:29Z")
> [@filmore](#):
>
> I had not thought of using a USB mail indicator. I can easily enough setup a POP mail server or even write my own to respond to the events and fake an email message. By pointing the device at my own POP server, I should be able to have it light up when I want it to.
Fun!