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Fixing annoying blue standby lights

fullcircuit.com

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Re: Fixing annoying blue standby lights

#231

Post by AdrianB1 »

globular-toast wrote: post #105
AdrianB1 wrote: post #35

2 problems here: color and intensity. 1. Color. Blue is more rare in nature than other colors and it has a known association with daylight that is disturbing for sleep. Why not something more neutral like orange (not red, not green)? 2. Intensity. I think the manufacturers don't even think about this. For indoor use, full brightness makes no sese, but bad UX is the default choice for most, what TV manufacturer pays a…

I think the blue is still considered "cool" perhaps precisely because it's rare and it was the last LED colour to be available cheaply. It seems to be a rather persistent trend, though. In the UK a blue light on an electric kettle has been standard for the past 15 years at this point. Red/orange and green seem deeply uncool as they are associated with neons and old LEDs that have been available basically forever at t…

Fully agree with the reason behind blue LEDs, but it does not make it acceptable for end users. I would prefer orange any time, green and yellow have too often a status meaning (good/bad), while orange does not and I think it is more neutral.

Re: Fixing annoying blue standby lights

#232

Post by bboygravity »

qwertox wrote: post #100
atticora wrote: post #30

I recently bought an adjustable bed base which has USB ports on both sides. Each port has a bright blue light that illuminates the whole bedroom at night. I don't use them so covered both with black electrical tape. Problem solved. I've had the same problem with several desk lamps that lit up the world with that blue light even when turned off. I returned a couple of those immediately. But I looked through the review…

I hate electrical tape. It becomes sticky after some time, when it starts to smear because it got moved or stopped sticking to the surface. I bought a set of nail polish and use the black one to paint over the LEDs, it even allows you to control how much you want to cover it, in case you still want to have a bit of light to see if it's on or off. Other colors can be used to mark pins on breakout boards or cables. It'…

Copper foil tape works well too.

Re: Fixing annoying blue standby lights

#233

Post by Workaccount2 »

archi42 wrote: post #225
pineaux wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have good experience with drilling a small hole in the side of the housing and through the LED. You need to aim well. Its not a good technique for all annoying LEDs.

Sometimes the indicator LED acts as a voltage reference for some circuit. In that case, destroying it is a bad idea. Also, I think most hotels would object ;-)

Only the cheapest of cheap electronics would use an LED as a reference.

Re: Fixing annoying blue standby lights

#234

Post by photonbeam »

qwertox wrote: post #100
atticora wrote: post #30

I recently bought an adjustable bed base which has USB ports on both sides. Each port has a bright blue light that illuminates the whole bedroom at night. I don't use them so covered both with black electrical tape. Problem solved. I've had the same problem with several desk lamps that lit up the world with that blue light even when turned off. I returned a couple of those immediately. But I looked through the review…

I hate electrical tape. It becomes sticky after some time, when it starts to smear because it got moved or stopped sticking to the surface. I bought a set of nail polish and use the black one to paint over the LEDs, it even allows you to control how much you want to cover it, in case you still want to have a bit of light to see if it's on or off. Other colors can be used to mark pins on breakout boards or cables. It'…

I use blu-tack putty, it’s opaque, easy to apply/remove. Its not flat though

Re: Fixing annoying blue standby lights

#235

Post by ewams »

porkbeer wrote: post #107
ewams wrote: post #102

Bought a Hisense tv for two reasons: status light turns OFF when the TV is on, and there is a physical disable switch for the microphone. Verified both in reviews and in person before buying. Electrical tape for everything else.

I would rather my television not include a microphone at all. But should they want to listen, they can always just use the speakers as a mic.

Yea agree with you there. Do any new ones come without mics these days though?

Re: Fixing annoying blue standby lights

#236

Post by wayvey »

Fluorescence wrote: post #37
groestl wrote: post #28

Had an USB charger once that would shine through one layer of black electrical tape. Crazy.

The light on the end of a Dell laptop power adaptor is like that. I tried multiple layers of electrical tape, colouring it in with a sharpie and even painting over it and nope, that bastard light cannot be dimmed. My main complaint is when using the laptop in dark bed to read ebooks and it is utterly blinding. I end up folding a bit of duvet over the bloody thing.

A small piece of tin foil under the tape should help with that.

Re: Fixing annoying blue standby lights

#237

Post by gruez »

theamk wrote: post #196
disillusioned wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure if you can post AMZN links here, but it's this product and its cousin the blackout version: https://amzn.to/3RGV3My

I am wondering, why would you share affiliate link (;tag=robstah78-20;) instead of the direct link to the item ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CLVEQCO )? The direct link is just barely longer and probably even faster to make (at least on the desktop) Are you hoping to just make some money from strangers? You cannot get much commission from the $1.50 item, so I am imagining you hope someone clicks on your link…

His other comment mentioned an "extension" so it's possible that he himself isn't responsible.

Re: Fixing annoying blue standby lights

#239

Post by JohnFen »

theamk wrote: post #200
ryandrake wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love to hear from someone in the consumer electronics business to weigh in on how this happens. Who in the design chain wants LED lights on everything? Probably not engineering--it's more work for them. Probably not the business managers--it adds unnecessary cost to the product. Is it the industrial designers? Do they simply have to have LEDs all over everything? Is it just dogma that everyone follows/accepts: "Y…

If I have to guess, support & engineering would be the main force behind LEDs. For example, you have USB port in the bed base, and it does not charge the cellphone, so you call tech support. With LED, it's simple. LED on -> "verify the USB port is not bent or damaged, check your cable, check your cellphone"; LED off -> "verify bed is plugged in, verify outlet has power". Without it? Much harder, especially if you are…

The real questions are: why blue, and why so bright?

LED indicators are useful, but they should be red (which comes with the added benefits of being less expensive and drawing less power than blue ones), and shouldn't be bright enough to light the area around them.

Re: Fixing annoying blue standby lights

#240

Post by wlonkly »

weinzierl wrote: post #93
mrweasel wrote: post #12

Why is it that manufacturers go for blue or bright white LED indicators? I assume that they are cheap enough that it doesn't matter, but green would probably still be slightly cheaper. We have a USB charger that cannot be used in a bedroom, not that you should, but it can light up an entire room. Why not just have a tiny green LED? Apple is really good about not using bright LEDs in their product, or really any LED i…

This is how I remember it: For some time LEDs were red, yellow or green. Power LEDs were almost universally red. You can see this on devices from the homecomputer era (Amigas, Ataris, etc.). I'm not sure if red was chosen for technical reasons (red LEDs have the lowest voltage drop), maybe economical reasons or it was already a convention before LEDs became available. Anyway, when blue LEDs became feasible they were…

> the epitome of cool

I remember being wowed by the blue power LEDs on VA Linux servers in the early or mid 2000s! Now any stock photo of a server room is covered with blue lights.

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