[mythtv-users] LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now

[Mike Perkins]

Brian Wood wrote:
> On Tuesday 23 February 2010 07:12:54 am Greg Oliver wrote:
> 
>> The 1600 has a white power light..  Only light on the machine - I
>> covered it with electrical tape :)
> 
> Whatever happened to the old LED color code? Green means something that should 
> be on, red means something you need to investigate.
> 
> Then there are those annoying blue LEDs that seem to be everywhere. Another 
> case of "let's do it just because we can".
> 
> Then there's the green bar on the Cobalt Qubes, almost bright enough to read 
> by. Some releases of Debian for the Qube used that bar as an HDD access light, 
> resulting in an almost psychedelic display.
> 
> LEDs are to convey information to the user, not be used as marketing devices 
> in stores or lighting for Disco parties.
> 
> Maxtor made some external HDDs that had a flashing bright white light that 
> flashed at the same rate no matter what it was doing. Great idea, spend more 
> money to convey even less information to the user.
> 
> Its amazing how much you can tell about what a machine is doing just from a 
> simple LED, and disturbing how many ways the marketing types can find to 
> eliminate this important source of information.
> 
Absolutely. One of the tower cases in my cupboard had blue leds round the fans - 
visible from the front, even though the fan was rear-mounted - and a blue power 
led that was so bright I was afraid I'd have aircraft landing by it. I had to 
yank it and replace it with an old green one I found. Even so it was necessary 
to slug it with a resistor to stop it being so bright at night.

As Brian says, these leds convey useful diagnostic information, and that's the 
way I likes it. Of course the morons who design in these pretty Christmas tree 
lights don't have to pay my power bills either.

-- 

Mike Perkins