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LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now

  

 
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beww at beww

Feb 23, 2010, 6:57 AM

Post #1 of 9 (919 views)
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LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now
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.

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mikep at randomtraveller

Feb 23, 2010, 10:07 AM

Post #2 of 9 (871 views)
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Re: LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now [In reply to]
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

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lists at foxhill

Feb 23, 2010, 11:26 AM

Post #3 of 9 (865 views)
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Re: LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now [In reply to]
In article <201002230757.43832.beww [at] beww>, Brian Wood wrote:
> Whatever happened to the old LED color code? Green means something that should
> be on, red means something you need to investigate.

We used to have a hardware engineer who had some odd ideas regards colours. He
once spent ages trying to convince me that RED=RUN was sane and sensible. He now
doesn't work for me.

> 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.

We don't tend to let marketing do product specifications. They once sent one in
and asked for top-level consideration. Here is an extract: "Product will have a
modern and appealing user interface incorporating at least two blue LEDs" Now
you see why we don't let them do specs!!!

Ian



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francesco at fampeeters

Feb 23, 2010, 11:37 AM

Post #4 of 9 (865 views)
Permalink
Re: LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now [In reply to]
On 2/23/10 21:26 , Ian Oliver wrote:
> In article <201002230757.43832.beww [at] beww>, Brian Wood wrote:
>
>> Whatever happened to the old LED color code? Green means something that should
>> be on, red means something you need to investigate.
>>
> We used to have a hardware engineer who had some odd ideas regards colours. He
> once spent ages trying to convince me that RED=RUN was sane and sensible. He now
> doesn't work for me.
>
>
>> 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.
>>
> We don't tend to let marketing do product specifications. They once sent one in
> and asked for top-level consideration. Here is an extract: "Product will have a
> modern and appealing user interface incorporating at least two blue LEDs" Now
> you see why we don't let them do specs!!!
>
> Ian
>
Yeah, at our company our engineers have weird ideas too...

Things like:
led off = subsystem disabled
led green = (sub)system up and running
led green (blinking) = activity
led yellow = warning
led red = error/critical

I mean, how do you think up things like that?
And then they have the guts to put in something like 10-12 of those leds
in a matrix and put text next to it like "Power", "Link", "Activity", etc.

And to make it worse, it actually makes sense to our users! ;-þ

--FP
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beww at beww

Feb 23, 2010, 11:39 AM

Post #5 of 9 (863 views)
Permalink
Re: LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now [In reply to]
On Tuesday 23 February 2010 12:26:12 pm Ian Oliver wrote:
> In article <201002230757.43832.beww [at] beww>, Brian Wood wrote:
> > Whatever happened to the old LED color code? Green means something that
> > should be on, red means something you need to investigate.
>
> We used to have a hardware engineer who had some odd ideas regards colours.
> He once spent ages trying to convince me that RED=RUN was sane and
> sensible. He now doesn't work for me.
>
> > 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.
>
> We don't tend to let marketing do product specifications. They once sent
> one in and asked for top-level consideration. Here is an extract: "Product
> will have a modern and appealing user interface incorporating at least two
> blue LEDs" Now you see why we don't let them do specs!!!

Unfortunately is seems like a lot of manufacturers DO let them do so.
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linux at thehobsons

Feb 23, 2010, 11:49 AM

Post #6 of 9 (863 views)
Permalink
Re: LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now [In reply to]
Ian Oliver wrote:

>We used to have a hardware engineer who had some odd ideas regards colours. He
>once spent ages trying to convince me that RED=RUN was sane and
>sensible. He now doesn't work for me.

Some time ago I had the chance to (briefly) work on a ship built in
the early 50's in Italy. Apart from picking up a few words of Italian
(Lucio Corridio = Corridor Lights) I got to see some of the very
neatly done original electrical stuff - most of which was a work of
art ! But one interesting feature was that all the starters had green
for stop and red for start which is the opposite of modern starters.

But if you think about it, it makes sense - press the green button
for safe, press the red button for danger (start a machine).
Now we press a red button to make safe, and press a green button to
make dangerous !

--
Simon Hobson

WANTED: "Software CD ROM Kit" for Canon CLBP 360-PS printer (Canon
part no RH6-3612, or possibly RH6-3810, or RH6-3610 might do). I've a
dead HD and need this CD so I can replace the disk and re-install the
printer OS on it. If anyone knows where I might get hold of one I'd
be grateful - requests to Canon drew a blank, it's been out of
support for years.
Alternatively, if anyone has one of these and would let me image
their hard disk ...

Visit http://www.magpiesnestpublishing.co.uk/ for books by acclaimed
author Gladys Hobson. Novels - poetry - short stories - ideal as
Christmas stocking fillers. Some available as e-books.
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beww at beww

Feb 23, 2010, 12:14 PM

Post #7 of 9 (865 views)
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Re: LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now [In reply to]
On Tuesday 23 February 2010 12:49:42 pm Simon Hobson wrote:
> Ian Oliver wrote:
> >We used to have a hardware engineer who had some odd ideas regards
> > colours. He once spent ages trying to convince me that RED=RUN was sane
> > and
> >sensible. He now doesn't work for me.
>
> Some time ago I had the chance to (briefly) work on a ship built in
> the early 50's in Italy. Apart from picking up a few words of Italian
> (Lucio Corridio = Corridor Lights) I got to see some of the very
> neatly done original electrical stuff - most of which was a work of
> art ! But one interesting feature was that all the starters had green
> for stop and red for start which is the opposite of modern starters.
>
> But if you think about it, it makes sense - press the green button
> for safe, press the red button for danger (start a machine).
> Now we press a red button to make safe, and press a green button to
> make dangerous !
>

Hmmm, does make more sense that the *switch* would be red for danger, green
for safe, but having indicating lights be green for "normal and OK" and red
for "something's wrong" makes sense to me.

The there is the fact that in the USA AC power switches are normally up for on
and down for off, while in the UK the "Mains" switches are often the other way
around, down for on.

Of course with LEDs, the fact that for many years only red ones were available
set some standards that made no sense.
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gmitch at woodlea

Feb 23, 2010, 3:07 PM

Post #8 of 9 (847 views)
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Re: LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now [In reply to]
> The there is the fact that in the USA AC power switches are normally up
for on
> and down for off, while in the UK the "Mains" switches are often the other
way
> around, down for on.


Yeah... that still confuses the bejesus out of me sometimes.

And a couple of times a year I still go to the right door of my car - with
the key in my hand...:) Right in the UK, wrong in the US.


G


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meatwad2021 at gmail

Feb 24, 2010, 12:26 PM

Post #9 of 9 (773 views)
Permalink
Re: LEDs as an output device, was: Revo 1600 looks even better now [In reply to]
On 2/23/2010 5:07 PM, Graham Mitchell wrote:
>> The there is the fact that in the USA AC power switches are normally up
> for on
>> and down for off, while in the UK the "Mains" switches are often the other
> way
>> around, down for on.
>
>
> Yeah... that still confuses the bejesus out of me sometimes.
>
> And a couple of times a year I still go to the right door of my car - with
> the key in my hand...:) Right in the UK, wrong in the US.

Did that myself Monday morning. Although I haven't driven a
right-control vehicle in years, I held a Spooks marathon this past
weekend for some friends who didn't care for 24.

Back on topic, the blue LEDs made the transition from cutting-edge to
commodity just five-six years ago which should explain the proliferation
of these silicon obscenities although I have to admit that dimmed blue
light is very easy on night-vision and works well for dashboards and such.

I'm not sure which of the following visuals would be more disturbing...a
desperate marketing exec all out of ideas or a dope fiend combing the
carpet for dropsies.

--
mw
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