Chris M.
Flashlight Enthusiast
Bought me a USB hub recently so I can plug the camera in without having to haul the lump of a desktop PC case forwards every time to reach the ports.
And it glows!
(no, the Amiga 500 isn`t the thing hosting that hub!)
I remember a time, only a few short years ago, when blue LEDs were expensive and still generally considered rare and exotic. You almost never saw them anywhere. I once built a hi-fi power amp from kits sold by Maplins and decided to give it a blue LED power-on light. It was one of the silicon carbide kinds that lit with a sort of bright sky-blue colour, and wasn`t very bright. Cost about £4 ($6), incidentally the amplifier kits only cost about £15 so comparitively this was an expensive little thing. I`ve always been partial to the colour though so felt it was worth it. The specs said it could be run at 50mA and because it wasn`t very bright, that`s exactly what it did. 2 weeks later, it burned out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif . Couldn`t really afford another £4 for a second one so I never found out if I actually toasted it, or just got a duff one. Probably cooked the poor thing, it did get rather warm. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
How the technology has moved on, now you get them everywhere - in disposable keychain squeeze lights, fun party novelties, shining out of the cab of many a HGV like 2 little eyes, and for other somewhat "frivolous" uses such as lighting the center of this little hub. But I must say I like it! Makes the world a more colourful place. The days of the boring red and yellow-green LEDs on consumer electronics are well and truly numbered!
Anyway, I digress, a bit. If you`re partial to blue things that glow (like I am), need a 4 port USB hub with a meter of cord, and live in the UK, you can get one from Maplin Electronics - it was on special offer and probably still is. Order code A02AL, for a penny short of GB£12, if anyone`s interested. They also had USB cords with a blue LED in the plug on the input end, but I can`t find the code for those. They`re in the specials too I think.
Havn`t checked out the mod possibilities yet but if it isn`t a surface mount diode in there, you probably could substitute almost any colour if blue aint your thing. Looks a bit small to fit a Luxeon in though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
And it glows!
(no, the Amiga 500 isn`t the thing hosting that hub!)
I remember a time, only a few short years ago, when blue LEDs were expensive and still generally considered rare and exotic. You almost never saw them anywhere. I once built a hi-fi power amp from kits sold by Maplins and decided to give it a blue LED power-on light. It was one of the silicon carbide kinds that lit with a sort of bright sky-blue colour, and wasn`t very bright. Cost about £4 ($6), incidentally the amplifier kits only cost about £15 so comparitively this was an expensive little thing. I`ve always been partial to the colour though so felt it was worth it. The specs said it could be run at 50mA and because it wasn`t very bright, that`s exactly what it did. 2 weeks later, it burned out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif . Couldn`t really afford another £4 for a second one so I never found out if I actually toasted it, or just got a duff one. Probably cooked the poor thing, it did get rather warm. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
How the technology has moved on, now you get them everywhere - in disposable keychain squeeze lights, fun party novelties, shining out of the cab of many a HGV like 2 little eyes, and for other somewhat "frivolous" uses such as lighting the center of this little hub. But I must say I like it! Makes the world a more colourful place. The days of the boring red and yellow-green LEDs on consumer electronics are well and truly numbered!
Anyway, I digress, a bit. If you`re partial to blue things that glow (like I am), need a 4 port USB hub with a meter of cord, and live in the UK, you can get one from Maplin Electronics - it was on special offer and probably still is. Order code A02AL, for a penny short of GB£12, if anyone`s interested. They also had USB cords with a blue LED in the plug on the input end, but I can`t find the code for those. They`re in the specials too I think.
Havn`t checked out the mod possibilities yet but if it isn`t a surface mount diode in there, you probably could substitute almost any colour if blue aint your thing. Looks a bit small to fit a Luxeon in though /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif