What is your preferred power indicator colour?

[Blumlein 88]

BTW, I don't understand how OFF could have a lighted indicator at all.
There are no shades of "offness", so to say. Something that is off has no power by definition and thus it cannot actively light up anything.

Yes, and for audio that is fine I think. However all you need is a normally closed relay that will tap the PS so it illuminates when everything else goes dead. Various ways one could do that with everything else truly off. For audio I don't see any usefulness to doing that.

 

[KSTR]

Yes, and for audio that is fine I think. However all you need is a normally closed relay that will tap the PS so it illuminates when everything else goes dead. Various ways one could do that with everything else truly off. For audio I don't see any usefulness to doing that.

I see. I've designed industrial devices where a "have mains" indicator on the back at the IEC power inlet was mandatory (located after the mains fuse). But it was an unconditional indicator separated from the classic illuminated physical on/off rocker switch (Green when ON) on the front panel.

 

[Blumlein 88]

I see. I've designed industrial devices where a "have mains" indicator on the back at the IEC power inlet was mandatory (located after the mains fuse). But it was an unconditional indicator separated from the classic illuminated physical on/off rocker switch (Green when ON) on the front panel.

I don't know how you did it, but I've seen gear that used a neon bulb for that because it could run straight off the mains supply before any transformer to reduce voltage. Like you say after the mains fuse. For that matter here in the USA you'll see lots of heavy duty long extension cords that have a neon bulb inside clear plastic around the plugs so you can see if the extension cord is plugged in and has power on it.

 

[bothu]

Here is old pictures from a homemade amplifier i did 18 years back.

Behind the fabric is the " on " light and the standby light.
For the remote box red and blue are used indicating on and off.

Remote box

Standbye

On

Inside





Bo Thunér from Linköping Sweden

 

[mhardy6647]

I like the red and orange indicator lights on my older Yamaha gear.

Just like to add another vote for that "neon-esque" color.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Just like to add another vote for that "neon-esque" color.

You're crossing the streams, er, I mean mixing design eras, aren't you?

A TX-950 would pair beautifully with that RX-V1050. Then again, it already has a built-in tuner… What are you even doing?

 

[mhardy6647]

You're crossing the streams, er, I mean mixing design eras, aren't you?

A TX-950 would pair beautifully with that RX-V1050. Then again, it already has a built-in tuner… What are you even doing?

The tuner was being tested, OK?


The tuner in the RX-V1050 (which was a dump find, BTW) works just fine. The T-7 works well, too, although its presets no longer do.
Aesthetically, though, the T-7 wins, hands-down. She's a shelf queen now, though.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

The tuner was being tested, OK?

All is well. My ticks are gradually easing up, ever so slightly, as I type this.

 

[mhardy6647]

All is well. My ticks are gradually easing up, ever so slightly, as I type this.

Deep breaths - deep breaths.

 

[JayGilb]

Here is old pictures from a homemade amplifier i did 18 years back.

Behind the fabric is the " on " light and the standby light.
For the remote box red and blue are used indicating on and off.


View attachment 443578
Remote box

View attachment 443579
Standbye


View attachment 443585
On




View attachment 443583
Inside





Bo Thunér from Linköping Sweden

Nice work !

 

[Pareto Pragmatic]

I literally don't care, as long as they work. But if my subjective preferences are in play, in a fictional universe where it mattered to me....

Based purely on science, I would love a color that is "like a slightly bluish purple". So, in other words, "as a mauve".

/ducks

 

[Count Arthur]

I literally don't care, as long as they work. But if my subjective preferences are in play, in a fictional universe where it mattered to me....

Based purely on science, I would love a color that is "like a slightly bluish purple". So, in other words, "as a mauve".

/ducks

 

[Mnyb]

Yes blue led's screams cheap directly in your face and are way to bright , the classical soft green/yellow/red looks really good to me

 

[mhardy6647]

I feel like that old-time "Leave Brittany Britney alone!" guy woman.
The blue LEDs don't have to be über-bright -- I mean... resistors.

That said: this guy's white LED (bottom component, that is) is way too bright...


No complaints about any other aspect, though. Plus, a shout-out to @SIY, without whom... et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

 

[AnalogSteph]

The tuner in the RX-V1050 (which was a dump find, BTW) works just fine. The T-7 works well, too, although its presets no longer do.
Aesthetically, though, the T-7 wins, hands-down. She's a shelf queen now, though.

That preset system is very fancy, BTW. SABA-style motorized tuning knob, but controlled digitally.

Looks like they're using a frequency to voltage converter to generate a voltage, which is then digitized and stored. A comparison of current and stored voltage tells the motor servo where to go, with some more logic to determine when to turn on and off the motor and engage the clutch. Like any good Rube Goldberg contraption, it would have to be gone through systematically to see where the fault lies. It could be literally anything from a missing voltage, dead micro, faulty servo driver / opamp or comparator to a stuck solenoid / clutch or motor with brushes in a poor spot on the commutator and gummed-up lubricant.

Oh my, I just looked up how the digital supply is even generated - it is, no kidding, a DC/DC converter fed off of an always-on transformer secondary. (Who was development lead on this product, Rube Goldberg himself?) I would check the backup battery (BT101), if it's a NiCad and shorted the DC/DC oscillator wouldn't work. (Also, old NiCads have a tendency of leaking and destroying the PCB and components around them. As such, they should be yeeted ASAP.)

 

[mhardy6647]

Oh my, I just looked up how the digital supply is even generated - it is, no kidding, a DC/DC converter fed off of an alway-on transformer secondary. (Who was development lead on this product, Rube Goldberg himself?) I would check the backup battery (BT101), if it's a NiCad and shorted the DC/DC oscillator wouldn't work. (Also, old NiCads have a tendency of leaking and destroying the PCB and components around them. As such, they should be yeeted ASAP.)

I have never popped the top on that T-7! I guess I should!

 

[LionIT]

I'm for white on and no color off

 

[AnalogSteph]

Worst possible option: brilliant flashing blue light for the Fractal Design R5 computer case when in sleep mode. Destroys the possibility of falling asleep yourself without powering it down first.

LOL, there's two of them in the family here (although with mine the power LED came pre-destroyed for some reason and measures completely open, I guess a customer return), so I know exactly what you mean. I have resorted to placing random socks and whatnot on there.

Bright blue power LEDs are the absolute worst, especially when they aren't even diffused properly. They're halo city for me, must be my astigmatism or something. At one time my parents had a kitchen radio with an LCD backlit in blue - an absolute chore to read in the dark. My preferred choice for a clock radio display remains deep red. Otherwise, amber or green are good backlight choices. (I wrote a rant on this topic all the way back in 2008.)

I can see the point of using blue when it's something that has to be visible even in a bright (sunlit) environment.

 

[egellings]

Steady green (green means go!) for ON and no light at all for OFF. When I turn a piece of equipment off, I do not want it drawing any standby current at all.

 

[mhardy6647]

high refractive index polycarbonate eyeglasses' lenses generate interesting blue halos for me (and FWIW). Gorgeous color, though.
I am a sucker for blue, 'specially cobalt blue. I guess in the modern world, cobalt blue is an expensive taste.

my son's photo from many years ago: https://www.deviantart.com/icouldbeahero/art/bubbles-104766939