We're not fans of standby lights. Sure, they're electricity vampires, but the worst thing is how annoyingly bright they can be when you're trying to get to sleep in pure darkness. Here's a way to drown them out...
For just a few bucks, grab yourself a roll of translucent red Lithographer's tape and start to dim down the standby lights on your super-bright gadgets.
Unlike covering the LED with opaque black electrical tape, the Lithographer's tape will still let light get through. Only now it will be about half as bright as before and shine a "pleasant deep red."
We bet you crafty people out there could even do a super-professional job at this simple DIY by popping buttons and faceplates on and off to apply the litho tape where it won't even be detected.
(Standby Light Image: Flickr user PhotoGraham under license from Creative Commons.)
Ashley & Kyle's Personality Packed Home 
Aftermarket Resources for Customizing IKEA Furniture 
Like us on Facebook
RSS Feed (Atom)
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Elfa Decor Shelving
12 Recipes to Know By Heart
How To Make Cake Pops
Comments (5)
Cool post, one note though...the LEDs are not the power vampire, those standby LEDs probably generate only about 60 milliwatts of power. It's the circuit that is running in the background, power supply/network connectivity/etc that is really the reason for the energy drain when in 'standby'.
Another cool trick, if you are brave, is to open up the enclosure and put a higher value resistor in front of the LED, or if you want completely remove it.
or use window tint. not all leds are red, so litho tape would be changing the led colors, unless you are into that
I just colored the LEDs on my PC with a black marker. Light still gets through, but it's much dimmer.
I have long hated all the LEDs that are on nearly every electronic item made today. The lithographers tape worked a treat on my cable box, PC and stereo.
The only item where it did not work was the microwave clock which was dimmed too much.
LightDims.com has the perfect solution!
The tape works but it alters the color of the LED and its not pre cut like LightDims so you don't get that pro look that does not draw attention to itself.
Best of all you can get LightDims for free just pay shipping and processing of only $2.99