Thinkpads Forum

My hard drive indicator light (W510) flashes a lot (normal behaviour: http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-74248), and it can be distracting if you're in a darkened room or watching video. Until recently, I had a bit of black tape over it and forgot, but it just seems tacky as a solution and I was wondering if anyone knows of something better.

I definitely won't try this, but has anyone used paint?

And it would be wonderful if anyone knows of a way to turn it off, short of opening the machine. I know that's probably impossible.

How about black nail polish? Removable with nail polish remover...
It's hard-wired into your system.
Only physically cutting the wire or removing/disabling the LED would be a permanent solution. NOT advisable.

RealBlackStuff wrote:How about black nail polish? Removable with nail polish remover...

Heh! I would never have picked you as a goth Dom.

I had a similar problem with the LED on a desktop I used to use and got my hands on a bit of what I can only describe as thick cellophane (it was a bit of photographic filter). It was an amber / sepia colour but I guess most any colour would do. I cut a small circle of the stuff and stuck it in place with a bit of latex type glue (similar to the glue that sticks the black covers over the screws on TP lids).

It worked a treat, reduced the light from the LED by about 80%. I think that it's not good to completely cover an LED like that, sometimes you want to know what's going on with your HDD.

Just my 2c.

I see. Thanks guys.

Probably the same day I bought it (last year), I put some black PVC tape on it and didn't notice it until recently, when cleaning it. I'll try nail varnish.

I usually use a piece of "Scotch"-type (frosted) transparent tape trimmed if necessary and covered with as many layers of black Sharpie as necessary to get the reduction in light I want. Bonus is that I don't have to go hunting for anything as I keep those materials at my desk.

You could also put the Sharpie directly on the LED, assuming its surface is accessible (and not behind a grille like the one on the "soundbar" speakers underneath my monitor). I think it would wipe off easily with a touch of denatured alcohol, should you change your mind, though I haven't.

red automotive lens tape, easy to cut for the rectangular LEDs and a common hole punch works gread for the round ones (the red has the advantage of filtering those annoying extremely bright blue LEDs that are all to common these days)

Window tint (5% or limo) also works well, sticks with water and also easily removes (hole punch works again as well)

For EXTREMELY bright leds... an old floppy disk media is about 98% blocking

For desktop systems... if you can solder... add a resister, use a LED Calculator to figure out what you need.