3 ms·

LEDs were available at the time the shuttles were built, but were they considered too new to take a bet on? Also, I'm bummed they replaced them because LEDs ha

LEDs were available at the time the shuttles were built, but were they considered too new to take a bet on? Also, I'm bummed they replaced them because LEDs have a very different feel.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
phire 5y ago
The only thing you would be using LEDs for in the late 70s would be indicator lights and 7-segment displays. The only colors available are red, green and yellow, and they wen't bright enough to illuminate dials, instrument panels or cockpits. Even if they did use LEDs where they made sense, they would still need hundreds of incandescent bulbs.
andyjohnson0 5y ago
> LEDs were available at the time the shuttles were built Assembly of Endeavour, the final STS to be built, was completed in 1990. Blue LEDs appeared in 1993 and white ones several years alter. During the shuttle era, LEDS were invariably red, green and yellow. I'd be surprised if those colours were considered suitable for general illumination of flight instrumentation.
- Maursault 5y ago
  > Blue LEDs appeared in 1993 Then it is interesting that my father's 1989 Wolfsburg Edition Jetta has a blue LED in the dash "The first blue-violet LED using magnesium-doped gallium nitride was made at Stanford University in 1972 by Herb Maruska and Wally Rhines, doctoral students in materials science and engineering." [1] "In August 1989, Cree introduced the first commercially available blue LED based on the indirect bandgap semiconductor, silicon carbide (SiC)." [2] What you must be thinking of: "Two years later, in 1993, high-brightness blue LEDs were demonstrated by Shuji Nakamura of Nichia Corporation using a gallium nitride growth process." [3] [1,2,3] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode#blue_LED https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode#blue_LE...
  - TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
    Blue LEDs were not in commercial products in the 1980s, even if the technology existed. Perhaps due to cost, I don’t really know, but I was there and remember it well. In the 90s, companies went nuts with blue LEDs using them as power indicators in everything.
    - Maursault 5y ago
      You are simply mistaken. Volkswagen used blue LED in their 1989 model year dash, models presumably available in 1988. [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snld2cT83qg&t=1m56s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snld2cT83qg&t=1m56s
      - kube-system 5y ago
        I think you might be mistaken. Those are lenses that are shaped like LEDs but there are bulbs behind them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqpyc8huRLE&t=20s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqpyc8huRLE&t=20s
        jazzyjackson 5y ago
        god bless youtube, what a specific piece of history to have a reference for
        kingcharles 5y ago
        We've reached peak YouTube. But that does answer the poster's claim. The lens is perfectly shaped to emulate an LED.
    - madengr 5y ago
      I remember buying one in high school (1989 or 1990) for $15 from Digikey. It was in a clear package and put off barely any light, but it was a BLUE LED!
  - andyjohnson0 5y ago

LEDs were available at the time the shuttles were built, but were they considered too new to take a bet on? Also, I'm bummed they replaced them because LEDs have a very different feel.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

phire 5y ago

The only thing you would be using LEDs for in the late 70s would be indicator lights and 7-segment displays. The only colors available are red, green and yellow, and they wen't bright enough to illuminate dials, instrument panels or cockpits. Even if they did use LEDs where they made sense, they would still need hundreds of incandescent bulbs.

andyjohnson0 5y ago

> LEDs were available at the time the shuttles were built Assembly of Endeavour, the final STS to be built, was completed in 1990. Blue LEDs appeared in 1993 and white ones several years alter. During the shuttle era, LEDS were invariably red, green and yellow. I'd be surprised if those colours were considered suitable for general illumination of flight instrumentation.

Maursault 5y ago
> Blue LEDs appeared in 1993 Then it is interesting that my father's 1989 Wolfsburg Edition Jetta has a blue LED in the dash "The first blue-violet LED using magnesium-doped gallium nitride was made at Stanford University in 1972 by Herb Maruska and Wally Rhines, doctoral students in materials science and engineering." [1] "In August 1989, Cree introduced the first commercially available blue LED based on the indirect bandgap semiconductor, silicon carbide (SiC)." [2] What you must be thinking of: "Two years later, in 1993, high-brightness blue LEDs were demonstrated by Shuji Nakamura of Nichia Corporation using a gallium nitride growth process." [3] [1,2,3] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode#blue_LED https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-emitting_diode#blue_LE...
- TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
  Blue LEDs were not in commercial products in the 1980s, even if the technology existed. Perhaps due to cost, I don’t really know, but I was there and remember it well. In the 90s, companies went nuts with blue LEDs using them as power indicators in everything.
  - Maursault 5y ago
    You are simply mistaken. Volkswagen used blue LED in their 1989 model year dash, models presumably available in 1988. [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snld2cT83qg&t=1m56s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snld2cT83qg&t=1m56s
    - kube-system 5y ago
      I think you might be mistaken. Those are lenses that are shaped like LEDs but there are bulbs behind them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqpyc8huRLE&t=20s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqpyc8huRLE&t=20s
      - jazzyjackson 5y ago
        god bless youtube, what a specific piece of history to have a reference for
        kingcharles 5y ago
        We've reached peak YouTube. But that does answer the poster's claim. The lens is perfectly shaped to emulate an LED.
  - madengr 5y ago
    I remember buying one in high school (1989 or 1990) for $15 from Digikey. It was in a clear package and put off barely any light, but it was a BLUE LED!
- andyjohnson0 5y ago