Dell Power Light

I have a Dell Inspiron and the light for the power is WAY to bright and I want to turn it off when the computer is on, anyone know if this is possible? Windows XP Home. Thanks, Nick Kitmitto

Hi Nick.

If this were a desktop/tower computer, then I would say to disconnect the PWR LED from the motherboard front panel I/O header. But, with a laptop, no can do! They are not user accessible, and often hardwired (soldered) to the board, that is, not a simple plug and socket connection.

If the LED is too bright, and it is across the model line and not just your one example, then it is a design/engineering error and they need to change the circuit voltage, or select a different LED. If your machine only, then is it a faulty LED? Or the circuit it monitors?

Is it really that bright? I've used several Inspirons but not knowing your model I don't really have a reference. I don't remember any being abnormally bright. But I have seen some pretty distracting LEDs before - mostly on cases, which IMO, should not draw attention to themselves, and I have seen many monitors with strategically placed sticky notes.

Ask your friends, family and coworkers and if most agree it is abnormally bright, then you should probably take the laptop in to a shop to have the power supply and charger circuits checked because that could mean something is not quite right - most LEDs have a narrow operating range within about 1.5 volts to 5 volts - depending on color and brightness desired. If that LED is designed to run at 2.2V and it's getting 3V, other, more critical circuits on the motherboard may be running "hot" too. Heat is the bane for all electronics.

If your survey reveals only you, or just a few, find the brightness too high, then you might try covering it up, as long as it is not fairly warm to the touch. If the LED does not protrude above the surrounding surface, you could probably find some sticky "dots" of various colors at your local office supply store. White dots may allow enough light through to serve a purpose, but diffuse it enough to minimize distraction. But so might dark red or brown.

LEDs generate some heat, and when covered, heat cannot escape. Physics says when matter heats up, it expands. When a conductor expands, resistance goes down. Ohms Law says, when resistance goes down, current goes up. Then physics again; when current goes up, heat goes up. So, heat being the bane of all electronics, if the cycle is not checked, "thermal runaway" fries the weakest link. Probably no big deal for a power LED, but it would be dead forever.

I have seen a dab of RTV %100 silicon used effectively too, white or opaque turns a glare into a soft glowing glob - looks good with the increasingly popular blindingly bright blue LEDs used today.

Or perhaps using a toothpick, or a very fine "detail" paint brush, paint a dab of paint on your "line-of-sight" side of the LED - this may remove the distracting glare, allow heat to escape, and allow the indicator LED to do its indicating.

I think it was designed this way, and its a desktop, but it will put light throughout my room, not lighting it up like my room light but you can see a blue light on every wall in my room and it glows off the chair mat I have it close to. I guess I could open it up and just take out the light bulb, is that possible? Thanks, Nick

Sorry, I forgot Inspiron has both laptops and desktops. You probably cannot just remove the light as it is probably hardwired (soldered) in. But, since this is a desk top, you can easily follow the lead back to the motherboard. The front panel power LED will have two wires that slide onto the front panel I/O header on your motherboard. Simply pulling one loose will turn off the LED and not hurt anything. While inside the case, make sure the inside is clean of heat trapping dust and dirt. And BEFORE reaching inside, make sure the computer is shutdown, AND UNPLUGGED - then touch bare metal of the case to discharge any built up static in your body.

Thank you! I will try this out!