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Does the led lamps (apple logo and sleep indicator) ever run out?

johannnn

johannnn

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Nov 20, 2009
2,380
2,790
Sweden
I didnt really know where to ask this question,

But due to my low skills in electronics I want to know this.

The shiny logo at the back of apple laptops, and the shiny sleep indicator, are these some kind of lamp? If so, dont they ever run out of electrons? Like when you have to change your light bulbs at home. I have never heard of them stop working so I guess they work in some other way?

Thanks
 
The Apple logo is lit via the backlight of the display, thus if the display dies, or is just switched off, the logo is not lit too.

The sleep indicator light is an LED lamp, thus it will die long after you have replaced that Mac.

Then there’s the sleep indicator light. An indicator is functional only when it’s indicating something. Look to the right of the thumbscoop. You see nothing. Until you close the display and your MacBook Pro goes to sleep. Then an LED glow appears from inside the enclosure. How? During the CNC process, a machine first thins out the aluminum. Then a laser drill creates small perforations for the LED light to shine through. These holes are so tiny that the aluminum appears seamless when the light is off.
Click to expand...

from http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/design.html

and http://www.thebookyard.com/product.php?manufacturers_id=30&products_id=5795

both found via http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=macbook unibody sleep light&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 and http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=ma...&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1388&bih=844
 
LEDs have a very long life span. You don't need to worry about them burning out.

Btw: the Apple logo isn't a separate LED - it's the screen backlight shining through a cutout behind the display.
 
I have a PC that's older than me, and the leds still work:D and the pc too:p (the pc has at least 20+ years).

Your hard drive most likely to be the first victim of age, but I still have an 100MB hdd that still works, so sometimes it's more luck than anything else.

Enjoy your macbook and don't worry about it, just take good care and don't drop it:p
 
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