LED BADGE

LED Badge, retail $14.99 (www.mr-laser.com...)
Manufactured by Optical Laser & LED Pro. (www.mr-laser.com)
Last updated 02-03-11




The LED Badge was purchased on Ebay, after I was pointed to it via email from a website fan.

The LED Badge is remarkably easy to use; just pop one of the two included batteries in it, and program it via the three buttons on its back. It is comparable in ease to entering your initials after reaching a high score on a coin-op arcade video game like they had in the 1980s and 1990s - and probably the early-2000s too; though I have not played one of the coin-op arcade video games from this decade so I cannot confirm how high score monitoring is performed on modern equipment.

Yes, it really is that easy.

It scrolls your message in red LED lights on its front surface; you can have up to six messages (512 characters & spaces for the first message, 256 characters & spaces for messages 2 through 6).


SIZE



To use the LED Badge, first install one of the included the batteries into it (see below), and then you'll be ready to rock.

On the back of the unit, there are three slim pushbutton switches: "ENTER/ON/OFF", "PAGE UP" (P-U), and "PAGE DOWN" (P-D). These switches have a noticeable clicking sound and a firm tactile sensation (a "click" sensation you can feel) when they are actuated, so there is no mistake when the switches are pressed.

Press the "ENTER/ON/OFF" button to turn the product on; press it again to turn the product off.

When the badge is on (displaying a message), pressing the P-U or P-D buttons selects switch display info (message you want to display; 1-6 - "SWITCH"), input text mode ("INPUT"), display scrolling speed ("SPEED"), or LED brightness control ("LUM").

The first option you'll want to select is "SWITCH" mode to select which block of memory you want to use to store a message. When "SWITCH" is scrolling on the unit's display, press the "ENTER/ON/OFF" button, and then the "P-U" or "P-D" buttons to select page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. Press the "ENTER/ON/OFF" button to lock in your choise.

When the badge is on (displaying a message), press the "P-U" or "P-D" buttons to select input text mode ("INPUT"); press the "ENTER/ON/OFF" button, and you'll be in text entry mode.

Change the letter on the right side of the display using the "P-U" and "P-D" buttons; use the "ENTER/ON/OFF" button to lock that character into the unit's memory and move to the next. To add a space between words, simply press the "ENTER/ON/OFF" button. When you have a word with double letters (like the name "Jeff"), after entering the first of the doubled letters (the first "f" in this case), change the second to an "e" or a "g" and then select "f" and continue as normal. When you are finished entering your message, either press and hold the "P-D" button for three seconds or wait (do not press any buttons) for ~10 seconds. The message you entered will then automatically scroll from right to left on the unit's LED display.

Uppercase and lowercase letters, the characters above the number keys (!, @, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, and )), the numerals 0-9, and various punctuation characters are all available.


In this example, I am inputting the phrase "PISS OFF, PISS ANT!" into the product.

To select scrolling speed, turn the unit on, press the "P-U" or "P-D" buttons until "SPEED" is scrolling on the unit's display, press the "ENTER/ON/OFF" button, and then the "P-U" or "P-D" buttons to select speeds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9. Press the "ENTER/ON/OFF" button to lock in your choise.
1 is the slowest, 9 is the fastest.

To select brightness, turn the unit on, press the "P-U" or "P-D" buttons until "LUM" is scrolling on the unit's display, press the "ENTER/ON/OFF" button, and then the "P-U" or "P-D" buttons to select brightnesses 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9. Press the "ENTER/ON/OFF" button to lock in your choise.
1 is the dimmest, and 9 is the brightest.

Use the included magnet or the included safety pin to affix the LED Badge to a shirt, apron, jacket, or other fabric as you wish.



To remove the battery, turn the unit upside-down so the back surface faces up. Turn the unit so the door that reads "OPEN" is on the lower left. Use an instrument like a knife blade to slide the door out. When it does come out, remove and dispose of or recycle the used-up old CR2032 cell.

Insert a new CR2032 cell into the opening of this door, orienting it so the flat side (+) positive faces upward.

With the unit still oriented so the LEDs face down, insert (if necessary) and push in on the door until it is flush with the rest of the unit.

If you don't have any CR2032 cells handy, it's OK to use two CR2016 cells together, oriented in the same manner as a single CR2032 cell as described above. This is according to the printing on the box it came in; it is not shown in the instructional material furnished with the product.

Runtime per battery change is quoted as >20 hours on the web page this product appears on; battery(ies) should be changed when the display dims or goes out.



This is a digital scrolling badge, not a flashlight. So I won't try to whack it against a steel rod or against the side of a concrete stair, stomp on it, try to drown it in a commode, run over it, or inflict other punishments upon it that I might inflict upon a flashlight. So this section of its web page will be rather bare, when compared to this section of the web page on a page about a flashlight.

The LED Badge has 21 columns of 7 red LEDs, for 147 LEDs total.

One of the first things I do when I test a programmable message thing is to see if there's an onboard censor, and there isn't. I input "{vulgar term for a man or woman who acts as a penis vaccume}! DOUCHEBAG! {vulgar term for male urinator/inseminator; rhymes with stick}" into the LED Badge, and it happily spouted off the stream of obcenities. I soon changed it back to "WWW.LEDMUSEUM.ORG!!!" just so I wouldn't forget.

So if you have garbage mouth, potty mouth, toilet tongue, sewer mouth, sewer chute, etc. you can input dirty language into the LED Badge and have it spew forth with the obcenities when the product is subsequently used.


Photograph of the LED Badge affixed to a shirt, as it might normally be used.

Because this device has a fairly strong magnet, you should excersize exteme caution when you use the badge near a heart pacemaker if you have a pacemaker implanted in your chest.

I found the unit remarkably easy to use, considering there is no computer interface or software - all of the product's functions are controlled via three buttons on the back.

(Update 02-12-06): I have heard from a user of this product that one month after purchase, one of the vertical columns of LEDs pooped out, and the unit has been sitting in his garbage drawer since.

I've had this product for less than a day, and I've already mastered its functions - I can do anything on it without having to refer to the instructional material. Yes, it's that easy to learn and use.

I input "{vulgar term for testicles; rhymes with walls}, {vulgar term for breasts; rhymes with pits}, {vulgar term for a man's or woman's or cat's or dog's or polar bear's or rat's or giraffe's or octopus's or porpoise's or seal's or wild boar's or moose's poop chute}!!!" into the LED Badge, and it also showed the words exactly as I had input them. This is an addition to the censor test I did yesterday (02-11-06); not some other test or analysis.
Actually, I just wanted to see some naughty words in lights.

(Update 02-20-06): I input "{vulgar term for testicles; rhymes with walls}, {vulgar term for penis, rhymes with rock}, {vulgar term for vagina, rhymes with runt}!!!" into the product. I guess I just like seeing toilet words spelled out in LEDs.

(Update 02-21-06): I input "INSEMINATOR {vulgar term for one who acts as a penis vaccuummnne} DOUCHEBAG!!!" into the product. I guess I really need to get my mind out of the gutter.

(Update 03-01-06): I input "{vulgar term for penis; rhymes with stick}LICK DOUCHEBAG ENEMABAG!!!" into the product. I guess I just like seeing toilet words spelled out in LEDs...AGAIN!!!




I tried to take a photograph of the LED Badge while a message was scrolling, but the scrolling speed was fast enough and the camera's shutter speed was slow enough that the photograph did not come out well at all.


Spectrographic analysis
Spectrographic analysis of the LEDs in this badge.


Spectrographic analysis
Same as above; newer spectrometer software & settings used.

USB2000 spectrometer graciously donated by P.L.




Video on YourTube showing the LED badge in action.

This is 3.4 megabytes (3,623,108 bytes) in length; dial-up users please be aware.
It will take no less than fifteen minutes to load at 48.0Kbps.
I cannot provide it in other formats, so please do not ask.



TEST NOTES:
Sample of the LED Badge was purchased on Ebay and was received on 02-10-06.


UPDATE: 04-11-06
I affixed the badge to my shirt this morning, and set it to display "WWW.LEDMUSEUM.ORG" when I went to get a small check cashed and then got some stuff at the store.
Sure, not much of an update here, but it's *something*.
And "something" is always better than "nothing".


UPDATE: 04-11-06
No you aren't seeing things.
Yes, a same-day update.
When I was getting my check cashed, the teller asked what that red thing was. So I positioned myself where she could see it, and she said "www dot...led (pronounced like the metal "lead")...museum...dot...org", and I told her that was my website.


UPDATE: 07-04-06
I programmed the badge to scroll the message "HAPPY 4TH OF JULY FROM WWW.LEDMUSEUM.ORG" and will use it during the 4th of July parade later this morning, and again this evening when I'll be setting off some fireworks.


UPDATE: 07-04-06
No, you aren't seeing things.
Yes, a same-day update.
I forgot to turn the silly thing on while watching the parade, but I did turn it on for the ~15 minute trip home.


UPDATE: 07-04-06
No, you aren't seeing things.
Yes, another same-day update.
I used it this evening while setting off fireworks at my parent's house across town.


UPDATE: 10-31-06
I will use it this evening, with the message "HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! TRICK OR TREAT! BOO!!!", when handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.


UPDATE: 10-31-06
No, you aren't seeing things.
Yes, a same-day update.
As promised, I used the badge this evening while handing candy out to trick-or-treaters.


UPDATE: 12-10-06
I programmed it with the message "Merry Christmas from WWW.LEDMUSEUM.ORG" to use when I'm out Christmas shopping tomorrow.


UPDATE: 01-15-08
Product has inexplicably failed; yes, I tried new batteries in it, and even metered them to ensure that a dead one wasn't inadvertantly installed. The upper segments light up *SIGNIFICANTALLY* brighter than the lower ones. It behaves as though main power is low, but it still does this even when a known-new CR2032 cell is installed in it.
Therefore, that dreadful "" icon will appear next to its listings on this website until or if I am able to obtain a replacement.

This is the third LED badge in my custody to fail in as many days (none were abused or mistreated at all); perhaps these badges have a much shorter than expected lifetime.


UPDATE: 01-24-08
One of the magnetic discs has come out of the flat rectangular clip assembly; I used super glue (cyanoacrylate) to reattach the magnet to the clip assembly.


UPDATE: 01-24-08
No, you aren't seeing things.
Yes, a same-day update.
It appears to once again be functioning properly; therefore, that dreadful "" icon will be removed from its listings on this website for that very reason.





PROS:
No onboard censor
LEDs are bright enough to see in room light - they're really bright, actually
Enough space to input large sized messages
Batteries it needs are a bit odd, but not unreasonably so. Should be easy to find
Easy to program even though there is no software interface



CONS:
No onboard censor


    MANUFACTURER: Digital Badge
    PRODUCT TYPE: Magnetic scrolling LED badge
    LAMP TYPE: Small red LED
    No. OF LAMPS: 147
    BEAM TYPE: N/A
    SWITCH TYPE: Small rubber pushbutton on/off, character up/down
    CASE MATERIAL: Plastic
    BEZEL: Plastic
    BATTERY: 1x CR2032 or 2xCR2016 lithium coin cells
    CURRENT CONSUMPTION: Unknown/unable to measure
    WATER- AND PEE-RESISTANT: Light sprinkle-resistance at maximum
    SUBMERSIBLE: NO WAY HOZAY!!!
    ACCESSORIES: 2xCR2032 cells, thin bar magnet
    SIZE: 3.15"L x 1.60"W x 0.260"D
    WEIGHT: ~1.10oz.
    WARRANTY: Unknown/not stated

    PRODUCT RATING:

    Star Rating





LED Badge * www.mr-laser.com...






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