Hey,

On Monday 11 December 2000 11:51, you wrote:
> Wow. It took science until the 21st century to figure out
> how to make a blue LED! I think I'll have to go get me some
> to play with. Does Radio Shaft sell them?

Actually, I first saw / heard of blue LEDs in the late 1980's. At that time, 
they yield on the device was so low, that the parts were in the $10/ea range 
(and this is in 1986 dollars). Somewhere around the middle 90's, the 
manufacturer's improved the process to the point that they had a reasonable 
yield, and prices fell a lot. I think you can buy a blue LED for around a 
dollar now, but I haven't really looked.

Most interesting to me are the high-intensity white LEDs, which I've seen at 
the hamfests in the last years. Blinding output, and none of the service life 
issues of incandescent lamps. I've also seen white LEDs in the form of 
extremely bright penlights, that never burn out. Also, LED replacements for 
standard flashlight bulbs.

-- 
Bill Layer
Sales Technician
<b.layer at vikingelectronics.com>