ON SALE NOW IN OUR ONLINE STORE.

blink(1) is the world's best indicator light, designed in the spirit of our favorite old school Unix tools: simple, flexible, and robust.

It fits into the USB 1.0/2.0 port on nearly every device so you can connect cloud data sources or events on your computer to a full-color LED and know what's happening.

BLINK(1) CAN

• pulse when someone mentions you on Twitter
• glow red if your computer's CPU is slammed
• flash when a web page has changed
• show the status of your continuous integration build
• display multiple information sources simultaneously
• work in parallel with as many other blink(1)s as you have USB ports
• …and hundreds of other things!

WORKS WITH IFTTT

blink(1) is a channel on IFTTT.

Through IFTTT you can:

• connect it to the weather
• blink when Instagram updates (and many other social networks)
• show you if package has shipped
• tell you when new email from your friends has arrived
• warn it's going to be below freezing tomorrow
• alert you when there's a new file in your dropbox
• reminds you to go outside and watch the sunset

CROSS PLATFORM EVERYWHERE, INCLUDING RASPBERRY PI

• Mac OS X
• Windows 7 and 8
• Linux (it's great for server status!)
• Raspberry Pi
• embedded Linuxes (BeagleBoard, DD-WRT/TomatoUSB routers, etc.)

PROGRAMMER-FRIENDLY

We provide libraries for most common platforms (C, Java, and C#), and our users have created wrappers for Python, Ruby, Go and other systems. There's even a Linux kernel mod!

Our users have found that it makes a great continuous integration build status light, and modules exist for Jenkins, CruiseContro.NET and others.

OPEN SOURCE

The entire blink(1) design is open source: apps, libraries, PCB board layouts, firmware, and the industrial design. Everything. Hack it to make it do cool new things!

FAQ

Q. Wait, so this is just an RGB LED with a USB connector in a case? A. Yes, and it's the most flexible and easiest to use one, anywhere. To make it all work, there's also a tiny USB controller with our firmware to make it easy to program and control, but basically yes.

Q. Why does the metal part face up I plug it into my laptop? Is that a mistake?A: No, it's intentional. There's a strong LED on the blink(1) and we want it to be informative, but not distracting. If you want the full glare, you can take the case off (and put it back on!) very easily. If you have a 3D printer we published the CAD files so you can make your cases, too.

Q. Which computers does blink(1) work with? A. Just about anything with a USB jack. Our apps work on Mac OS X, Windows XP+, Ubuntu/Debian-style Linux. If you're a programmer, the command-line tools can be compiled for just about any POSIX-compliant Unix-style platform including the Raspberry Pi, many WiFi routers, BeagleBone, and some Android phones.

Q. Can I control it from my phone? A. Yes! If your phone can load a web page it can control blink(1). The blink(1) service on your computer can appear as a password-protected web app for your phone or any other network enabled device.

Q. Is blink(1) hackable? A. Definitely. We're working to make the enclosure openable so you can get at the circuit board. And if you know Arduino or AVR programming, you can modify how blink(1) functions. blink(1) can be programmed with the Arduino IDE. We will include example hacks of how to turn the blink(1) into a USB keyboard and mouse emulator.

blink(1) Downloads

SOFTWARE

BLINK(1) CONTROL : Mac OS X - Windows

Use IFTTT to receive Web & Net events!

 

DOCUMENTATION

HOW TO USE IFTTT + BLINK1CONTROL (1.7MB PDF)

PRELIMINARY BLINK(1) API DOCUMENTATION

 

APPS

BLINK(1) COLOR ORGAN : OSX - WINDOWS

Flash blink(1) in time to music, instant disco!

BLINK-A-TWEET : OSX - WINDOWS

Watch Twitter for keywords, flash blink(1) on match

BLINK(1) COLOR PICKER : OSX - WINDOWS

Set blink(1) to any color

BLINK(1) TOOL : OSX - WINDOWS - LINUX_x86 - LINUX_x64 - RASPBERRY PI - GURUPLUG

Comprehensive command-line tool for use in scripts and batch files

 

LIBRARIES

Java / Processing 1.5 Library & Examples

.NET C# library & Example

 

SOURCE CODE

GITHUB REPOSITORY

README

COMMAND LINE TOOLS

HID RAW MODE TOOL FOR LINUX SERVERS

"MINI" BLINK(1) TOOL FOR LINUX-BASED WIFI ROUTERS

FIRMWARE

HARDWARE SCHEMATICS

ENCLOSURE CAD FILES

 

SUPPORT

High resolution images from Flickr