GlyphFeb 21

I need a few—probably 3—of an "office busy light" product like this https://amzn.to/4b1vvUZ for a home office setup. But:

1. They all cost like $50 which seems like *way* too much for an LED on a stick
2. That cost seems to mostly pay for software that directly integrates with Microsoft Teams. I have no need for integration with Microsoft Teams and in fact kind of anti-want that.
3. I want to write my own automations and it's not clear if they have an API

Is there a cheap/DIY version of this?

Amazon.com

Show threadJR Rickerson Feb 22
@glyph I haven't executed on it but I always wanted to find a second hand "On Air" sign from a radio booth to hang above my office door and activate via a simple relay. In my head canon I would automate this attached to my calendar whenever I have a call / meeting scheduled, or anytime Zoom is active, etc.
But if you need 3 I might be misinterpreting your goal.
Show threadGlyphFeb 22
@jrrickerson There are 3 people who share the home office. I think of it as a "busy" light rather than an "on air" light, because my family members are very good at respecting call / meeting times already, what I am looking for is to establish some mutual respect for "I'm just trying to get some work done" times. Mutual because I am also sometimes the interrupter rather than the interruptee, and sometimes it's just kinda hard to know if someone is doing some research or goofing off.
Show threadJR Rickerson Feb 22
@glyph Makes sense. How about a USB relay like this one (there's even sample Python code). https://a.co/d/0a0b5EPz
Plug it in, write whatever automation you want, and plug literally any light or whatever you want into the output. LED strip lights are pretty cheap these days...
Amazon.com

Show threadGlyph
@jrrickerson I really do want the multi-color thing for a few different states, but this is a good suggestion, thanks
Feb 22 at 4:48amWeb
Show threadJR Rickerson Feb 22
@glyph So, not trying to beat dead horses, but if you're ok with the DIY aspect, I saw several multi-channel USB relays available. Multi-channel Relay + several single color LEDS encased in some housing perhaps? A bit clunky but you could definitely get away with < $50, maybe even for all three of them together.