Whatever happened to the lights?

Xefan

I was rummaging through an old box of Lego the other day and I noticed one of my 1x4s with the two little LEDs on it with the different coloured caps you could put on top.

Whatever happened to these? I'm sure I remember them flashing and I'm sure I remember having an ambulance as a kid that had the flashing lights on top.

Why did Lego get rid of them? It seems like a step backwards that nowadays all our Lego City vehicles are static in this respect. I know there are new light blocks like that in orc forge, the winter village sets and so forth but they don't seem as fun and certainly don't seem as flexible as the little red, green and yellow caps you put on the LEDs.

cheshirecat

Not sure, I loved them too. I know the lights themselves were a little temperamental. The contact they made with the powered plates could become quite iffy. The way you could turn the lights around for flashing and always on was very cool.

I suspect that the metal/plastic plates were just too expensive/problematic in manufacture and use.

Xefan

Ah yes, I forgot that's how you got them to flash or just stay on :) I'm going to have to try and dig out the battery box and the powered plates I think. I guess they may have been a bit weaker structurally, perhaps they were prone to breaking?

I'd have thought in this day and age though that they could easily improve on what they had then and make it cheaper - i.e. if it was getting cost prohibitive back then, then surely it's not now?

Aleydita

It's probably a regulations thing, exposed contacts etc.

madforLEGO

Aleydita said:

It's probably a regulations thing, exposed contacts etc.

Most likely and a cost issue for LEGO, as they had metal in them for conductors. That means they had to ship them to an outside vendor to make though I guess. OR to get the metal pieces from a vendor to then mold into the parts. Just like 9v, LEGO probably also did not want the hassle.

prevere

I have a feeling new lights will be coming in some fashion eventually (besides the boring "light brick"). Brickset had linked to this article mid-year. This article doesn't speak of lights, but I think the technology being worked on, could relate to this area.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9239519/Sony_and_Lego_collaborating_on_toy_research

Reliant

The light and sound sets were by far my favorite Legos!