Power symbol
Symbol showing if electrical power is on
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Standby symbol ambiguity
Because the exact meaning of the standby symbol on a given device may be unclear until the control is tried, it has been proposed that a separate sleep symbol, a crescent moon, instead be used to indicate a low power state. Proponents include the California Energy Commission and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Under this proposal, the older standby symbol would be redefined as a generic "power" indication, in cases where the difference between it and the other power symbols would not present a safety concern. This alternative symbolism was published as IEEE standard 1621 on December 8, 2004.
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Standards
Universal power symbols are described in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60417 standard, Graphical symbols for use on equipment, appearing in the 1973 edition of the document (as IEC 417) and informally used earlier.
Unicode
Because of widespread use of the power symbol, a campaign was launched by Terence Eden to add the set of characters to Unicode. In February 2015, the proposal was accepted by Unicode and the characters were included in Unicode 9.0. The characters are in the "Miscellaneous Technical" block, with code points 23FB-FE, with the exception of U+2B58 ⭘ HEAVY CIRCLE, which belongs to the "Miscellaneous Symbols and Arrows" block.
- U+23FB ⏻ POWER SYMBOL (IEC 60417-5009 stand-by symbol, IEEE 1621 power symbol)
- U+23FC ⏼ POWER ON-OFF SYMBOL (IEC 60417-5010)
- U+23FD ⏽ POWER ON SYMBOL (IEC 60417-5007)
- U+2B58 ⭘ HEAVY CIRCLE (Used for IEC 60417-5008 power off symbol)
- U+23FE ⏾ POWER SLEEP SYMBOL
In popular culture
The standby symbol, frequently seen on personal computers, is a popular icon among technology enthusiasts. It is often found emblazoned on fashion items including t-shirts and cuff-links. It has also been used in corporate logos, such as for Gateway, Inc. (circa 2002), Staples, Inc. easytech, Exelon, Toggl and others, as record sleeve art (Garbage's "Push It") and even as personal tattoos. In March 2010, the New York City health department announced they would be using it on condom wrappers. The 2012 television series Revolution, set in a dystopian future in which "the power went out", as the opening narration puts it, stylized the second letter 'o' of its title as the standby symbol. The power symbol was a part of exhibition at MoMA.
On 15 October 2019, 786 employees of Volkswagen Group United Kingdom Limited formed the world's largest human power symbol at Millbrook Proving Ground.