Advice on making sound-activated lighting circuit

No_6 · Post by **No_6** » Sun Jan 15, 2012 7:53 pm

Okay, seeing as how I've burned everything else out. I was thinking of going a completely different direction. I watched a video on how to build a 12v circuit using a TIP31 transistor and 3.5mm jack. The 3.5mm female jack is connected to the middle prong, and the positive and negatives of the LEDs to the outside prongs. Seems simple enough. The transistors I bought are of the 3amp variety, so I'm in no danger of burning them out with my 1amp regulated power supply.

Now in the Youtube video, the guy has it plugged into his computer headphone jack, but I assume you could plug it into any device using a standard 3.5mm headphone jack to use as a source, correct?

Now if I can do that, is there some way I could plug a microphone into it or something and get the same effect? And if so, how could I modulate the gain on the microphone to control the sensitivity?

Sparky · Post by **Sparky** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:43 pm

sounds like you're talking about two different things, passing power into a model over a connector and using sound to activate lights.

Umi_Ryuzuki · Post by **Umi_Ryuzuki** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 2:47 pm

Sounds like a simplified "light organ" plugged into a speaker out put of computer.

Perhaps something like this...
http://blog.makezine.com/2011/10/27/sou ... ght-organ/

en'til Zog · Post by **en'til Zog** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 3:28 pm

Try looking at a Ramsey Electronics catalog. They have several kits to make light control devices, some operate from sound, others from an electronic signal.

www.ramseyelectronics for internewt

LED sound to light controller - uses battery power

Music lights controller - 110 AC BIG unit, lots ‘o power

3 channel AC music reactive light organ = smaller

No_6 · Post by **No_6** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 8:52 pm

Thanks everyone! Okay, so there's this kit:
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bi ... &key=CK457

And it only has 6 LEDs plugged into it, and I need to control 30...

BTW, here's the video I watched showing how to do the 3.5mm stereo jack thingy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o6w0ryH2dw

Sparky · Post by **Sparky** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:53 am

give the youtube trick a try, I'd be weary of blowing out the computer sound card but you could try some other audio device maybe an little fm radio for jogging or what not.

30 LEDs assuming newer white or blue. Assume you slightly under drive and run 4 leads in series (wants 13.2 volts).
you can get 8 strings of 4 LEDs (using a resistor in place of 2 LEDs in one of the strings will not save you power consumption) those strings will be using 8 * 0.020ma or 160 ma so your TIP31 is rated to supply that?

No_6 · Post by **No_6** » Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:02 pm

Sparky wrote:give the youtube trick a try, I'd be weary of blowing out the computer sound card but you could try some other audio device maybe an little fm radio for jogging or what not.

30 LEDs assuming newer white or blue. Assume you slightly under drive and run 4 leads in series (wants 13.2 volts).
you can get 8 strings of 4 LEDs (using a resistor in place of 2 LEDs in one of the strings will not save you power consumption) those strings will be using 8 * 0.020ma or 160 ma so your TIP31 is rated to supply that?

Looks like the TIP31 is rated up to 3amps. I think.

Madman Lighting · Post by **Madman Lighting** » Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:08 pm

Clap on! Clap Off, The Clapper!