To assemble LED color music with your own hands, you need to have basic knowledge of electronics, be able to read schematics and work with a soldering iron. In the article we will look at how LED color music works, the basic working diagrams on the basis of which you can assemble ready-made devices yourself, and at the end we will step-by-step assemble the finished device using an example.

On what principle does color music work?

Color music installations are based on the method of frequency conversion of music and its transmission, through separate channels, to control light sources. As a result, it turns out that depending on the basic musical parameters, the operation of the color system will correspond to it. This trailer is the basis for the scheme for assembling color music on LEDs with your own hands.

Typically, at least three different colors are used to create color effects. It can be blue, green and red. Mixed in different combinations, with different durations, they can create an amazing atmosphere of fun.

LC and RC filters are capable of separating the signal into low, medium and high purity; they are the ones that are installed and configured in a color music system using LEDs.

Filter settings are set to the following parameters:

• up to 300 Hz for a low-pass filter, usually its color is red;
• 250-2500 Hz for medium, color green;
• everything above 2000 Hz converts into a high-pass filter, as a rule, the operation of the blue LED depends on it.

The division into frequencies is carried out with slight overlap, this is necessary to obtain different color shades during operation of the device.

The choice of color in this color music scheme is not important, and if you wish, you can use LEDs of different colors at your discretion, change places and experiment; no one can prohibit it. Various frequency fluctuations combined with the use of a non-standard color scheme can significantly affect the quality of the result.

The circuit parameters such as the number of channels and their frequency are also available for adjustment, from which we can conclude that color music can use a large number of LEDs of different colors, and it is possible to individually adjust each of them in frequency and channel width.

What is needed to make color music

Resistors for color music installation, own production, only constant ones can be used, with a power of 0.25-0.125. Suitable resistors can be seen in the figure below. The stripes on the body indicate the resistance value.

The circuit also uses R3 resistors, and trimmers R - 10, 14, 7 and R 18, regardless of type. The main requirement is the ability to install on the board used during assembly. The first version of LED color music was assembled using a variable-type resistor designated SPZ-4VM and imported trimmers.

As for capacitors, you need to use parts with an operating voltage of 16 volts, no less. Can be any type. If you have difficulty finding capacitor C7, you can connect two smaller capacitors in parallel to obtain the required parameters.

The capacitors C1, C6 used in the LED color music circuit must be capable of operating at 10 volts, respectively C9–16V, C8–25V. If, instead of old Soviet capacitors, you plan to use new, imported ones, then it is worth remembering that they have a difference in designation; you need to determine in advance the polarity of the capacitors that will be installed, otherwise you can confuse and damage the circuit.

To make color music, you will also need a diode bridge with a voltage of 50V and an operating current of about 200 milliamps. In cases where it is not possible to install a ready-made diode bridge, you can make it from several rectifier diodes, for convenience, they can be removed from the board and mounted separately using a smaller board.

The parameters of the diodes are selected similarly to the diodes used in the factory version of the bridge.

LEDs should be red, blue and green. For one channel you will need six of them.

Another necessary element is a voltage stabilizer. A five-volt stabilizer is used, imported, with article number 7805. You can also use 7809 (nine-volt), but then you need to exclude resistor R22 from the circuit, and instead put a jumper connecting the negative bus and the middle terminal.

You can connect the color music system to the music center using a three-pin jack connector.

And the last thing you need to have for assembly is a transformer with suitable voltage parameters.

General diagram for assembling color music, which uses the parts described in the photo below.

Several working schemes

Below we will propose several working schemes for LED color music.

Option #1

Any type of LED can be used for this circuit. The main thing is that they are super bright and different in glow. The circuit works on the following principle: the signal from the source is transmitted to the input, where the channel signals are summed and then sent to a variable resistance. (R6, R7, R8) Using this resistance, the signal level for each channel is adjusted, and then sent to the filters. The difference between filters is in the capacity of the capacitors used to assemble them. Their purpose, as in other devices, is to transform and purify the sound range within certain boundaries. These are the top, middle and low frequencies. For adjustment, adjustment resistors are installed in the color music circuit. Having gone through all this, the signal goes to a microcircuit that allows you to install various LEDs.

Option No. 2

The second version of LED color music is distinguished by its simplicity and is suitable for beginners. The circuit involves an amplifier and three channels for frequency processing. A transformer is installed, which can be dispensed with if the input signal is sufficient to open the LEDs. As in similar circuits, adjustment resistors are used, designated as R4 - 6. Any transistors can be used, the main thing is that they transmit more than 50% of the current. Essentially, nothing more is required. The circuit can be improved, if desired, to obtain a more powerful color and music installation.

Step-by-step assembly of the simplest color music model

To assemble a simple LED color music you will need the following materials:

• LEDs measuring five millimeters;
• wire from old headphones;
• original or analogue of transistor KT817;
• 12 volt power supply;
• several wires;
• a piece of plexiglass;
• glue gun

The first thing you need to start with is to make the body of the future color music from plexiglass. To do this, it is cut to size and glued together, glue gun. It is better to make the box rectangular. The sizes can be adjusted to suit you.

To calculate the number of LEDs, divide the adapter voltage (12V) by the operating LEDs (3V). It turns out we need to install 4 LEDs in the box.

We strip the cable from the headphones, there are three wires in it, we will use one for the left or right channel, and one for the common one.

We don't need one wire and it can be insulated.

The diagram of a simple LED color music looks like this:

Before assembly, we lay the cable inside the box.

LEDs have polarity, so when connecting, it must be taken into account.

During the assembly process, you should try not to heat the transistor, as this can lead to its breakdown, and pay attention to the markings on the legs. The emitter is designated as (E), base and collector, respectively (B) and (K). After assembly and inspection, you can install the top cover.

Ready-made version of LED color music

In conclusion, I would like to say that assembling color music using LEDs is not as difficult as it might seem at first. Of course, if you need a device with a beautiful design, then you will have to spend a lot of time and effort. But to make simple color music for informational or entertainment purposes, it is enough to assemble one of the diagrams presented in the article.

In this article we will talk about color music. Probably every beginning radio amateur, and not only others, at one time or another had the desire to assemble color music. What this is, I think, is known to everyone - to put it simply, it is the creation of visual effects that change to the beat of the music.

That part of color music that emits light can be performed on powerful lamps, for example, in a concert installation, if color music is needed for home discos, it can be done using ordinary 220 volt incandescent lamps, and if color music is planned, for example, as computer modding, for everyday use, it can be done on LEDs.

Recently, with the advent of LED strips on sale, color and music consoles using such LED strips are increasingly used. In any case, to assemble Color Musical Installations (CMUs for short) a signal source is required, which can be a microphone with several amplifier stages assembled.

Also, the signal can be taken from the linear output of a device, a computer sound card, from the output of an mp3 player, etc., in this case an amplifier will also be required, for example, two stages on transistors; for this purpose I used KT3102 transistors. The preamplifier circuit is shown in the following figure:

The following is a diagram of a single-channel color music with a filter, working in conjunction with a preamplifier (above). In this circuit, the LED flashes along with the bass (low frequencies). To coordinate the signal level, the color music circuit provides variable resistor R6.

There are also simpler color music circuits that any beginner can assemble, using 1 transistor, and also not requiring a preamplifier; one of these circuits is shown in the picture below:

Color music on a transistor

The pinout diagram for the Jack 3.5 plug is shown in the following figure:

If for some reason it is not possible to assemble a pre-amplifier using transistors, you can replace it with a transformer turned on as a step-up. Such a transformer must produce voltage on the windings of 220/5 Volts. The transformer winding with a smaller number of turns is connected to a sound source, for example, a radio tape recorder, parallel to the speaker, and the amplifier must produce a power of at least 3-5 watts. A winding with a large number of turns is connected to the color music input.

Of course, color music is not only single-channel, it can be 3, 5 or more multi-channel, when each LED or incandescent lamp blinks while reproducing the frequencies of its range. In this case, the frequency range is set by using filters. In the following circuit, a three-channel color music system (which I recently assembled myself), there are capacitors as filters:

If we wanted to use not individual LEDs in the last circuit, but an LED strip, then the current-limiting resistors R1, R2, R3 should be removed from the circuit. If the strip or LED is used RGB, it must be made with a common anode. If you plan to connect long LED strips, then you should use powerful transistors installed on radiators.

Since LED strips are designed for 12 Volt power supply, we should accordingly raise the power supply in the circuit to 12 Volts, and the power supply should be stabilized.

Thyristors in color music

Until now, the article has only talked about color and music devices using LEDs. If there is a need to assemble a digital control unit using incandescent lamps, then thyristors will need to be used to control the brightness of the lamps. What is a thyristor anyway? This is a three-electrode semiconductor device, which accordingly has Anode, Cathode And Control electrode.

KU202 Thyristor

The figure above shows the Soviet thyristor KU202. Thyristors, if you plan to use them with a powerful load, also need to be mounted on a heat sink (radiator). As we see in the figure, the thyristor has a thread with a nut and is attached similarly to powerful diodes. Modern imported ones are simply equipped with a flange with a hole.

One of these thyristor circuits is shown above. This is a three-channel color music circuit with a step-up transformer at the input. In the case of selecting thyristor analogues, you should look at the maximum permissible voltage of the thyristors, in our case for the KU202N it is 400 volts.

The figure shows a similar color music diagram to the one shown above, the main difference in the lower diagram is that there is no diode bridge. Also, LED color music can be built into the system unit. I assembled such a three-channel color music with a preamplifier in a casing from a cider. In this case, the signal was taken from the computer’s sound card using a signal divider, the outputs of which connected active acoustics and color music. It is possible to adjust the signal level, both overall and separately by channel. The preamplifier and color music were powered from a 12 Volt Molex connector (yellow and black wires). The preamplifier and three-channel color music circuits for which they were assembled are shown above. There are other LED color music schemes, for example this one, also three-channel:

In this circuit, unlike the one I assembled, inductance is used in the mid-frequency channel. For those who want to first assemble something simpler, here is the following diagram for 2 channels:

If you collect color music using lamps, you will have to use light filters, which in turn can be either homemade or purchased. The picture below shows the filters that are commercially available:

Some fans of color and musical effects assemble devices based on microcontrollers. Below is a diagram of four-channel color music on the AVR tiny 15 MK:

The Tiny 15 microcontroller in this circuit can be replaced with tiny 13V, tiny 25V. And at the end of the review, I would like to say on my own that color music using lamps is inferior in terms of entertainment to color music using LEDs, since lamps are more inertial than LEDs. And for self-repetition, I can recommend this one:

A very simple three-channel RGB color music on LEDs does not contain scarce or expensive components. All elements can be found in anyone, even the youngest radio amateur.
The operating principle of color music is classic and has truly become the most popular. It is based on dividing the sound range into three sections: high frequencies, mid frequencies and low frequencies. Since color music is three-channel, each channel monitors its frequency limit and when its level reaches the threshold value, the LED lights up. As a result, when playing music, a beautiful lighting effect is created when LEDs of different colors blink.

Simple color music scheme

Three transistors - three channels. Each transistor will act as a threshold comparator and when the level exceeds 0.6 Volts, the transistor opens. The transistor load is an LED. Each channel has its own color.
In front of each transistor there is an RC circuit that plays the role of a filter. Visually, the diagram consists of three independent parts: top part– This is the high frequency channel. The middle part is the mid frequency channel. Well, the lowest channel in the diagram is the low-frequency channel.
The circuit is powered by 9 Volts. The input receives a signal from headphones or speakers. If the sensitivity is not enough, then you will need to assemble an amplifier stage on one transistor. And if the sensitivity is high, then you can put a variable resistor at the input and use it to regulate the input level.
You can take any transistors, not necessarily KT805, here you can even install low-power ones like TK315 if the load is only one LED. In general, it is better to use composite transistor type KT829.

You can also take all the other components of the circuit there.

Assembly of color music

The color music can be assembled by hanging mounting or on circuit board like I did.
No setup is needed, it’s assembled, and if all the parts are suitable, everything works and blinks without problems.

Is it possible to connect an RGB LED strip to the input?

Of course you can, to do this we connect the entire circuit not to 9 V, but to 12. At the same time, we throw out the 150 Ohm quenching resistor from the circuit. We connect the common wire of the tape to plus 12 V, and distribute the RGB channels among the transistors. And, if the length of your LED strip exceeds one meter, then you will need to install transistors on radiators so that they do not fail due to overheating.

Color music at work

Looks quite beautiful. Unfortunately, this cannot be conveyed through pictures, so watch the video.

It's hard to find a person who doesn't like listening to music. To satisfy this desire, high-quality music centers, speakers and other devices are purchased. To get even more pleasure, many people think about creating special color effects that can decorate any sound and create a romantic atmosphere on a date or a fun mood when organizing a holiday party. Color music, like music centers, can be purchased, or you can make it yourself. The best option is to make color music using LEDs with your own hands according to one of the proposed schemes.

Advantages of LED products

The modern electronics market presents a wide variety of LED strips that have a wide variety of color effects. With their help, you can create high-quality spot lighting; it is possible to create light music with flashing or blurry effects.

Unlike conventional light bulbs, LEDs have many positive characteristics. Among the main advantages of LED strips are:

• wide and varied range of colors;
• rendering rich colors;
• different design options - rulers, modules, discrete elements, RGB strips;
• high response speed;
• minimum amount of energy consumed.

The ribbons can be used at home, in clubs and cafes, and can be used to effectively illuminate shop windows. This article will describe in more detail the option of LED color music for ordinary home use.

Simple circuit with one lamp

To begin with, it’s worth studying a simple color music scheme. This is a device that consists of one LED, transistor and resistor. Power for such color music can be supplied from a constant current source with a voltage of 6-12 volts. The device operates on the principle of an amplification stage with a common emitter. The impact in the form of a signal varying in frequency and amplitude arrives at the main base. As soon as the oscillation frequency exceeds a certain threshold value, the transistor opens and the LED immediately flashes.

This scheme of simple color music using LEDs has one drawback - the rate of blinking of the LED depends entirely on the level of the sound signal produced. In other words, the light effect will be activated only at a certain level of volume produced by the music center. When the sound intensity decreases, the glow will be constant with occasional winks.

Scheme with one-color ribbon

This color music on a transistor is assembled using an LED strip in the load. To organize such color music, you will need to increase the power supply to 12 V, find and install a transistor with a maximum collector current that exceeds the load current, and you will also need to recalculate the total value of the resistor. This color music is quite simple, made on one single-color LED strip and is ideal for beginner radio amateurs. You can assemble it without any problems at home.

Simple three-channel circuit

To get color music that is free of all the disadvantages listed above, you should use a special three-channel sound converter. This circuit is powered by LED strip constant voltage 9 V and is able to effectively illuminate one or two LEDs in each channel. Among the main structural elements that characterize such color and music scheme, you can note:

• three independent amplifier stages, which are assembled using transistors of the KT315 (KT3102) category;
• LEDs of different colors are included in the transistor load;
• For the pre-amplification element, a network small step-down transformer can be used.

The incoming signal is fed to the secondary winding of the transformer, which in turn performs two main functions - it decouples two devices at the galvanic level, and also amplifies the sound from the main linear output. After this, the signal is fed to three parallel and connected filters assembled on the basis of RC circuits. They operate on an individual frequency band, which directly depends on the value of the capacitor and resistor.

Color music with RGB tape

This attachment circuit operates on 12 volts and is ideal for installation on a car. This color music optimally combines the main functions of the previously discussed schemes and is able to work both in the lamp mode and in the color music mode. The second mode is achieved through special non-contact control of the RGB strip via a microphone. As for the lamp mode, it is based on the simultaneous launch of the green, red and blue LED at full power. The mode can be selected using a special switch located on a special board.

To understand how this attachment works, it is worth studying its sequence of actions. The main source of the signal here is a microphone, which converts sound vibrations emanating from the phonogram. The received signal is insignificant and therefore requires amplification. This can be achieved by using a transistor or a special operational amplifier. After this, the automatic AGC level controller starts. It effectively keeps sound fluctuations within reasonable limits and prepares it for subsequent processing. Built-in filters divide the signal into three parts, each of which operates in one specific frequency range. Finally, you just need to amplify the previously prepared current signal. For this purpose, special transistors are used that operate in key mode.

Purchase of a ready-made CMU

If you don’t want to make a color music system for use at home, you can purchase a CMU, that is, a color music installation. This is a ready-made functional solution that includes a controller. It will process the sound, converting it into a light and music visual representation. As the light is reproduced, its intensity will change and color scheme, thereby creating the effect of a real disco. The CMU device also includes a panel with built-in diodes.

These devices may be based on a spectral decomposition into frequencies, where each of them will have a specific color scheme or preset adjustments with a variety of effects and their alternation. They can be configured using the included remote control.

Important! Modern CMUs are very simple to install and configure. This perfect solution for organizing a home party or disco.

Conclusion

There are quite a lot of schemes for independently performing color music settings. You can choose a fairly simple option, where the color of the RGB tape will simply change, to quite complex ones, which in the process of work will create a large number of different effects, overflows and attenuations. Depending on your skills, you can choose and execute the appropriate option. It is enough to work a little and create something truly unique; it will be lighting equipment that delights with the shimmer of a wide variety of color shades. Also, do not forget that there is always the opportunity to buy a ready-made color music solution and fill your home with color shades and joy.

We all want a holiday from time to time. Sometimes you want to be sad or experience other emotions. The simplest and effective method achieve the desired result - listen to music. But music alone is often not enough - visualization of the sound flow and special effects are needed. In other words, we need color music (or light music as it is sometimes called). But where can you get it, if such equipment in specialized stores is not cheap? Do it yourself, of course. All you need for this is a computer (or a separate power supply), several meters of LED RGB strip with a power consumption of 12V, a USB development board (AVR-USB-MEGA16 - perhaps the cheapest and simplest option), as well as a circuit diagram for , what and where to connect.

A little about the tape

Before moving on to the work itself, it is necessary to determine what exactly this 12V LED RGB strip is. And it is a simple, but at the same time very ingenious invention.

LEDs have been known for decades, but thanks to innovative developments they have become a truly universal solution for many problems in the field of electronics. They are now used everywhere - as indicators in household appliances, independently in the form energy saving lamp, in the space industry, as well as in the field of special effects. The latter also includes color music. When three types of LEDs - red (Red), green (Green) and blue (Blue) are combined on one strip, an RGB LED strip is obtained. Modern RGB diodes have a miniature controller. This allows them to emit all three colors.

The peculiarity of this tape is that all the diodes are grouped and connected into a common chain, controlled by a common controller (it can also be a computer if connected via USB, or a special power supply with a control panel for stand-alone modifications). All this allows you to create an almost endless tape with a minimum of wires. Its thickness can reach literally several millimeters (if you do not take into account options with rubber or silicone protection from physical damage, moisture and temperature). Before the invention of this type of microcontroller, the simplest model had at least three wires. And the higher the functionality of such garlands, the more wires there were. In Western culture, the phrase “unraveling the garland” has long become a common noun for all long, tedious and extremely confusing tasks. And now this has ceased to be a problem (also because the LED strip is prudently wound onto a special small drum).

What do we need?

DIY color music from tape GE60RGB2811C

Ideally, to organize color music with your own hands, we would use a ready-made LED strip powered by a USB port on a computer.

All we need is to download the necessary application on the same computer, set up file associations with the desired audio player, and enjoy the result. But this is if we are very lucky, and if we have the money to purchase all this. Otherwise, everything looks a little more complicated. Electronic components stores sell LED strips of various lengths and power, but we only need 12V. She happens to be the best option

for connecting to a computer via USB. For example, you can find the GE60RGB2811C model, which consists of 300 RGB LEDs connected in series. One of the advantages of any such tape is that it can be cut as you wish - to any length. All that is needed after this is to connect the contacts so that the electrical circuit is not open and the circuit is complete (this must be done).

Color music setup scheme

We may also need a development board for USB connection. The most popular, cheapest, but at the same time functional connection option is the AVR-USB-MEGA16 model for USB 1.1. This version of USB is considered somewhat outdated because transmits a signal to the LEDs at a speed of 8 milliseconds, which is too slow for modern technology, but since the human eye perceives this speed as the “blink of an eye,” it is quite suitable for us. If we omit most of the most complex technical subtleties and nuances, then all that such a connection diagram requires of us is to take the tape required length

, release and clean the contacts on one side, connect and solder them to the output on the breadboard (on the board itself there are symbols indicating which connector is needed and for what purpose) and, in fact, that’s all. There may not be enough power for the full length of the 12V tape, so you can power them from an old computer power supply (this will require a parallel connection), or simply cut the tape. With this simple option, the sound will come from the computer speakers. For those who are especially experienced in electronics, we can recommend connecting a microphone amplifier and a small “tweeter” speaker directly to the AVR-USB-MEGA16.

Scheme for attaching the contacts of the tape to the USB cord from the smartphone If you couldn’t get this board, then as a last resort, the connection can be made via 12V tape to a USB cable from a smartphone or tablet computer (the diagram for setting up color music with your own hands allows this). It is only important to make sure that the cord will provide the required 5 watts of power. At the end of all these manipulations, install the SLP program (or write down all the steps in a txt file, if your knowledge of programming allows and the diagram and algorithm of all actions is clear), select the desired mode (by the number of diodes), and enjoy the work done with your own hands.

Conclusion

Color music is not a necessity, but it makes our lives much more interesting, and not only because we can now look at flashing multi-colored lights that light up and go out to the beat of our favorite melody. No, we're talking about something else. Having made something like this with your own hands, rather than buying it in a store, everyone will feel a surge of strength from the satisfaction inherent in every master and creator, and the realization that he, too, is worth something. But in essence, the color music is installed, blinks and pleases the eye with minimal costs and maximum pleasure - what else is needed?..

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