My first LED VU meter

[SamHandwiches]

I'm trying to figure out how a simple vu meter could output into a 7 segment display, perhaps showing from 00 to 99. Is this possible? Can anyone help?

[kaabio]

@copytnic Yeah of course....you're actually a real music expert. Go listen JB, man.

[levenAR23]

Buena me distes nuevas ideas. Pulgar arriba

[TechLaine]

awsome,i wish i built one :/

[az5625]

andrea bocelli!

[legoclockfreak710]

scematics pleez!!!

[hoopty388]

would love to see you do a write up on building one of these. please find a forum and post a link...thanks.

[freeReporter18]

song sucks

[sparky3489]

watch?v=uOw_Ynx1tGc

[Rambo1production]

do you have a component list?

[reviathon360]

ooooh. I see how you've done it! Brilliant use of Zener diodes.

[rockman378]

@reviathon360 no zener diodes where used in the making of this video xD

[reviathon360]

@rockman378 How else would he have done it?

[rockman378]

@reviathon360 resistors transistors leds i.c.'s capacitors and wire

[reviathon360]

@rockman378

To create a VU meter this out of just transistors and resistors (just the bargraph) is either very hard in impossible. I don't know, maybe you know what you are talking about but from the looks of it, there is a few Zener diodes on the back of the display board. But what ever.

[rockman378]

@reviathon360 im sorry you are right i didnt look there in the video :P sorry man.

[reviathon360]

@rockman378 It's all good. 

[2008shj]

good job

[anarkia1ces]

Lookup the LM3914. Scalable.

[justinb6003]

Good job and screw all the people who don't like your song

[Bman8862]

what kind of power source do you use?

[mberea]

Hello there,cool piece of equipment,what voltage operates it,is it portable,I would like to use one like it to show the incomming volume on my camcorders microphone,what would lone like this cost me..moodychops.text me?07910509084.

[nathanallan1]

That is a LOT of soldering :) Nice!

[jasper487]

very nice, but wouldn't that be easier with a lm3916?

[SpadeStranger]

pretty awsome work dude , nicley doned =) like it

[hans407]

wat een kutmuziek

[alitakos2009]

bravo man

[samljer]

Way more complex then it had to be, wow.

[Flea5000000000]

nice work

[flapjackspeeder]

Andrea Bocelli is pretty great, but bad for showing off a meter... nice work, though :)

[coilsinamotor]

lol vio per lei is by Andrea Bocelli

[Yotunen]

good job mate!

[nordmensch]

OMG your sound system looks realy realy bad but the vu meter looks fine..man

[bubble0doom]

Oh my god, that station looks ghetto and sad...even the VU looks sad.

Fine job

Just sad looking..

[TheDexboy]

Are you sure you had to use the transistors for each LED?

I'm preety sure you can use the direct output from the chip as the LEDs draw just a few mA

Great project actually ;)

[AMDkicksass]

i think the reason why he did that was to get rid of an issue ive seen with allot of vu meters with the first few lights dimming out when most or all the lights light up and anyway transistors cost hardly anything like maybe 5 cents each lol

[IncubusKiss]

@AMDkickass

The reason that some VU Meters have the lower led's go dim when most or all of them are on, is because if you use the LM3915 or LM3916, you must also add some type of rectifier circuit for the signal, before the chip. Look in the datasheet for the LM3916 and see the cct they have called "Full Wave Average Detector To VU Meter Specification". Also read the section "Audio Meter Standards". There is nothing wrong with these chips, you just need to rectify the signal first.

[437thx1138]

@IncubusKiss I did make one with a PNP trasnsistor for each step. I wanted 3 LED's on ea circuit and with the PNP the LM3915 had to sink only the bias current.

Solves the issue with longer run voltage drop too. Very stable and stays well below 3915 power rating for that many lights. PNP's cost 7 cents ea. And you're right great chips!

[CGartist]

is there any chance u could send a link of a detailed data sheet of the LED circuit of the transistors, LED etc

[gogoo4cs]

wanna send me all files from this project please?Upload all on a file hosting site and send me the link on PM or else.

[Hesperimenta]

good :)

[Jimmypage512]

Hey not to shabby man

Its damn hard to use a perf board like that IMO!

Check out mine, its the same thing but I made it on a PCB