USB RGB LED VU Meter

http://www.waitingforfriday.com/index.php/USB_RGB_LED_VU_Meter

This project creates a RGB LED VU Meter which is controlled via USB by a Windows 7 or Vista host machine. The project serves several purposes: Firstly, it demonstrates how to read audio information from the Windows machine and pass this over USB to the device (which is a question which popped up several times after my USB Performance Monitor project). Secondly, it implements an open source TLC5940 driver. Although a library has been available for the AVR microcontroller, I wasn't able to find an open source library for the PIC. Hopefully this demonstration will be useful to anyone wanting to control a large number of LEDs with PWM brightness control.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• PIC18F
• PIC18F2550
• RGB
• LED
• TLC5940
• USB
• VU
• Meter

[RMoribayashi]

I could see no use of the frequency domain. I thought it was going to be more like an n-channel light organ with position for intensity and color for frequency, A peak display could show more data with secondary colors showing crossing points as on pitch got louder as the other decreased.

[simoninns]

@RMoribayashi - The project was really designed to demonstrate the TLC5940 driver library and show how you can control a number of RGB LEDs via USB using a PIC18F. What the display shows is controlled by the windows host software. You could easily alter it to be a spectrum analyser since all the code is open-source.

I just picked a VU meter because it seemed like something fun to try it out with :)

[RMoribayashi]

@simoninns That comment is a good example of why I usually sit on my posts for a day. If it still is worth sending 24 hours later then it gets a green light. It definitely needed a rewrite. Sorry.

How many levels can you get with each color? I've seen a lot of RGB LED projects that are satisfied with just seven colors. This library seems to open up a lot of possibilities for true color LED projects.

[simoninns]

@RMoribayashi - The windows host code supports 256 levels of red, green and blue (256 levels per colour), however the PIC18F/TLC5960 support 4096 PWM levels; they are really flexible controllers (you can even program them to allow for brightness correction between the LEDs). I only used 256 levels because for a project like this it doesn't make much difference and it's also what's supported by the windows colour selection dialogues.

[miguelangelcasanova1]

What music it is?

[simoninns]

@miguelangelcasanova1 - link and credits are at the end of the video

[alex017648]

Great Project!! :)

[miguelangelcasanova1]

@Viper007Bond

Thanks!

I skip it :)

[Viper007Bond]

@miguelangelcasanova1 It says at the end of the video.

[miguelangelcasanova1]

I think it is excellent project too!