Almost every novice radio amateur, and not only others, had a desire assemble a color music console or running fire to add variety to your music listening experience in the evening or on holidays. In this article we will talk about a simple color music console assembled on LEDs, which even a novice radio amateur can assemble.

1. The operating principle of color music consoles.

Operation of color music consoles ( CMP, CMU or SDU) is based on frequency division of the spectrum sound signal with its subsequent transmission via separate channels low, average And high frequencies, where each channel controls its own light source, the brightness of which is determined by fluctuations in the sound signal. The end result of the console's operation is to obtain a color scheme that matches the piece of music being played.

To obtain a full gamut of colors and the maximum number of color shades, color music consoles use at least three colors:

The frequency spectrum of the audio signal is divided using LC- And RC filters, where each filter is tuned to its own relatively narrow frequency band and passes through only the vibrations of this part of the audio range:

1 . Low pass filter(low-pass filter) transmits vibrations with a frequency of up to 300 Hz and the color of its light source is chosen red;
2 . Mid Pass Filter(PSC) transmits 250 – 2500 Hz and the color of its light source is chosen green or yellow;
3 . High pass filter(HPF) transmits from 2500 Hz and above, and the color of its light source is chosen blue.

There are no fundamental rules for choosing the bandwidth or color of the lamps, so each radio amateur can use colors based on the characteristics of his perception of color, and also change the number of channels and frequency bandwidth at his own discretion.

2. Schematic diagram of a color music console.

The figure below shows a diagram of a simple four-channel color and music set-top box assembled using LEDs. The set-top box consists of an input signal amplifier, four channels and a power supply that supplies the set-top box with AC power.

Signal audio frequency supplied to contacts PC, OK And General connector X1, and through resistors R1 And R2 goes to the variable resistor R3, which is a regulator of the input signal level. From the middle terminal of the variable resistor R3 sound signal through a capacitor C1 and resistor R4 goes to the input of a pre-amplifier assembled on transistors VT1 And VT2. The use of an amplifier made it possible to use the set-top box with almost any audio source.

From the output of the amplifier, the audio signal is supplied to the upper terminals of trimming resistors R7,R10, R14, R18, which are the load of the amplifier and perform the function of adjusting (tuning) the input signal separately for each channel, and also set the desired brightness of the channel LEDs. From the middle terminals of the trimming resistors, the audio signal is supplied to the inputs of four channels, each of which operates in its own audio range. Schematically, all channels are designed identically and differ only in RC filters.

Per channel higher R7.
The channel bandpass filter is formed by a capacitor C2 and passes only the high-frequency spectrum of the audio signal. Low and medium frequencies do not pass through the filter, since the capacitor resistance for these frequencies is high.

Passing the capacitor, the high-frequency signal is detected by a diode VD1 and is fed to the base of the transistor VT3. The negative voltage appearing at the base of the transistor opens it, and a group of blue LEDs HL1 — HL6 included in its collector circuit are ignited. And the greater the amplitude of the input signal, the stronger the transistor opens, the brighter the LEDs burn. To limit the maximum current through the LEDs, resistors are connected in series with them R8 And R9. If these resistors are missing, the LEDs may fail.

Per channel average frequency signal is supplied from the middle terminal of the resistor R10.
The channel bandpass filter is formed by a circuit С3R11С4, which for low and higher frequencies has significant resistance, therefore, to the base of the transistor VT4 Only mid-frequency oscillations are received. LEDs are included in the collector circuit of the transistor HL7 – HL12 Green colour.

Per channel low frequency signal is supplied from the middle terminal of the resistor R18.
The channel filter is formed by a circuit С6R19С7, which attenuates signals of medium and high frequencies and therefore to the base of the transistor VT6 Only low frequency vibrations are received. The channel load is LEDs HL19 – HL24 Red.

For a variety of colors, a channel has been added to the color music console yellow colors. The channel filter is formed by a circuit R15C5 and works in frequency range closer to low frequencies. The input signal to the filter comes from a resistor R14.

Powered color music console constant voltage 9V. The power supply unit of the set-top box consists of a transformer T1, diode bridge made on diodes VD5 – VD8, microcircuit voltage stabilizer DA1 type KREN5, resistor R22 and two oxide capacitors C8 And C9.

The alternating voltage rectified by the diode bridge is smoothed by an oxide capacitor C8 and goes to the voltage stabilizer KREN5. From the output 3 microcircuit, a stabilized voltage of 9V is supplied to the set-top box circuit.

To obtain an output voltage of 9V between the negative bus of the power supply and the output 2 chip included resistor R22. By changing the resistance value of this resistor, the desired output voltage is achieved at the pin 3 microcircuits.

3. Details.

The console can use any fixed resistors power 0.25 - 0.125 W. The figure below shows resistor values ​​that use colored stripes to indicate the resistance value:

Variable resistor R3 and tuning resistors R7, R10, R14, R18 of any type, as long as they fit the size of the printed circuit board. In the author's version of the design, a domestic variable resistor of the SP3-4VM type and imported trimming resistors were used.

Permanent capacitors can be of any type, and are designed for an operating voltage of at least 16 V. If difficulties arise in purchasing a C7 capacitor with a capacity of 0.3 μF, it can be composed of two connected in parallel with a capacity of 0.22 μF and 0.1 μF.

Oxide capacitors C1 and C6 must have an operating voltage of at least 10 V, capacitor C9 not below 16 V, and capacitor C8 not below 25 V.

Oxide capacitors C1, C6, C8 and C9 have polarity, therefore, when mounting on a breadboard or printed circuit board this must be taken into account: for Soviet-made capacitors, the positive terminal is indicated on the case; for modern domestic and imported capacitors, the negative terminal is indicated.

Diodes VD1 – VD4 any from the D9 series. A colored stripe is applied to the diode body on the anode side, identifying the letter of the diode.

As a rectifier assembled on diodes VD5 - VD8, a ready-made miniature diode bridge is used, designed for a voltage of 50V and a current of at least 200 mA.

If you use rectifier diodes instead of a ready-made bridge, you will have to slightly adjust the printed circuit board, or even move the diode bridge outside the main board of the set-top box and assemble it on a separate small board.

For self-assembly of the bridge, the diodes are taken with the same parameters as the factory bridge. Any rectifier diodes from the KD105, KD106, KD208, KD209, KD221, D229, KD204, KD205, 1N4001 - 1N4007 series are also suitable. If you use diodes from the KD209 or 1N4001 - 1N4007 series, then the bridge can be assembled directly from the printed circuit board directly on the contact pads of the board.

LEDs are standard with yellow, red, blue and green colors. Each channel uses 6 pieces:

Transistors VT1 and VT2 from the KT361 series with any letter index.

Transistors VT3, VT4, VT5, VT6 from the KT502 series with any letter index.

Voltage stabilizer type KREN5A with any letter index ( imported analogue 7805). If you use nine-volt KREN8A or KREN8G (imported analogue 7809), then resistor R22 is not installed. Instead of a resistor, a jumper is installed on the board, which will connect the middle pin of the microcircuit to the negative bus, or this resistor is not provided at all during the manufacture of the board.

To connect the set-top box to the sound source, a three-pin jack connector is used. The cable is taken from a computer mouse.

Power transformer - ready-made or home-made with a power of at least 5 W with a voltage on the secondary winding of 12 - 15 V with a load current of 200 mA.

In addition to the article, watch the first part of the video, which shows the initial stage of assembling a color music console

This ends the first part.
If you are tempted make color music using LEDs, then select the parts and be sure to check the serviceability of diodes and transistors, for example. And we will carry out the final assembly and configuration of the color and music console.
Good luck!

Literature:
1. I. Andrianov “Attacks for radio receivers.”
2. Radio 1990 No. 8, B. Sergeev “Simple color and music consoles».
3. Operating manual for the “Start” radio designer.

I think everyone knows what color music is and what it is eaten with. Some people also call it light music, which is also true in principle. For me, color music is the multi-colored flickering of lights to the beat of music, and light music is simply the flickering of an incandescent light bulb or strobe light.

In our article we will assemble a simple circuit for three multi-colored LEDs. Keep in mind that the circuit will not work if you simply feed music from your mobile phone or player. The signal must be strong. I think the car radio and speakers with an amplifier they will cope with this task quite well.

Diagram and assembly

In this circuit, the most difficult thing for novice electronics engineers to understand is the KT805AM transistor.

There is a small nuance here.We took such a transistor in the hope that instead of one LED, we would immediately power an LED strip.

If you assemble using two or three LEDs in a row, you can get by with a low-power transistor, such as KT315

I will not describe the characteristics of the KT805AM transistor. You will find all this on the Internet and in the datasheet. The most important thing for us is to get to know him pinout. We enter KT805AM into the search engine and next to it we enter the magic word “datasheet”. That is, we look for “KT805AM datasheet” in the search engine. We leaf through the datasheet and find something like this picture:

Here we see the labeled pins, that is, the one on the far left is the emitter, in the middle is the collector, and the one on the far right is the base. Some kind of crooked picture in the datasheet. So be it:

On a breadboard, the assembled circuit will look something like this:

Since color music does not respond to a weak sound signal, you will have to amplify it using this Chinese amplifier, bought on sale in Aliexpress:

On the front there are tone, bass, volume controls and a player input.

At the back are outputs for speakers and a subwoofer. Well, and the power input of the amplifier itself.

The whole circuit is assembled

And here is a video of her working under Benny Benassi:

In real life it looks even cooler. In short, you can endlessly look at 4 things: how the stream runs, how the fire burns, how someone else does the work for you... And how colored LEDs blink to the beat of music)))

Description of the circuit operation

Please note that not all LEDs blink to the beat of the music. For example, yellow starts to light up only when bass or, scientifically speaking, low frequencies appear in the song. What's the matter? But the fact is that the scheme essentially consists of three. One filter passes low frequencies, another filter passes only mid frequencies, and the third filter passes high frequencies. I marked each filter in the red area

The signal that was able to pass through the filter gets to the base and opens it, current flows through the collector-emitter and the LED lights up.

Oh yes, also... Remember. Pins marked with this icon

They are connected by one wire and connected to the power supply minus.

In reality it will all look like this:

What is the minus of the scheme? You have to adjust the volume of the music to ensure good sensitivity of the LEDs.

Scheme of color music with incandescent lamps

Looks great!

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 using powerful lamps, for example, in a concert setup; 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 with LEDs.

IN Lately, 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.

The signal can also be taken from the linear output of the device, sound card computer, from the output of an mp3 player, etc., in this case you will also need an amplifier, for example two stages on transistors, I used KT3102 transistors for this purpose. 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 match the signal level, a variable resistor R6 is provided in the color music circuit.

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 collect preamplifier on transistors, you can replace it with a transformer turned on as a step-up one. 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. Winding with big amount 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 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 figure 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:

Difficulty level: Easy

What you will need:

• Transistor KT-817. You can take KT-815 or KT-816
• LEDs 3 pcs.
• Wires
• 3.5 headphone jack
• Soldering iron
• Battery 9 volts (can be crown)
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1 step

In order to solder the color music, we will be guided by the diagram. First, let's connect all the LEDs in series, as shown in the diagram. And solder two wires, wire + and wire -.

Step 2

Connector

Now let's look at the headphone jack. In order for the music to play and the LEDs to blink at the same time, we will duplicate all the wires. We will use some for the amplifier speakers, and others for the color music itself. And so, we have left, right and common wire. We take the left or right wire and connect and solder it to the right leg of the transistor, we also solder a wire to it, which will later be attached to the negative of the battery. We solder the common one to the left leg of the transistor. We solder the negative wire from the LEDs to the middle leg.

Step 3

Ready color music

Next, take the toggle switch and solder it to the + wire from the LEDs. That seems to be it, now we have two circuit outputs + and -. All that remains is to attach them to the battery. For the test, we take duplicated wires and solder them to the speaker amplifier. Now you can connect the connector to your computer or phone and turn on the toggle switch. The LEDs should flash to the beat of the music. For variety, you can take not the same, but different LEDs. ALL! Now you can attach the structure somewhere on the wall. Good luck!

• Be sure to treat the welded areas with liquid electrical tape or ordinary tape.
• Observe the polarity of the contacts

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 the option in more detail. LED color music for normal 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 only be activated at a certain level of output music center volume. 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. Such a circuit is powered from an LED strip with a constant voltage of 9 V and is able to effectively illuminate one or two LEDs in each channel. Among the main structural elements that characterize such a color-musical scheme are:

• 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. In the process of reproducing the light, its intensity and color scheme will change, 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 is an ideal 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.