sound to light

[hartke20g]

i'm sure pretty much everyone has played through a fender 25W bass combo, and that you've seen the light coming from the bottom when you play. i recently won 100 LEDs on ebay ($10 US:smoke:) and i want to do something like that. if i do, i'd try it on my hartke b200, since i'm comfortable with opening if up. if that works, i'd also like to make the same thing for my ashdown c410t mag, only externally mounted (fx loop, input, basically any way that i don't have to open it up).

gogogo

[side_winder]

Do you have any experiance with electronics?

You'll need a few more components.
(some resistors, and some oppamps) but this is basically how it's done,

http://www.vias.org/feee/opamp_04.html

[CCR90]

I won a similar auction too haha.

[FunkMetalBass]

Wait, so the different lights light up depending on how hard/what notes you play?

[side_winder]

yes, when you hit the notes harder, there is more volume,
it's basically a simple level meter,

put some filters in there and you could have a graphic EQ on the bottom of the amp.

[moghes69]

i think you'd just need some led's after an envelope follower circuit.

[hartke20g]

so....are there any diagrams to what Side Winder and Moghes said? or at least something like "connect resistor/cap/etc. A to +LED and -LED to part B"?

[moghes69]

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?board=2.0
they'd be able to help you better there. the information on that site helped me build a fuzz and a clean boost pedal.

[hartke20g]

anyone? links at least?

[side_winder]

The link I put in the first post I wrote in here will enable you to see the crcuit that you have to make...

the connections to the actual components that you make will depend on the components that you buy.

but the symbols are uniform and whatever you buy will have a datasheet so you can figure it out from there.

[hartke20g]

yes but i'm terrible at reading schematics. also, i'd like to only have to buy the LEDs and use some wire i already have, but i don't know if it's possible and/or where to hook it up.

[moghes69]

just wiring in leds would not work. you would need a circuit to light up the leds when an audio signal passes through.

[hartke20g]

is there any way i could modify something like this http://www.canakit.net/Default.asp?Contents=/Include/Template/MenuCat.asp&Main=http://www.canakit.net/Contents/Items/UK457.asp
and make it compatible with 1/4" jacks and have about 9 more LEDs wired to it?

or could someone just crack open their fender rumble and say what's going on in one?

[moghes69]

post that question on the website i posted earlier. the people there would be able to help you with modifying that circuit.

[side_winder]

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?TabID=1&criteria=OP-AMPS&ModuleNo=2909&doy=9m12

I know that you're not from the UK,
but radio shack/tandy will most likely stock something like this...

then all you do is attache the LEDs to the bits that say and connect your line in audio to pin 5...

[slpntrx5]

i have my buddy's fender rumble 100 at my house right now...maybe i can get the ok and help u out.

[AG]

The older version of the MG's use LED's for distortion. You can see them flicker up when you play harder.

I think they're called Marshall G series. Or something, the little version I had was a G10mkII, it had a red and a green LED in the gain stage. Fun++

[SGdudeSG]

yes, when you hit the notes harder, there is more volume,
it's basically a simple level meter,

this thread gets me wondering...you know how Steve Vai has those guitars with the LED inlays? would it be possible to rig LEDs in a guitars inlays to light up brighter the harder you play...?


...that'd be so sweet

[Pumpkin Nuts]

I've opened up my rumble 60. I don't know much about wiring and stuff of that sort, but it pretty much just plugs into a slot on the speaker and the actual amp. No weird circuits or anything. I tried to plug a strobe light into those slots, and keep it in the amp, and it worked untill one of the breakers blew