RGB Leds change to music

[Sly]

I am currently designing and building a jukebox and wanted to have some RGB leds that would change or fade colors to the beat of the music. I have searched the forums and found circuits to manually change and timed cycle changes of the colors but none that would change them to the beat. I have searched the web and didn't really find anything like this. I would prefer it used an audio input or even a software interface to pick audio and/or control the circuit. So does anyone know of anything or a site to point me to or a circuit to post. Thanks for any help.

[BobA]

Here is a 12V color organ for a car.  Used with 12V bulbs but easy to convert to leds.

http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Projects/Car-Color-Organ/Car-Color-Organ.htm

BobA

[Sly]

that is kind of what i am looking for except that i want it to be able to drive an rgb led which is one led that can produce red, green, and blue and other colors by mixing the colors and changing the brightness. so that when it picks up the beat it changes to a random color or cycles through the colors.

right now the best thing i could come up with is modifying the circuit i found on
http://www.bit-tech.net/article/92
and replace the 555 timer with the output of an led color organ like what was mentioned in the previous post. this circuit uses the 555 timer to cycle through about 7 colors. i am not sure if this would work to modify this way or not. any suggestions? also i would like to have more colors if possible.

[clanggedin]

You could buy the Mathmos Tuba

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/lights/6338/

[Dermbrian]

I understand what you're trying to do with the RGB LED's. 

I know you're not looking for a color organ....but I was surprised how hard they are to find now.  Last year, there were several models that were sold complete and a whole lot of kits.  Now there's just a whole lot of kits. 

I did find that one really nice kit still exists, made by Jameco.  The assembly manual looks top notch.

Jameco color organ kit

The kit is also available from Parts Express.  I believe I need to get one of these before all that's left are hobby kits without enclosures. 

Brian

[BobA]

You could use the output of the 3 channels of the color organ to drive the 3 color LED.  With the proper series resistor it should cause the led to light up with random intensities and colors depending what frequencies are being detected by the color organ.

[digitaldj]

First off to change one of these circuits is not a typical task, there are components that have to be removed from the board and others to take thier place.

I have exactly what you guys are looking for, where to buy it and what changes that need to be made to the circuit and how to drive mulitiple leds. If someone doesn't want to do this i can make the changes, verify operation and ship it back to you but we would have to discuss this in an email. I am also wanting to redesign this board(not to copy it) but to add a circuit to it for automatic audio level control that way if you increase or decrease the volume on the juke you don't have to readjust the color organ sensitivity controls.

I am also working on a kick but lighting system for my juke but at the present will not do sound but will do patterns and color changes. A couple of freinds and i are working on the software and i am in the process of getting the circuit boards and light grids done. This is what has taken me away from the other projects at the moment.

Here is some links to the projects i am working on. If any one is interested i can help you with what you want to do. I have spent alot of time working with led lighting and i think you will like the pics.

This light module will generate more than 4096 colors and changes to audio input or from onboard microphone.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/adigitaldj1@sbcglobal.net/album?.dir=/c8a4re2

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/adigitaldj1@sbcglobal.net/album?.dir=4ea5scd

You can email me also if you like!
Kevin

[RandyT]

I am currently designing and building a jukebox and wanted to have some RGB leds that would change or fade colors to the beat of the music.

You should take a look at the thread below.  I think you might like what you see

Video: LED-Wiz Dances to music....

RandyT

[digitaldj]

Yeah! That's cool once you get it all worked out and can make the software useable for other apllications it will be great, but you need to make everything assignable so a person can use this for other applications. I guess it is all in what you want to do and i thought i would help someone out if i could. I guess what i have learned and the projects i am working i can release when i'm done. Now if you take the modules i have made and put it with the led wiz and use multiple modules you could do patterns and color organ(sound to light) function. I have access to the boards that i am writing software for that can control 64 rgb leds and my software will be able to control 2 boards and later do sound. These will be great for jukeboxes, that is what i am doing with the half round grids but they will be 24" tall with 64 squares and each one will generate 4096 colors. I am putting them on each side of the jukebox in the columns.

Are you going to make the software capable of adjusting the sound control and do color organ by the frequency range like highs, mids and lows? How about being able to create patterns with additional modules?

I played with the software but wasn't able to adjust the speed etc. after i created some frames. Also i wasn't able to load in any premade frame files.

I had actually thought of buying one of these for muy buttons on my juke.
Kevin