Music Synchronized Lights

[Sheebz]

So I basically would just like to hook up my computer speakers to a set of string lights I have so that as the audio output rises from songs being played on my computer, the lights will either brighten or dim. It would be similar to this, except for the fact that I will have the lights hooked up in my room.

I know how to do what is shown in the video, but I don't want to actually get the software and run the required channels for each second of a song. I want it so that when the bass rises, a set of green lights will brighten, and when the treble rises, the red lights will brighten, and same with mid levels.

One of my high school teachers did it, but I can't get into contact with him about, but I do know it can be done. Should I just take out the speaker unit of the main speaker, then wire up a relay and a cross over to it, then hook the lights up to that, or is there another way I can actually do it?

These are the speakers I have.Logitech x 230
This is the computer I have.HP Pavilion a1310n running Windows XP

Is there another way I could be doing this or is my head in the right spot?

 

[foothead]

I've done something similar before with a LM3915N IC. It can control 10 LEDs at 3 dB steps. All you need to do is build the circuit as shown on the back of the box and wire it into one of your audio headers or the speaker line itself

If you want separate lights for each channel, you'd just need multiple circuits.

Here's some more info. http://www.national.com/mpf/LM/LM3915.html#Overview

EDIT: Here's what it does.

 

[root]

basically, what foot head has described.


you need a level meter, you can either use a 1 chip solution like in his video, or you could us individual opp-amps to act as level comparators, (this is really basically electronics 101 type stuff). (I think you could also hook these chips up in series to have 20, or 30 lights), (you definitely can have as many light levels as you want if you go with the op-amp version.

so first of all make yourself a level meter, get it tested, get it working.

now when you put the stereo through it it will rise an fall (as in the lights will light up along the chain) as the volume of the music you're listening to rises and falls.

(now make another one so you have 2)

now you need to construct yourself some audio filters, like a set of speaker crossovers to split out bass and treble frequencies, attach one of your level meter light bar things to the treble output of your filters and one to the bass.

now you'll see the bass one rising when the volume of the bass is increased and the treble one rising as the treble is increased.


add more filters set to different frequencies and add more light bars as much as you like, you can split into as many frequencies as you like, and you'll get a fairly decent light show.



now, if you want to control mains/house lighting you'll need some devices called Triacs, they are electronic switches that you can use a small circuit, (like a USB powered circuit) to switch dangerous voltages, like mains power...