LEDs on subs

[Jzzt]

I have some speakers at home where I have LED's wired to flash with the music, have also done this with car amps before multiple time for friends and I.

It's a diy but relatively cheap (all materials probably wont run you over 10 bucks but you have to solder the stuff together).

LEDs must be 12V

What you need

12V LED strip (or 4x3V, 6x2V leds, or whatever), final voltage must be 12V like most led strips being sold everywhere (ex. eBay).

5050 SMD Strips will be the brightest leds you will get for low $$

TIP31 Transistor

1K Potentiometer

Soldering iron and solder

Some ~24, 26 gauge wire (whatever you have laying around, this wont use much voltage at all)

You will need to connect to a 12V source (your amp's +,- and to your speakers +,- (red is positive black is negative)

Should be simple, and the potentiometer will allow you to control brightness.

Connecting them directly to your speakers without the above will harm your electrical, in some cases you wont notice it but it still does.

[bassfreake]

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=073-056 what do you think of this one? I don't know enough about it to know for sure if it's what I'm looking for but from what I can make out it would do the same thing as what the one that we were talking about that you said messed up your sound.

to jzzt... so with what you just described you could hook it up straight to your subs and it not mess anything up?

[Jzzt]

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=073-056 what do you think of this one? I don't know enough about it to know for sure if it's what I'm looking for but from what I can make out it would do the same thing as what the one that we were talking about that you said messed up your sound.

to jzzt... so with what you just described you could hook it up straight to your subs and it not mess anything up?

Yes to your subs/speakers, you can get the 12v dc from pretty much anywhere in the car (or your amp), and you can get creative and make a couple of these and connect one up front to your speakers and another one to your subs, you get the idea.

[bassfreake]

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=073-056 what do you think of this one? I don't know enough about it to know for sure if it's what I'm looking for but from what I can make out it would do the same thing as what the one that we were talking about that you said messed up your sound.

to jzzt... so with what you just described you could hook it up straight to your subs and it not mess anything up?

Yes to your subs/speakers, you can get the 12v dc from pretty much anywhere in the car (or your amp), and you can get creative and make a couple of these and connect one up front to your speakers and another one to your subs, you get the idea.

that's kinda cool... part of me kinda wants to give it a try but I don't know how to solder lol how does doing what you said instead make it so it doesn't mess up anything by wiring straight to the speakers like that?

[Wicks]

I have some speakers at home where I have LED's wired to flash with the music, have also done this with car amps before multiple time for friends and I.

It's a diy but relatively cheap (all materials probably wont run you over 10 bucks but you have to solder the stuff together).

LEDs must be 12V

What you need

12V LED strip (or 4x3V, 6x2V leds, or whatever), final voltage must be 12V like most led strips being sold everywhere (ex. eBay).

5050 SMD Strips will be the brightest leds you will get for low $$

TIP31 Transistor

1K Potentiometer

Soldering iron and solder

Some ~24, 26 gauge wire (whatever you have laying around, this wont use much voltage at all)

You will need to connect to a 12V source (your amp's +,- and to your speakers +,- (red is positive black is negative)

Should be simple, and the potentiometer will allow you to control brightness.

Connecting them directly to your speakers without the above will harm your electrical, in some cases you wont notice it but it still does.

This would work much better than directly connecting the LEDs to an amp.

Although here are my concerns:

1.) The TIP31 is a BJT and does require a bit of "base" current to turn on. It also only has a Base-Emitter breakdown voltage of about 5V.

I'm guessing you'll have issues if you try and connect this to an 8KW system.

2.) I'd suggest removing the TIP31 transistor and using a MOSFET (RadioShack has IRF510's) which has a much higher input impedance.

It also has a low Gate-Source voltage of 4-5V. Considering its high input impedance it would be better suited for connection to your signal (RCA) wires instead of the amps outputs.

3.) I'd be very hesitant to connect your amps (-) speaker output to your vehicles ground connection. The negative speaker output on some amps is not tied to ground and could have a live signal on it. Disconnect all wires on your amp. Use a DMM (ohms setting) and measure the resistance between the Ground Terminal and the Negative Speaker Output.

If they are tied together (~0.5 ohms) then you should be OK.

[Wicks]

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=073-056 what do you think of this one? I don't know enough about it to know for sure if it's what I'm looking for but from what I can make out it would do the same thing as what the one that we were talking about that you said messed up your sound.

to jzzt... so with what you just described you could hook it up straight to your subs and it not mess anything up?

Yeah that may be an option.

Looks like you need to buy more stuff than just that one board though.

You would also need some DIY skills with that one like you mentioned (soldering, etc).

[bassfreake]

I have some speakers at home where I have LED's wired to flash with the music, have also done this with car amps before multiple time for friends and I.

It's a diy but relatively cheap (all materials probably wont run you over 10 bucks but you have to solder the stuff together).

LEDs must be 12V

What you need

12V LED strip (or 4x3V, 6x2V leds, or whatever), final voltage must be 12V like most led strips being sold everywhere (ex. eBay).

5050 SMD Strips will be the brightest leds you will get for low $$

TIP31 Transistor

1K Potentiometer

Soldering iron and solder

Some ~24, 26 gauge wire (whatever you have laying around, this wont use much voltage at all)

You will need to connect to a 12V source (your amp's +,- and to your speakers +,- (red is positive black is negative)

Should be simple, and the potentiometer will allow you to control brightness.

Connecting them directly to your speakers without the above will harm your electrical, in some cases you wont notice it but it still does.

This would work much better than directly connecting the LEDs to an amp.

Although here are my concerns:

1.) The TIP31 is a BJT and does require a bit of "base" current to turn on. It also only has a Base-Emitter breakdown voltage of about 5V.

I'm guessing you'll have issues if you try and connect this to an 8KW system.

2.) I'd suggest removing the TIP31 transistor and using a MOSFET (RadioShack has IRF510's) which has a much higher input impedance.

It also has a low Gate-Source voltage of 4-5V. Considering its high input impedance it would be better suited for connection to your signal (RCA) wires instead of the amps outputs.

3.) I'd be very hesitant to connect your amps (-) speaker output to your vehicles ground connection. The negative speaker output on some amps is not tied to ground and could have a live signal on it. Disconnect all wires on your amp. Use a DMM (ohms setting) and measure the resistance between the Ground Terminal and the Negative Speaker Output.

If they are tied together (~0.5 ohms) then you should be OK.

lol the more I think about this the more I feel like I don't know enough about electrical and would need someone else helping me out with this in person while I'm doing it if/when I decide I want to go that way... but so far the only things I've found that could jack into the amp instead of using a mic are the board that you said would be a big diy thing, the one that you said screwed up your sound, and one that I found that was $100 http://www.elementalled.com/apollo-jammer.html

[Jzzt]

@ Wicks

Yea the mofset would work better, never though of that, probably because the tip31 always worked for my installs.

I also just connect the signal to the RCA via an rca splitter, snip off the ends and solder it there, never had a problem conecting it to speaker outputs though.

[Wicks]

I have some speakers at home where I have LED's wired to flash with the music, have also done this with car amps before multiple time for friends and I.

It's a diy but relatively cheap (all materials probably wont run you over 10 bucks but you have to solder the stuff together).

LEDs must be 12V

What you need

12V LED strip (or 4x3V, 6x2V leds, or whatever), final voltage must be 12V like most led strips being sold everywhere (ex. eBay).

5050 SMD Strips will be the brightest leds you will get for low $$

TIP31 Transistor

1K Potentiometer

Soldering iron and solder

Some ~24, 26 gauge wire (whatever you have laying around, this wont use much voltage at all)

You will need to connect to a 12V source (your amp's +,- and to your speakers +,- (red is positive black is negative)

Should be simple, and the potentiometer will allow you to control brightness.

Connecting them directly to your speakers without the above will harm your electrical, in some cases you wont notice it but it still does.

This would work much better than directly connecting the LEDs to an amp.

Although here are my concerns:

1.) The TIP31 is a BJT and does require a bit of "base" current to turn on. It also only has a Base-Emitter breakdown voltage of about 5V.

I'm guessing you'll have issues if you try and connect this to an 8KW system.

2.) I'd suggest removing the TIP31 transistor and using a MOSFET (RadioShack has IRF510's) which has a much higher input impedance.

It also has a low Gate-Source voltage of 4-5V. Considering its high input impedance it would be better suited for connection to your signal (RCA) wires instead of the amps outputs.

3.) I'd be very hesitant to connect your amps (-) speaker output to your vehicles ground connection. The negative speaker output on some amps is not tied to ground and could have a live signal on it. Disconnect all wires on your amp. Use a DMM (ohms setting) and measure the resistance between the Ground Terminal and the Negative Speaker Output.

If they are tied together (~0.5 ohms) then you should be OK.

lol the more I think about this the more I feel like I don't know enough about electrical and would need someone else helping me out with this in person while I'm doing it if/when I decide I want to go that way... but so far the only things I've found that could jack into the amp instead of using a mic are the board that you said would be a big diy thing, the one that you said screwed up your sound, and one that I found that was $100 http://www.elementalled.com/apollo-jammer.html

Yeah, I don't see many other options for this guy:

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/controllers/ldrf-rgb4-a-rgb-controller-rf-remote-and-audio/111/

Other than the $100 ones that you linked above.

Mine could very well have been bad. If you're set on the audio jack, then it may not hurt to just get it and try it out.

Sometimes you have have to take the plunge and experiment with it and see how you like it.

Just ran through eBay, here's the same thing much cheaper:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RF-Audio-Controller-For-LED-RGB-strip-light-sound-controller-Remote-Controller-/180978648755?pt=US_Lighting_Parts_and_Accessories&hash=item2a232b06b3

[Wicks]

@ Wicks

Yea the mofset would work better, never though of that, probably because the tip31 always worked for my installs.

I also just connect the signal to the RCA via an rca splitter, snip off the ends and solder it there, never had a problem conecting it to speaker outputs though.

Yeah if you have a very robust system the the BJT may work fine.

I tend to be cautious with my estimates.

Especially when the OP is mentioning 8KW systems.

Running your signal off of RCA feeds would provide a better signal to the BJT as compared to speaker outputs.

What kind of amp was the setup on? If your voltages aren't too crazy and you have that potentiometer inline, then it might be fine.