3 colour 10 LED bargraph

[ruffrecords]

I am looking for a 10 LED bargraph display for use in a VU meter design. I would like it to have 5 green, two yellow and three red segments. I found a cheapo one like this on eBay but I cannot seem to find one like it from reputable suppliers. Any pointers?

Cheers

ian

 

[JohnRoberts]

These were generally semi-custom where buying production quantities gives you whatever mix of colors you want.

Don't know what a reputable LED company looks like, these have been commodities for a while.

JR

PS: My first thought was about 3 color LEDs but the red/green/both , never made a very good third color.

 

[Martin Griffith]

Adafruit do strange LED stuff never used them, no idea of the quality https://www.adafruit.com/product/346?length=2

 

[ruffrecords]

Adafruit do strange LED stuff never used them, no idea of the quality https://www.adafruit.com/product/346?length=2

I was thinking more of this type of device:

https://www.adafruit.com/?q=led%20bargraph

In fact Luckylight do pretty much what I want. I have ordered a couple off eBay from a UK seller. But I was really hoping to find a more reputable source.

Cheers

Ian

 

[JohnRoberts]

I was thinking more of this type of device:

https://www.adafruit.com/?q=led%20bargraph

In fact Luckylight do pretty much what I want. I have ordered a couple off eBay from a UK seller. But I was really hoping to find a more reputable source.

Cheers

Ian

Their odd (too us) name choice does not automatically mean they are suspect.  I have encountered some silly (to names) for large Chinese companies.

JR

 

[ruffrecords]

Digikey has exactly what I want - but nil stock!

https://www.digikey.co.uk/products/en/optoelectronics/leds-circuit-board-indicators-arrays-light-bars-bar-graphs/106?k=led+bargraph&k=&pkeyword=led+bargraph&sv=0&pv37=1880&sf=0&FV=ffe0006a&quantity=&ColumnSort=0&page=1&pageSize=25

@JR, I agree - for example Toneluck (are known to) make good switches but Luckybright is new to me.

Cheers

ian

 

[CurtZHP]

Roll your own, but with a twist.

Make it in the shape of an inverted arc, with the lowest readings in the middle.  Then print an image of the Cheshire Cat on the front panel around it, so that the louder the audio gets, the bigger his grin.

8)

 

[Martin Griffith]

I'm trying to imagine how I would program 3 lines of RGB's  as a single line VU format driven with a single audio signal, maybe Low_Mid_HF content or signal and gain reduction.

Martin

 

[moamps]

I have ordered a couple off eBay from a UK seller. But I was really hoping to find a more reputable source.

https://www.tme.eu/gb/details/osx10201-gyr1/led-displays-others/optosupply/

 

[Martin Griffith]

https://uk.farnell.com/c/optoelectronics-displays/led-products/multicolour-led-bar-graph-arrays

These might be of interest

 

[ruffrecords]

https://uk.farnell.com/c/optoelectronics-displays/led-products/multicolour-led-bar-graph-arrays

These might be of interest

Thanks for that. Farnell was the first place I looked. Unfortunately none of those has the combination of LEDs I need. The 20 LED Lumex is the best but it is out of stock.

Cheers

Ian

 

[JohnRoberts]

I'm trying to imagine how I would program 3 lines of RGB's  as a single line VU format driven with a single audio signal, maybe Low_Mid_HF content or signal and gain reduction.

Martin

Over the decades I wasted a lot of brain cells thinking about meter displays. IMO there is such a thing as too much information to be useful/accessible.

The common functions of meters are to gauge headroom, then relative level.

Build one and look at it...  It will show you what direction to go... (more/less).

JR

 

[Martin Griffith]

IMO there is such a thing as too much information to be useful/accessible.


Yep, it's been annoying me all day, so trying to stop thinking about, and get back to playing with my little linear time code widgit, milling a pcb and trying to understand  some really ugly code I wrote a decade ago

 

[ruffrecords]

Over the decades I wasted a lot of brain cells thinking about meter displays. IMO there is such a thing as too much information to be useful/accessible.

The common functions of meters are to gauge headroom, then relative level.

Build one and look at it...  It will show you what direction to go... (more/less).

JR

I am building one, on breadboard right now. Just trying to pick a decent display. I am thinking 5 green LEDs and one orange to cover -20 to 0VU, then two  orange and 2 red to cover up to +16VU (+20dBU). As long as you are in the orange, level is good. One occasional red is OK but two is not.

Cheers

Ian

 

[JohnRoberts]

I had the bad habit of making my meters dB linear , i.e. XdB per step so you could impute crest factor from distance between peak and average... (if you care).

This is all a little subjective... green is code for cool, orange/yellow for warmer and red generally for too hot...  an extra red clip/headroom LED separate from the bar graph will send a stronger warning peak headroom.  Since average responding meters generally do not reveal good peak headroom data...

of course you know what you want. Good Luck

JR

 

[mikeyB]

Hi Ian,
I know it would be a royal PITA but make them with individual rectangular leds.
You can get some with opaque casings to avoid bleed (not the viewing face obviously!!)
I used to make my own years ago but not done for years. Once you've devised a method and a jig or two it's not much slower than building with a bargraph block!!

 

[Rocinante]

I bought this and used rectangle led's. Works great.

 

[alexc]

Not really addressing your original post, Ian, but here's some  eb*y  LED VU meters that I like ..  at the premium price end  (23usd each)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5V-30bit-LED-display-VU-meter-module-dB-meter-level-meter-amplifier-stereo-diy/273322226723?hash=item3fa3463423:g:Q3cAAOSw-~NbMjJF

What I like  is that you can get them with different operating parameters ...  and the mounting arrangement is fairly simple, an important consideration for my 'limited metal work' DIY abilites   

I can file up  a decent sized rectangular slot  in alu front panel, much easier than drill a line of led holes accurately!


Anyway - just for interest 

 

[Rocinante]

Alex,
There is a guy who did a whole console by meter with those and it looks great.

 

[alexc]

They are a premium piece of kit for sure ..  they've been out there for a number of years now

If I were commissioning a 'RuffRecords'  custom  tube console,  a pair of these, together  with some old school  Triplett (mci) VU meters

[properly buffered, driven with switchable sensitivity, bypass-able and  backlit with secure physical mounting !]   

...  would be  mandatory on the  mix bus.

Along with some Alps rotary pots and large 'bakerlite-like'  knobs  .....  like    ;D