For the past few years I have been running the audio of my show using portable 'pill' speakers, powered from the power injection cables (5v) with audio cables running through the yard. Whilst it has worked OK most brands of speakers require turning on each night or selecting aux input. Also once the show has stopped there is an audible hum till the internal battery runs flat which can be up to 12 hours later.
I wanted to have something that runs from 5V and doesn't need someone to turn it on every night. I also wanted to be able to control the speakers via xlights so that I could place a speaker near a talking prop and the speaker would only work if the prop was 'singing'.
How it works
There is an amp and FM radio connected to the Arduino driving the speakers from a portable pill speaker.
There is also a pixel and a light dependent resister.
With the switch in one position the radio and amp are always on as long as there is power (5V) to the unit. Note that even with the switch in this position it still needs to be added as a pixel in x lights.
With the switch in the other position the radio will be muted if the pixel is off. In xlights I will add a pixel that is controlled by lyric track and select 'suppress when not singing'. If the prop is singing the speaker works and if the prop is dark the speaker is muted.
The parts
The amplifier is a PAM8403 5V 3W stereo amp.
The radio is a TEA5767 Arduino compatible FM radio
The light sensor is Arduino compatible light dependent resistor
There is a switch with a pull up resistor to allow the speaker to be always on or pixel controlled.
The speakers are a Laser brand (from Big W) $30 speaker. If you remove the control panel you get access to the speaker connections without the need to totally demolish the unit.
It is all controlled by an Arduino Nano.
Power is supplied from the 5V power to the pixels.
Happy to provide the code if anyone wants it.
PS - for the eagle eyed there are a few suppression capacitors included, I was trying to get rid of some hum when I ran the unit from a USB power source, when I ran it from the meanwell supply the hum vanished.
PSS - That is plastic weld not blutac holding things in place, although right now I wished it was blutac because I just realised I need to change the radio frequency and I am not sure if I can get to the arduino ucb port.
I wanted to have something that runs from 5V and doesn't need someone to turn it on every night. I also wanted to be able to control the speakers via xlights so that I could place a speaker near a talking prop and the speaker would only work if the prop was 'singing'.
How it works
There is an amp and FM radio connected to the Arduino driving the speakers from a portable pill speaker.
There is also a pixel and a light dependent resister.
With the switch in one position the radio and amp are always on as long as there is power (5V) to the unit. Note that even with the switch in this position it still needs to be added as a pixel in x lights.
With the switch in the other position the radio will be muted if the pixel is off. In xlights I will add a pixel that is controlled by lyric track and select 'suppress when not singing'. If the prop is singing the speaker works and if the prop is dark the speaker is muted.
The parts
The amplifier is a PAM8403 5V 3W stereo amp.
The radio is a TEA5767 Arduino compatible FM radio
The light sensor is Arduino compatible light dependent resistor
There is a switch with a pull up resistor to allow the speaker to be always on or pixel controlled.
The speakers are a Laser brand (from Big W) $30 speaker. If you remove the control panel you get access to the speaker connections without the need to totally demolish the unit.
It is all controlled by an Arduino Nano.
Power is supplied from the 5V power to the pixels.
Happy to provide the code if anyone wants it.
PS - for the eagle eyed there are a few suppression capacitors included, I was trying to get rid of some hum when I ran the unit from a USB power source, when I ran it from the meanwell supply the hum vanished.
PSS - That is plastic weld not blutac holding things in place, although right now I wished it was blutac because I just realised I need to change the radio frequency and I am not sure if I can get to the arduino ucb port.
