Comments on: Basic electronics to make your organ glow http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/ the blog that is not dansdata.com Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:03:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: Daniel Rutter http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4815 Sun, 10 May 2009 14:43:56 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4815 Quick and dirty: Get a modern lightweight regulated 12VDC plugpack with, say, a 500mA rating, and string RGB LEDs together into four-LED serial chains, and then connect multiple four-LED strings in parallel across the 12V, connecting the longer LED legs to the positive wire. 500mA should let you run 20 to 30 strings in parallel, if you want that many, without any trouble. As I said, though, I really don't recommend you do this with no understanding of what you're doing. The world is well supplied with gimcrack electrical contraptions made by people who reckon "twist the wires together and add lots of electrical tape" is an adequate construction method, and some of those contraptions aren't even fire hazards. But you really, REALLY should, at the least, get a multimeter and some wire and components and a soldering iron, and fiddle around for a while, before blindly wiring stuff up and hoping for the best. (And <a href="http://www.repairfaq.org/">repairfaq.org</a> is still great. :-) Quick and dirty: Get a modern lightweight regulated 12VDC plugpack with, say, a 500mA rating, and string RGB LEDs together into four-LED serial chains, and then connect multiple four-LED strings in parallel across the 12V, connecting the longer LED legs to the positive wire. 500mA should let you run 20 to 30 strings in parallel, if you want that many, without any trouble.

As I said, though, I really don't recommend you do this with no understanding of what you're doing. The world is well supplied with gimcrack electrical contraptions made by people who reckon "twist the wires together and add lots of electrical tape" is an adequate construction method, and some of those contraptions aren't even fire hazards. But you really, REALLY should, at the least, get a multimeter and some wire and components and a soldering iron, and fiddle around for a while, before blindly wiring stuff up and hoping for the best.

(And repairfaq.org is still great. :-)

]]> by: andy_somename http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4812 Sun, 10 May 2009 10:22:49 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4812 Hi guys, I'm the "Andy" whose questions inspired this very impressive page (with video, yet!). Unfortunately, while all this info is fascinating, and of obvious value to those with the time and brainpower to absorb it, I find myself even more boggled. Yikes! The organ in question has no power. I've removed all the original 30-year-old electronics, leaving only the manuals (keyboards), pedals, and switches, which I'll eventually interface with MIDI control. Whatever power I supply the LEDs will be from an AC-DC "wall wart". At this point, the merciful thing to do might be to simply tell me: _ How to connect the LEDs to each other and/or the PS. _ What DC voltage/amperage the PS should be. I think I could take it from there. Again, though, my utter admiration for the dissertation. Cheers, Andy Hi guys,

I'm the "Andy" whose questions inspired this very impressive page (with video, yet!).

Unfortunately, while all this info is fascinating, and of obvious value to those with the time and brainpower to absorb it, I find myself even more boggled. Yikes!

The organ in question has no power. I've removed all the original 30-year-old electronics, leaving only the manuals (keyboards), pedals, and switches, which I'll eventually interface with MIDI control. Whatever power I supply the LEDs will be from an AC-DC "wall wart".

At this point, the merciful thing to do might be to simply tell me:

_ How to connect the LEDs to each other and/or the PS.

_ What DC voltage/amperage the PS should be.

I think I could take it from there. Again, though, my utter admiration for the dissertation. Cheers, Andy

]]> by: TwoHedWlf http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4800 Tue, 05 May 2009 16:17:38 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4800 Going for something like this, Popup? http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/bpresant/fish/sebaeuv.jpg Going for something like this, Popup?

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/bpresant/fish/sebaeuv.jpg

]]> by: phisrow http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4799 Tue, 05 May 2009 14:02:13 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4799 Just a little Public Service Announcement RE:Exploding Capacitors. Newer models don't have this particular personality defect; but many older capacitors contain notrivial quantities of Polychlorinated biphenyls. Those are nasty little bastards on their own and their combustion/breakdown products are even worse. The ones that will give you a nice case of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloracne" rel="nofollow">Yushchenko face</a> have the highest media profile. So, yeah. Newer ones should be less of an issue, probably not much more than a cough(assuming you wear eye protection); but don't go blowing up your big stash o' cheap surplus capacitors. Just a little Public Service Announcement RE:Exploding Capacitors.

Newer models don't have this particular personality defect; but many older capacitors contain notrivial quantities of Polychlorinated biphenyls. Those are nasty little bastards on their own and their combustion/breakdown products are even worse. The ones that will give you a nice case of Yushchenko face have the highest media profile.

So, yeah. Newer ones should be less of an issue, probably not much more than a cough(assuming you wear eye protection); but don't go blowing up your big stash o' cheap surplus capacitors.

]]> by: Malcolm http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4798 Tue, 05 May 2009 07:37:24 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4798 Ah, sorry, it sounded like you started with a blank sheet of paper. BTW, I found this design which looks like yours, but still has a series 1K resistor in there. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Bill_Bowden/lineled.gif Ah, sorry, it sounded like you started with a blank sheet of paper.

BTW, I found this design which looks like yours, but still has a series 1K resistor in there. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Bill_Bowden/lineled.gif

]]> by: Popup http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4797 Mon, 04 May 2009 23:56:32 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4797 Yes, Malcolm, I have read about those. I think it's great (if not indispensable) if we want to be able to use LEDs for general lightning. But in this case I actually wanted to use some near-UV LEDs I already had, in order to illuminate a fish-tank. Yes, Malcolm, I have read about those. I think it's great (if not indispensable) if we want to be able to use LEDs for general lightning. But in this case I actually wanted to use some near-UV LEDs I already had, in order to illuminate a fish-tank.

]]> by: Malcolm http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4796 Mon, 04 May 2009 23:26:15 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4796 Popup, have you ever looked into Seoul Semiconductor's AC LED design? I think it uses two chains of series diodes; dunno about any capacitors. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/2/2/8 Popup, have you ever looked into Seoul Semiconductor's AC LED design? I think it uses two chains of series diodes; dunno about any capacitors. http://www.ledsmagazine.com/news/2/2/8

]]> by: Popup http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4795 Mon, 04 May 2009 22:20:58 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4795 That looks better. You know, a preview option would be very useful... That looks better. You know, a preview option would be very useful...

]]> by: Popup http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4794 Mon, 04 May 2009 22:20:17 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4794 Hmmm, Slightly better, but backslashes are escaped. Let's try doubling them: <code> ...........|.| -----------|.|--------------------+ ...........|.|....................| ............................+-----+-----+ ............................|...........| ........................+---+---+...----+---- .........................\\...../......./.\\ ..........................\\.../......./...\\ ...........................\\./......./.....\\ .......................-----+-----..+---+---+ ............................|...........| ............................+-----+-----+ ..................................| ............................+-----+-----+ ............................|...........| ........................+---+---+...----+---- .........................\\...../......./.\\ ..........................\\.../......./...\\ ...........................\\./......./.....\\ .......................-----+-----..+---+---+ ............................|...........|......... ............................+-----+-----+ ..................................| ----------------------------------+ </code> Hmmm, Slightly better, but backslashes are escaped. Let's try doubling them:

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]]> by: Popup http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4793 Mon, 04 May 2009 22:17:08 +0100 http://dansdata.blogsome.com/2009/05/02/basic-electronics-to-make-your-organ-glow/#comment-4793 Ooops, the <code> tag apparently doesn't retain whitespaces... Let's try a slightly different tack: </code><code>...........|.| -----------|.|--------------------+ ...........|.|....................| ............................+-----+-----+ ............................|...........| ........................+---+---+...----+---- .........................\...../......./.\ ..........................\.../......./...\ ...........................\./......./.....\ .......................-----+-----..+---+---+ ............................|...........| ............................+-----+-----+ ..................................| ............................+-----+-----+ ............................|...........| ........................+---+---+...----+---- .........................\...../......./.\ ..........................\.../......./...\ ...........................\./......./.....\ .......................-----+-----..+---+---+ ............................|...........|......... ............................+-----+-----+ ..................................| ----------------------------------+</code> Ooops, the tag apparently doesn't retain whitespaces... Let's try a slightly different tack:
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