AUDIO_N is ground (the last ring on the 3.5mm connector), the other two are right and left channels respectively. So if you want to connect it to mp3 player, you can still plug you headphones in for listening. They are wired in parallel, you you can use on for input and the other one for output (pass-through). J1 and J5 are connectors for connecting audio wires from your device via 3.5mm audio jack connectors (or the ones you will use). I will not go into depth on how this circuit works, but in principle, it detects the amplitude of peaks in the audio signal and it converts it into current that drives the analog VU dials. I added the dimmable backlight and adjustable gain. I found the base schematic somewhere on the internet and I tailored it to suit my needs. It also has an adjustable backlight brightness, so it is visible no matter what is the ambient light intensity.Īnd it is be powered from 5V mini USB plug.Įnough said, watch the short video presentation above to see its features in action :) It is not really a true VU Meter in terms of an instrument (to show you when the signal is clipping), but it is rather just a cool gadget to rock on your desk. It has an adjustable gain, so you can set the sensitivity no matter the volume you are listening to. It plugs in standard 3.5mm headphone jack or a Line Output and it also has a pass through jack, so if you plug it into your mp3 player or phone, you can plug it in the back end and you plug you headphones for listening in the front. I made this VU meter and video almost 3 years ago (you can see that my newer youtube videos are much more refined now :) )īut now I decided to revive the project to honour the Instructables 1000th contest! I made a new PCB revision (the old one had some problems) and the VU meter is now finally Instructable-worthy! (better functional demonstration video in the last step) Here I am going to shown you how I created this very cool looking stereo analog VU meter and I will also give you all the needed information and data so you could build your own! I wanted to buy it, but I couldn't find one that was cool enough(and still reasonably priced) so I made my own. I always wanted to have an analog VU meter.

Vu meter