Liven up Record Players with stereo LED VU meters

The practice of listening to records seems to ebb and flow, falling and rising in popularity - however it can still be a lot of fun and a great way to enjoy music from the past.

And to make this even more enjoyable, you an add a pair of VU meters to the turntable as demonstrated by Michaël Duerinckx.

VU meters are useful in that they not only add a visual representation of the music, but also indicate the signal level of the music being played.

For his turntable modification, Michaël uses the equally-classic LM3915 logarithmic LED display driver IC and builds a pair of the reference circuits into the base of the turntable - with the LEDs spread around a part of the circumference:

Having a turntable with a wood surface makes life easier however the LED placement is up to your imagination. Check out the video below for a demonstration of the VU meters in action:

If you are interesting in making your own version, visit Michaël's detailed project site which explains the entire process very well - and the PMD Way store for the parts, such as:

• LM3915 LED display driver IC
• LEDs, resistors, capacitors and solderless breadboards
• Excellent prototyping boards if you're not making your own PCB