I want to experiment measuring sound volume using a A2D converter and a microcontroller, but it is not as simple as i thought because i can't just measure once and use that spike should measure for a period of time and add up all of the amplitudes? or average it all out and use the difference from the average to 0?

Hi guys, I'm looking for a plan to make a very simple plan for a device that can detect the loudness of a sound and sound an alarm if it is beyond a programmable dB value. Best regards, Vuur.

...and my computer is sounding like a friggin' jet engine. This happens every year, whenever it gets hot out. It starts up normal, then it eventually gets up to RRRRRRRRRRRR and then goes down for a bit and then gets really loud again. I just put my headphones on and I'm actually getting noise in them, coming from the noise in my computer. Holy crap. I just tried recording the sound using a microphone, but it doesn't really work. How can I get it to be quieter (NO HARDWARE MODS PLZKTHX)?

I'm working on a project that needs a purdy dang small speaker, but it still needs to be loud enough to be heard clearly from about 10 feet away.  Now, I know that when you loose size you loose watts and when you loose watts you loose volume, but I was wondering if anybody could recommend a speaker 50-ish millimeters or less in diameter and loud enough to be heard clearly from 10 feet away. If it helps, I'm working with an Arduino with an Adafruit Wave Shield to make a human voice speak English (American-ish). Thanks for the help, Schmidtn

I gots a question, I have this Panasonic X410 dvd player, it's a real nice unit for 1999, and makes a real nice big single disc cd player..but on my stereo when I play music, it keeps lighting up the peak indicator on my reciever, which probably isn't too good to do that often. I wanted to know if there was a way to "tune" this thing down a bit as far as the line level outputs, but there's not onscreen volume control that I can find. Also, I'm fairly pertubed as to why there's two sets of video rca outputs and two sets of the audio jacks, respectivly, set side beside each other. There's no specific labeling of their function other than just video and audio out, not video 2 or nothing and I don't remember any mentioning of in the manual a few years back when I still had it. This unit has a nice 10 bit video dac with a 24 bit audio decoder (96khz something), I really want to hear what the fibre optic on it sounds like, but hey I can't afford a $3,000 amplifier right now, does anyone know of any kind if "converter" or way I could install a fibre optic board I can get my hands on into my surround sound unit I have now. Ideas ideas, I guess I have spring fever eh?

My little battery Casio alarm clock barely wakes me up. Can anybody tell me what I need to do in order to amplify the alarm, or which circuitry to add? Thanks so much!

Has anyone got a schematic or instructions for making a noise generator I can attach to my cell phone through the mike/earphone jack? I am getting a lot of "junk" calls with faked return numbers, who will not remove me from their call lists and typically call 3-5 times a day, even at night. My provider (AllTel) says there's nothing they can do to help me block calls with bogus or "unavailable" return numbers. OK, I admit this is more for my own sense of justice than anything else, but I'd sure like to have some sort of oscillator that would generate enough volume at a high pitch to at least give them a nice headache.

Do you ever have the urge to stick you head in a box that has a couple 1000w mx40's in them?

Infmom on Lifehacker had an idea here - http://lifehacker.com/comment/16894792 - and personally I think it might safe a few lives. I'd love to hear anyones' thoughts on this.

Hi all. im looking for something what could shut down electricity for 1 second when there is too much noise. lets say with 90 decibel. why? my kids are screaming when they are loosing an computergame online. i want to build something what disconect the power to their router for 1 second. talking to them doesnt help. so who knows how to start this project

Sometimes I can't even hear my music over it! How do I quiet it down? It pisses me off so much, and gives me headaches. Oh and, I can't spend any money on it, and my parents are paranoid about modding our computer, because they don't know a crap about it, so I can't really do any mods to quiet it. So I guess i'm screwed.

I am currently playing around with vibration experiments.Mainly in the ultrasonic range though.But when messing around with some vibration speakers I found a not so well documented misuse for themEveryone wants a big TV these days but once you have it the sound often turns out to come from a tin can.Those with a good entertainment or at least stereo system won't mind hooking the to it.The rest usually opts for a sound bar or how I like to call them shredderbox.Sooner or later they just fail to produce the sound you had on the first day - or they cost a small fortune.What is the secret to a powerful speaker?Firstly efficiency.Secondly the design.You need the right material to produce a more or less even reaction at all intendet frequencies.The design makes sure those frequencies that need extra attention get more volume output, like by using a little pipe for the low frequencies.Some even include a dedicate speaker for these low volumes.What if you could just build you own soundbar on a budget?If you have a failing soundbar with the actual speakers as the problem you could salvage the electronics.In case you can make do with headphone input or RCA connections than any cheap amplifier will do.Leaves the speakers...Vibration speakers are still underestimated for their uses...I tried the the usual approach of using a glue on vibro speaker:Place it on surface tha gives a re more or less decent sound.The thing is though that there is no ideal surface for them.A table can sound like the highs are missing, a hardwood desk might not produce any low frequencies while a window or plaster board wall bring the problem of wiring and vibrations.To check the reactions of sound on different media I, one day, mounted one speaker under a big tin can.Right in the center.The fun hit me when my tests with water were over and tried to play a song with the empty can.Of course there was some degree of tin can sound but the directional qualities together with the wide frequency spectrum made me experiment.The key is to find the right material and shape!You want something that is hard enough to vibrate properly but soft enough to allow for lower frequencies.I tried pipes, boxes, old plastic containers....But nothing seemed to provide a broad and even sound spectrum without distortions.If you vibrate a surface then only at certain, resonant frequencies destinct patterns will form if some dust or similar is place on the surface.In all other cases there is only chaos.Preventing the harmonics to form prevents harmonic vibrations to build up to distortion levels.Like it or not but waste seems to work just fine as a speaker ;)I made a plug to fit reall tight into a 2 liter juice bottle neck.The original plastic cap is just too soft.A vibro speaker glued onto the plug and the bottom of the bottle cut out and the soun was quite impressive.Proper use is however limited as the speaker would need to be mounted upright.Next thought was to utilise the bottom of the bottle too.By cutting a round hole in the side of the bottle I got an even more directional speaker with a better response to low frequencies.Placement of said hole of course affect how certain frequencies travel and where nodes can form.The size might also matter as the hoe itself, or better the material around it can get resonant at certain frequencies.You can cheat at bit though by using sticky tape, duct tape and so on as dampening meterial in badly affected areas.Especially with a wall mount for the speaker and the bottle hanging down behind the TV the effect is good compared to a standard shredderbox. The above design is certainly not for everyone although I think it has a wow factor to it if you show a decent sound coming out of a juice bottle ;)My next step was trying to find out how more fancy designs could work.So just stop reading here unless you like the idea of creating speakers that should not even work.Back in the old days we had more than just the speakers with magnets and cones.Anything that can vibrate can produce sound.It all depends on how much of it we can actually hear.My first exotic idea to really misuse a vibro speaker is a vibrating harp.Does not need to be in the classic shape though.A string in a resonance box, like a harp, guitar, violine and so on will start to vibrate at the set note.This is true even if the force for the vibration is external.You might remember the old school experiment with the two pitch forks on their boxes?Hit one and the other starts to swing too.If you make a resonance box for a vibro speaker with internal or external wire strings at different tensions or lengths you can amplify the sound for the notes that correspond to the strings.Make a relatively large box with some sturdy wires for the frequencies between 60 and 100Hz and you have a really powerful subwoofer from just 20W of input power...I think you get the idea on how to use amplifying strings now ;)My second and total misuse is the xmas tree.If you are a sparky by old trades then you might remember the mechanical frequency meters for generators or other things that required a stable supply.Well, if not than you should know the little wind up toys that play a melody with a drum and tiny forks.Imagine you would replace the glue plate with a rod.Depending on material and length harmonic nodes will form at various places and frequencies.Between those nodes the swing is maximised while the node itself appear to be stationary and without and vibrations at all.For example a steel rod of 1.2m would have a single standing wave at about 1kHz while a copper rod of the same lenght will be much lower in the frequency for a single standing wave.The xmas tree assumes that the rod is of such material that no single standing wave can form below 200Hz and that it won't swing too much at other resonant frequencies.Since aluminium is easy to work with and available in flat and thin bars already it would be my first choice for the branches of the tree.The required length is calculate based on the speed of sound in aluminium - you find online calculators for that.You want the lenght so that you end up with an even fraction of the wavelength you want to "play" with that strip.This allows for the rod to be placed right in the center of the strip where the standing wave movement is zero in the node.Make a lot of thin strips to get a broad frequency response.Placement on the rod can now be crucial.The best option I found so far is using a threaded rod and tapping the holes in the strips.The strips swing quite violently if long and at certain frequencies.And those not in resonance will still transfer their momentum to other strips.This can cause unwanted harmonics.Most evident when a single strips swigns violently at a certain frequencies.Adjusting the angle by turning it is often enough to get out of the overlapping harmonics.With enough strips it then really looks like a tree with flat branches.The sound might not be as loud and impressive as a plastic bottle as the virations are going up and down.But if placed in the right spot it not just looks nice but also makes people wonder where the sound is coming from.Last but not least my yet to be tested hidden speaker system - due to renting restrictions :(If you own a house of the standard frame design then you have plasterboard walls and ceilings.With a large enough surface of the right material, one or two vibro speakers can cover a really wide frequency range at good volume levels.So far I could only do tests in an old wooden window frame but the priciple works the same way between the wooden frames of a wall or ceiling.In my experiments a standard plasterboard sheet needs to be 100 x 100cm to get a more or less decent response for the lower frequencies.Before you rip your walls down use a stud finder and place your vibro speaker on the plasterboard between two studs or beams.I found that two speakers for the lower frequencies and three or four for the higher ones make a good sound.That is per channel and if you have the right size plasterboard sheet in the right place.No point if your left side is further away from the TV than your right.Ideally you replace the entire sheet with the speaker in the right spot on the new sheet but on the back.For obvious reasons this is far from being a perfect solution.But if you plan a full renovation anyway...A way out for older houses is the wooden floorboards.They make excellent resonators for low frequencies.The directional speakers could then still be hidden in picture frames of the right thickness and design.Anyways, I hope I gave you some ideas here ;)

How to make really loud speakers for my ipod touch 4g? like really loud?

?HOw do i record a video of something that has loud noise without messing up the audio and having it wound weird??? more specifically, how do i revcord a concert  thats loud w? 

First off, this is a question about speakers sound quality loudness and all that stuff, it doesn't really have to do with any math or equations, just experience.  So I want some sub woofers, and after looking around I have determined that there are cheap ones, and very expensive ones.  Now, if I get a fairly affordable 15" (med quality) will it be louder/better than a 12" one that costs $900

I sing very quietly, but I'm in a metal band. Whenever I try to sing loud enough to register on the mic, my voice kind of quits. I need to beef up my voice quickly, so we can start recording again. I am open to any excercises, or whatever else you can think of.

Hello, I am trying to connect a 3.5mm jack to a speaker I salvaged from an old radio. The speaker has 2 wires: A + wire (marked yellow) A - wire (marked black) The problem is, the 3.5mm jack has 4 different wires: on one side, there is a copper one and a red one on the other, there is a copper one and a blue one. I got the speaker to work for a few seconds while plugged into my phone, but I cannot remember how it went.

Ok so I need an alarm for my project, a very loud alarm. . . And I can't seem to get these dumb buzzer to output a decent sound. I have a lipo checker that uses these type of buzzers  and they are ear shattering. I tried putting the regular buzzers and the were no where near as loud. Also if I want to use the tone function on the arduino, how do i make the buzzer louder?

My next door neighbour has a bad, annoying and rude behavior playing his music loud while I'm sleeping fairly early in the morning and in the evening, around 8 or 9, when I'm trying to relax. I need a device or a circuit to disrupt the sound momentarily or that will deliver a low but irritating high frequency squeal to transmit via his stereo speakers without hurting him or his equipment.

I have a home security system (fortress SO2) and the door chime only comes thru the little board speaker.  We have a loud shop and sometimes we are in the back and cannot hear when someone enters.  I would like to activate an external buzzer with the speaker chirps.  I've search the interweb :-) and haven't been able to find something that will for sure work. I'm no electronics guru but I can follow instructions or would pay if someone wanted to build me something that would basically activate a momentary switch every time the the little speaker chirps and I could wire up the buzzers from there.  edit: I can solder if needed

After owning my home for over 12 years, a very rude, angry and disruptive woman has moved in next door, (mobile homes, her car is right under my bedroom window), there has been no crimes here until she and her wayward (can't say I blame the kids), moved in. Is there any device that I can use or make to silence her car alarm (full blast, 5:30 a.m.). I have tried to talk to her, however nothing but violence and anger spew from her mouth... Seriously - help with realistic answers - I have tried everything else, and I am sheer worn out from {raying for Peace.

It's simply that. I always see drum kits set up on a small rug that they take with them. Why?

I deleted this question from instructables because they removed the ability to view an instuctable in its whole for free 11-2-09

Alright, I moved into my basement over the summer, and there's always some noise going down in the boiler room across the hall, and from the sewage pipe in the storage room. It's annoying when I'm trying to sleep, and google gives me no methods of silencing them. So, if you pros had to silence a water boiler and a sewage pipe (PVC)?

 Ok, so here is my plan. After looking at the GRL's tricycle boom box, I wanted to build a simple pair, involving two large speakers, a car battery, and a microphone. The microphone is because I'd like to make it a giant amplifier, for live saxophone music. Would attaching the a car battery to two speakers, then a microphone work. Or would the speakers just blow? 

I have a direct drive Lg Washer , when it goes into rinse cycle it makes a loud noise. Could this be the pump?

I've heard of: -cupping hands to blow air into "O" shaped mouth, making a loud echo -making a water drop sound by mouthing "wow" while flicking the side of cheek -blowing on a small piece of paper to make an annoying whistle and -snapping paper

Help!!!!!

Some of the "musick" is more than irritating, it is obscene and can stop a pacemaker. How can the public defeat the electronics by remote?

I dont care how much volts/ohms . i just wanted to have a loud speaker for my phone. i have some big old speakers around here and i just wanted to use them instead of throwing it 

I know about adding a larger muffler but I do not want to reduce the engines power by restricting the flow and that is only half the noise issue, the other half is the mechanical noise from the engine.. I have seen the sound deadening generator enclosures / shelters for them to run in but they coast 800 and up. I cannot find any plans to build one myself . Anyone know where I can find plans for one or have other suggestions?

I have a pool pump. it seems a bit loud especially to the neighbors. I tried to buy some foam and 'for sale' signs, glued them together and wrapped them around the pump but it's still too loud, and I'm worried about overheating the pump/motor because of the wrapping of the motor/pump. Is there some way to build a sound cancellation system for this for say a hundred bucks that will run outside?

My Shrap DLP rptv is making a loud sort of grinding sound like it needs some lubricant. I recently replace the lamp and clean the color wheel. Could it be due the fact that I didn't tighten the screws tight enough? if not, what could it be?

I want to know will the loudness of the subwoofer be loud enough. I have bought this two products but even on the highest gain setting of the amplifier, the subwoofer loudness is very small. The sound from the sub is like, driving from a LM386 op-amp. Thank you.

School farting contest

Hello, I had some fall on top of a hard disk and now the disk does not work or boot up. It appears the BOIS does detect it but it then makes a loud clicking sound and cannot be read. Is there anything I can do to retrieve the data? The model is Maxtor DiamondMax plus 9m 80GB. Thanks, Lucas

Aprilaire 700 humidifier operates properly; however, there is a horrendous noise being generated when the fan is only ( a vibration of sorts).  What could be causing this?

How explosive are molotov cocktails? How loud are they?

Hey everyone!!  I'm looking to make a loud boom-stick for our local high school football team.  We are the Pirates, and already have a pirate ship in our end-zone, but we are missing a cannon to "fire" after scoring a touchdown.  It has to be pneumatic, because..... well, let's just say explosives or flammables are NOT very welcome on campus!  Anyway, it will not fire a projectile either, but when finished we will mock it up to look like an old pirate cannon.  I would seriously like to make as loud of a BOOM as possible!  Thanks for any help!!

i am wondering is there a way of over riding speakers to play my own music or just stop the boom boom coming out the car in front at traffic lights? i remember a broad band am frequency was mentioned once at one place of work but need your knowledge.?

Hello!How would you connect a loudspeaker to a basic landline phone (so several people can hear the conversation)? (Basic phones don't have loudspeakers, only the one handling the headset can hear). The loudspeaker doesn't have to be super loud, it could be like the ones powered by USB on computers, or much smaller, as far as we could hear the conversation. It's not that easy since theses phone are merely powered by the little current inside the landline phone line. So I guess I need another power source, like a USB charger, and maybe to amplify the sound signal, to use the loudspeaker. I started to learn electronics for a few months, but I have no idea how to handle this problem. Any advice would be great! Thanks for your help!

I am working on a very slim bluetooth watch and i need extremely small loud speakers.even smaller than an ear buds diameter

I need some small speakers for a portable speaker project, i no yes it does sound like every other portable speaker project but it is slightly different. So the speakers need to be smallish about 2 cm across but still quite loud, any easy places to get them from?

Hello i want to build a loudspeaker with simplest things i have a electrical speaker with + and - terminals and a small mic with tow outlets can anyone figure out the way to to do this with the simplest method ??? i will be thankful to him.

I have a real problem with clubs where i live,the music is really really annoying (so called turbo-folkAnyway i want to know how i can stop them,suing doesn't help,too much corruption so i want to know if i can do something else,legal or illegal doesent really matter i once read something here about this sort of thing...If you want to take more sophisticated approach, you could try beaming your neighbor a strong radio signal, modulated with a specific audio signal. Unless his stereo is really well shielded, you may be able to find some resonant frequency that will get through, even if he's just listening to a CD. Sweep the radio frequency until you hear the audio signal from his stereo, then crank it up. You could even mess with his head, and talk to your neighbor through his own speakers!The same thing can be done through the power lines, by the way. I remember the electrical motor of our neighbor's high powered drill was starting to fail, and we could pick up the resulting sparks over our stereo system very clearly. in one of the clubs i can have a few minutes of full access so i considered writing a program that would add a parody song the the playlist,but i dont know how to disable their access to winamp so they cant stop it until the song ends and when its finished they should regain access...and the other has a wifi network i will try hacking into it,to see if i can do anything to mess with themThanks for any help,kind regardsAntonio M.

I want to build a circuit that at the press of a button will emit a loud short beep (1khz would be good) and at exactly the same time a bulb would make a quick bright flash ( a camera flash would be ideal). I want to use this device to help me  synchronise my video camera picture with sound recorded on another device. In effect this circuit is a clapper board! Can anyone point me in the right direction, what components would I need? Many thanks.

I deleted this question from instructables because they removed the ability to view an instuctable in its whole for free 11-2-09

Please can anyone help. Neoghbours playing loud Hi Fi through the night

What's the cause? 14yo Trek