Project 290 color sound, Project 293 backwards color sound – Elenco Snap Circuits® Deluxe Sound & Light Combo User Manual

Page 131

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Use the preceding circuit, but add the 0.1mF

capacitor (C2) over the keyboard (U26)

using a 1-snap wire, as shown. Press a blue

and a green key at the same time, while

turning the TUNE knob.

Watch the colors on the color

LED (D8), and listen to the

sound.

Normally the color LED doesn’t work

when you connect it backwards, but in

this circuit it does. The changing

voltage produced by the keyboard

actually goes both ways (positive and

negative), so here the color LED will

work in either direction.

Project 293

Backwards Color

Sound

Use any of the 3 preceding circuits, but reverse the

direction of the color LED (D8). The circuit works the

same, but the sound may not be as loud and the LED

may not be as bright.

Use the preceding circuit, but use the 1mF

capacitor (C7) instead of the 0.1mF capacitor

(C2). Press a blue and a green key at the

same time, while turning the TUNE knob.

Watch the colors on the color LED (D8), and

listen to the sound.
Next, replace the 1mF capacitor (C7) instead

of the 470mF capacitor (C5). Press one of

the green keys and hold it down. Every few

seconds, the color LED flashes and you hear

a click from the speaker.

Build the circuit and turn the slide switch

(S1). Press any key on the keyboard

(U26), but just one key at a time. The

color LED (D8) lights (mostly red), and

you hear a tone from the speaker (SP2).
Now press one blue key and one green

key at the same time, to produce 2

tones on the speaker. Watch the color

LED (D8) closely; you should see more

green and blue color than before. Try

viewing it in a dimly lit room.
Now turn the TUNE knob while pressing

the blue C key and the green C key at

the same time. Slowly turn the knob

across its entire range, and see how the

LED color changes.
The spectrum of LED color here

depends on your batteries. With strong

batteries you will see more green and

blue. With weak batteries you will mostly

see red.

Project 290

Color Sound

Normally the color LED changes colors, but here

it doesn’t, why? The U26 keyboard produces a

changing voltage, intended to produce sound on

the speaker. The color LED is designed for use

with a stable voltage (like the batteries); when

used with the changing voltage from the

keyboard, it gets confused and blurs its pattern.
Red is the easiest color for the color LED to

produce, and blue is the hardest. So when the

voltage to it is weak, the more difficult colors get

dim first.
The keyboard produces separate tones for the

blue and green keys, which are played together

at the speaker. The two tones are also control

the color LED. When the tones combine, it is

easier for the color LED to produce green and

blue color.

Project 292

Color Sound (III)

Project 291

Color Sound (II)

SCC-350_Manual_Part_C.qxp 7/25/14 2:10 PM Page 19

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