Maker Pro
Maker Pro

Need help with a circuit designed by the late Kris Heidenstrom

kila2000

Sep 27, 2012
12
Joined
Sep 27, 2012
Messages
12
Firstly, although it happened a while ago, I was shocked to learn just now that Kris Heidenstrom passed away earlier this year. I never met him in person even though we both live in New Zealand, but he was a good guy, always willing to help me with my project and the circuit he designed for me was exactly what I needed. So sad he has left us.

Sadly though, I need help with the circuit he designed for me. I had emailed him previously having no idea of his passing, not til I came here hoping to find Kris did I learn what happened.
The circuit he designed for me is a lighting sequence control circuit for a model I have built. I found Kris on this forum and sought his help explaining that I wanted sections of my model to light up in time to music played thru the model. Kris gave me the schematics for a tone detector that would, as the name suggests, detect tones hidden in one channel of the music I would play. The detector would then send signals thru to a sequence generator that would in turn light different segments of my model. Everything worked perfectly. Kris helped me with getting an MP3 player to send the tones to the detector and helped trouble shoot my circuits when I couldn't get them to work. He even helped me with some touch sensitive switches I wanted use, which I might add, thanks to Kris, work perfectly.
Now heres my problem. Back when we were building up the circuit Kris suggested I would need an amplifier to get the sound coming thru nice and clear. At the time I was overwhelmed with the rest of the circuit and so sorted pushed it to the side. I'm kicking myself for that because a couple of months ago I went and got a small amplifier circuit from a hobby electronics store and hooked it into my main circuit. Something in the amp is effecting the tone detector as it is no longer picking up the signals from the MP3 player.
I'm a total novice at electronics. Kris helped me with learning continuity and such but when it comes to full on troubleshooting I have no idea where to start. I have tried isolating the amp circuit with diodes but don't even know if thats the right thing to do.
Please, is anyone able to help me with this? I will do my best to provide as much information as needed. I still have Kris' circuit diagrams and I have a spec sheet for the amp circuit, though its mostly alien to me.
This is the FINAL piece of my model project, something that has take me, on and off, almost 10 years to build. I'm keen to have it finished and, although I don't NEED the amplifier to run the sequence, Kris was right in that it has given me much much clearer, louder sound.
I'm almost begging for help from anyone willing.

Thanks to all
Wil
 

Harald Kapp

Moderator
Moderator
Nov 17, 2011
13,700
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Messages
13,700
Post your circuit or a link to the original thread so we can have a look at it. Also post a schematic of the connection of the amplifier to the rest of the circuit.
 

kila2000

Sep 27, 2012
12
Joined
Sep 27, 2012
Messages
12
Thanks Harald
I need to to scan the sheets from the amp but in the the meantime I will post the circuits Kris designed.
The first part is the tone detector which then goes onto the sequence generator via the link marked "OUT" in the detector diagram.
The amplifier is hooked into the +12V rail and 0V rail common to the whole circuit with the input coming from the left channel of the MP3 player, the right channel is connected to the tone detector, where Kris has marked it "IN". I should mention, the amplifier uses a LM386 IC. I know its hard for you to see without the amp diagram, but could it be the IC thats causing interference to the tone detector? If that sounds at all feasible would an amp built using transistors be a better option for me?
I have wired in old headphone wires to the MP3 player, the right channel going to the detector, the left going to the amp (previously just the speakers) and the negative going to the common 0V rail. The MP3 player is a cheap one, but worked fine until the addition of the amp. It plays as soon as it gets power but resets to its lowest volume each time, hence the amp being added.
As I mentioned, I'm novice and so don't fully understand electronic terms so if my responses are confusing please ask me in a more simpler way? Oh, and build the circuits is no problem, I was able to follow Kris' diagrams quite easily.

Tone detector - use this one.jpg

Illumination sequence controller - and use this one.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:

kila2000

Sep 27, 2012
12
Joined
Sep 27, 2012
Messages
12
ummmm ....... lol, never mind people, ummmm, I sorted it :)
I'll explain best I can in case anyone was curious. The cheap lil MP3 player as I mentioned always started on its lowest volume. Originally Kris had me short the volume button so that it would shoot up to full volume. When I put in the amp I figure that was no longer needed so took it out, turns out the tone detector needed that short in place. I'm guessing it has something to do with current or something like that? I dunno what it is, but I played with the MP3 a bit more on the original circuit I'd made (have since etched out my own board) and something made me put that short back across the volume, blow me down the detector sprung to life!! I quick re-connection to my new board, a repair of a couple of broken tracks and the "new" detector sprung to life for the first time!! :D:D
Alls good in my world!! Like I said, Kris designed me the perfect circuit, I just messed it up a lil, but hey, fixed it now, loving how it works and only wish Kris was still here to see the finished product. If anyone is interested, and as a sorta tribute to Kris, when I get everything properly hooked up I can show you guys what Kris did for me. It boils down to this, I've been building a model of the Deep Space 9 station from the Star Trek show of the same name. I wanted to light it, and I wanted the lights to be in sections so I could turn on each section indipendantly. I then thought, wouldn't it be cool to have the sections come on in time to the shows theme music. I asked a couple of questions here, saw Kris replying to someone else and that he was kiwi and so emailed him. He came straight back to me keen to help. I told him of my idea and he drew up the two circuits I posted above and we went from there. What I have now is a model that when a switch is flipped, the theme music starts to play and as it plays the different sections of the station light up, all perfectly in time to the music. It works, Kris' design is perfect and, as I said, I only wish I could have shown him it completely finished.
Sorry for the long winded posts folks, I tend to do that. I hope to be able to use the forum again in the future with other lighting projects I will have. Thanks for indulging this slightly insane noobie.
 

mrmodify

Feb 13, 2010
157
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Messages
157
kila2000 I believe Kris was still there helping you. It was just in a different way.
 

kila2000

Sep 27, 2012
12
Joined
Sep 27, 2012
Messages
12
To be honest, I think so too.
The model I have been building which is lit using Kris' circuit, I'm now dedicating it to him.
One thing I'm super glad I did, was to print his name on my PCB as the designer of the circuit. I did that before I knew he had passed and I'm so glad I did it.
 

mrmodify

Feb 13, 2010
157
Joined
Feb 13, 2010
Messages
157
Ive got a project that Kris was helping me sort out. After I found out about his passing I have had a hard time getting back into it. But I will in due time. I am devoted to finishing it no matter what. He sure made it very interesting!
 
Top