Medium

Sound-Activated Switch

An LED that lights up on a loud sound (a hand clap), using an electret microphone and an amplifying transistor. Introduces the idea of using a simple audio sensor in a circuit.

Circuit Diagram

+9V MIC 4.7K 100nF Q1 10K bias R 220R LED

How to Build It

  1. Connect the electret microphone's + terminal to +9V through a 4.7K resistor, and the - terminal to ground.
  2. Connect a coupling capacitor (100nF or similar) from the microphone's output to the transistor's base.
  3. Connect a 10K bias resistor from the transistor's base to +9V.
  4. Connect the transistor's emitter to ground.
  5. Connect the LED (with current-limiting resistor) between the transistor's collector and +9V.
  6. Clap near the microphone โ€” the LED should flash briefly on each loud sound.

Bill of Materials

ProductCodeQty
LED (3/5/10mm, SMD, power) OSR5PA5111A 1
Microphone 04 148 1
Resistor DR100R-418 1
Resistor #N/A 2
Transistor (incl. IGBT) โ€” 1
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