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Help with My Year 11 Coursework

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Default value for the component (signal generator) when adding it in livewire. The whole idea is to simulate the circuit using livewire, and it works with those values.
 
Here we go. Running around in circles again, living a vicarious life.
If you think you can simulate a circuit and then build it, you are fooling yourself.
Component-operation is quite different to a simulation.
I thought you had actually built the circuit and were having problems.
In actual “life,” where are you going to get a 1Hz signal from?
Trying to pass a low frequency like this through an “AC set-up” is going to be very difficult.
If you have 1Hz, you need DC amplification.

That’s why I am saying, unless you tell us exactly what you are doing, we have absolutely no idea how to help you.

Everyone previously was going off at a tangent until I pulled you up and requested the circuit. Now we find you are still wanting things that are totally remote from the capability of the circuit you provided.
 
Yes I have actually made the circuit. I went through 3 circuits which didn't work when I bread boarded and my teacher couldn't get them to work so then I used the one off the worksheet which pupils had used before. So I didn't have time to breadboard the circuit and went straight onto the PCB. So the circuit has actually been made on a PCB. But I made the livewire diagram AFTER designing the PCB.
What I am doing is making a sound sensitive (or should i say signal operated) disco light. The LEDs (unfortunetely) will all light at the same time with this circuit, but they are supposed to flash on and off to the beats of the music through the 3.5mm MP3 jack.
The circuit on the sheet can be used for a variety of things but you could supposedly add LEDs at the output and it will work as desired.
 
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@blueroomelectronics: Can't you just use a 4k7 resistor for LEDs?
And yes he does teach electronics.
 
I don't expect you to change to my circuit. I am just letting you know how the basics of the circuit will appear when we complete it.
Notice my circuit does not have any electrolytics. You need a "fast" circuit.
470u’s will slow your circuit down to a “crawl.”

That’s where I am different to your teacher. I have produced thousands of circuits, written 25 books and made millions out of electronics.
Of course I can give you a complete circuit and you can hand it in. But you will learn nothing.
The only way you will learn something is to carry out my instructions “one-at-a-time.”

If you are not prepared to breadboard something, you are wasting your time.
I realise I only appeal to one in 10,000 people but I have created a number of technical experts in my 30 years teaching and they all have understood to follow things EXACTLY.

Look at my circuit and see its principle of operation. It’s a DC circuit. Your circuit is also a DC circuit but it has a 470u in the output that has a very slow response. This must be removed and short-out the charge-pump diode.
Now you have an output stage that you can control with VR2 and R3 so that the LEDs can be at a point where they just turn on. You may need to change the value of R3.
Get to this point and let me know what happens IN REALITY. This is called the quiescent point.

We are just talking about the output (DC) section. It consists of 2 transistors and an input capacitor.

Can you adjust the brightness of the LEDs?
 
Well I managed to get the circuit working! All it needed was 2 of the capacitors changing as they were broken/damaged. Man that's a relief. But thanks for the advice everyone.
But because the LEDs are different colours the lower resistance ones kept blowing. So I just replaced them with clear blue LEDs and it works great! I showed my teacher and he says the project is at least worth a grade B :)
 
Jey Josh

Glad to hear that you got your circuit working. I hope that from this you have learnt a few lessons. Not meaning to be rude... but test the circuit in a simulation program such as Livewire and then test it on Breadboard. Then move onto the practical. ;)

@colin55 You might be very experienced in electronics and I applaud you for your achievements but I think if you dropped the attitude and asked people more nicely for information then the problem would have been solved a lot quicker.

@jo118 It looks like you have got a very good project there and some really good facilities at your school such as PCB production equipment and vacuum forming equipment. I wish you the best of luck in any future endeavours and hope that your electronics teachers seeming lack of knowledge in this area has not put you off it.
 
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