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Sound detector to keep nixie clock lit

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Hi all, i have built a nixie clock for my home cinema, now i want to ensure the nixie tubes light up only when there is sound in the room, ie someone is there to see it lit.

This is what i have built https://www.instructables.com/id/Huge-wood-nixie-clock/
This is the kit i used to power the nixies - https://www.pvelectronics.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=59

I need to apply a 5v feed to the nixie electronics when there is no sound and 0v when there is sound. So i need to detect sound in the room, then hold a 0v pull down for a period of time(say 10mins?) and keep trigering the 10min timer period after every noise heard.

What would the best what be to do this? 555? or counter?

Cheers

Steve
 
555 timer would be fine. 555 output timing would not be very accurate (+/- seconds) but, from your description, that's not a huge issue.

Triggering the 555 might be simpler to use an IR (motion) detector device (example: https://www.alliedelec.com/parallax...=30980760979&gclid=CKq28Jej-MMCFUlk7AodE1UAMg) for triggering the nixie ckt. They require 5VDC and their output is 5VDC. That output can be used to trigger a 555 monostable timer.

Be glad to provide a schematic, if you like.
 
thanks Bob, trouble is, in a home cinema, there isn't much movement in the room for a couple of hour if you are watching a movie, but there is lots of sound;-)

Schematics are good:) Thanks!

Steve
 
Do you darken the room when viewing a movie? If so, as an alternative to a sound detector you could use a 'dark detector' to trigger the timer.
 
Not much movement? Sometimes I also fall asleep when watching a movie, even if it has lots of sound.
My Sound Level Indicator project has 20 LEDs that show how loud is the sound in the room and it has been continuously playing for 9 years. No Nixies to burn out. Mind you, at night there is almost no sound so the LEDs rarely lightup.

I have a clock radio that is about 39 years old. It has been continuously showing the time for about 39 years. It is now too dim to see in daylight.
 
OK.

Do you have a spare audio output (Mono/stereo, doesn't matter) from the device(s) that are projecting the visuals?

If so, that (those) signal(s) could be fed directly to a detector/555 circuit to trigger the timer for the nixie tube ckt (which I assume is displaying the time... ?...).

Do I have that right, thus far?
 
I have an Onkyo 5009 amp, there are various jacks on the back. I was looking at detecting room noise with an electret microphone rather than via a jack, but it would work and mean I don't need a micro phone and holes so good idea!

Yes the nixie clock just displays the time, there is an pin on an ic that I can use to turn on or off the nixies to save tube life.

Cheers

Steve
 
Couldn't you just wire a switch to that pin? Not much effort needed to throw that switch when you switch on your movie-player/audio system ;).
 
An electret microphone can be amplified by an opamp and its output can trigger a 555 timer IC. The output of the 555 can turn on or turn off the Nixie pcb.
 
Lol, my Denon has the same thing. Your Onkyo also has a RS232 port. If it's like the Denon it'll spew out codes whenever something happens, it can also be sent RS232 codes to control the AVR.
 
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