Thumping level meters that pump with the volume are a great example, and were particularly popular in the 1980s. One of the coolest things any sound system can have is some kind of musical visualization. Video after the break.Ĭontinue reading “VU Meter Built With Neat Graphical VFD Display” → Posted in Arduino Hacks Tagged arduino, VU meter We’ve featured other projects from before, too, almost all of which appear in the same blue and grey project boxes. Overall, it’s a neat project that demonstrates how to work with audio, microcontrollers, and displays all in one. Though, it bears noting, the slow updates the Arduino makes to the display means it’s kind of like those dodgy skeumorphic music apps of the 16-bit era i.e. Thus, when it’s not acting as a bar graph VU meter, it can also emulate old-school moving-needle meters. Unlike some VFDs that have preset segments that can be illuminated or switched off, this is a fully graphical dot matrix display that can be driven as desired.
It’s then charged with driving a GP1287 VFD display. The build uses an Arduino Nano as the brains of the operation, which uses its analog inputs to process incoming audio into decibel levels for display on a VU meter. used one of these displays to create an old-school VU meter that looks straight out of a 1970s laboratory. VFD displays are beloved for their eerie glow that sits somewhere just off what you’d call blue.
