Meet the Team

  • Gavin Baril

    Hardware Lead /
    Compontent Design

  • Michael Forbes

    Signal Processing Lead /
    Team Coordinator

  • Stephen Thimothe

    Embedded Software Lead /
    Component Programming

  • Sebastian Harder

    Software Development Lead /
    GUI Design & Programming

Problem Statement

Independent guitarists are often looking for ways to make their sets more interactive and unique. However, as artists at small gigs, their options are limited by finances, space, and portability as well as limited in flexibility and customizability.

LEDzeppelin will be piece of equipment that solo artists or small bands can use to create a customizable lighting experience for live performances. The product will be portable, scalable, and unintrusive as to not interfere with the artists' playing style.

System Specifications


  • No more than 20ms latency

  • LEDs on every string and fret

  • Control light displays with various signals

  • Assign and customize multiple configurations

  • No coding knowledge needed

  • System is portable and can be set up easily

  • The system has no more than 20ms latency.*
  • An advanced knowledge of programming is not necessary to operate LEDzeppelin.
    • A DMX controller allows for easy adjustments mid-performance.
    • The system is compatible with any standard electric guitar.
    • Impermanent, and easy to install.
  • The LEDs respond to a variety of signal parameters, including:
    • amplitude
    • frequency
  • LEDs are assigned to each string on each fret, at least down to the body of the guitar.
  • The system is portable.
    • It does not require more than one person to setup.
    • The entire system (not including the guitar) is no more than 5 lbs.
  • There are LED configurations that users can control and assign.
    • Example: Preset #3 causes the LEDs to respond to low-frequency audio and change colors depending on the frequency.
    • Configuration settings will include color pickers, mode selection (between frequency response, amplitude response, etc.), and more.
    • One of the preset functions will be a built-in tuner.

* For this project, latency is defined as the time between the creation of the signal (when the guitar is strummed), and the visual response of the LEDs.

Diagrams

Block Diagram: Entire System

Latest revision 4/26/2022

Hardware Block Diagram

Latest revision 4/21/2022

Software Block Diagram

Latest revision 4/21/2022

Documents

Preliminary Design Review

Midway Design Review

Critical Design Review

Final Performance Review

Demo Videos

MDR: LED Demo

MDR: GUI Demo

CDR: Frequency Demo

FPR: LED Demo

FPR: GUI Demo