Lab 7.

Let’s Make a Little Noise

Lab 7: Let’s Make a Little Noise

Introduction
Ever had a piece of a song rattling around in your head, but when you
tried to sing it, it just did not sound right? What you need is a little
keyboard to explore your thoughts and bring out that tune.

Fig. 1 LabVIEW Rendition of a Single Octave Piano Keyboard

Purpose
This Lab uses the analog output of myDAQ to generate an audio signal
from a LabVIEW keyboard (Fig. 1) of one or two octaves. A small
electronic audio amplifier adds plenty of volume.

Equipment
• NI myDAQ
• 3.5 mm Sub-Minature Stereo Cable (comes with NI myDAQ)
• iPod or Other Music Source and Earphones
• Stereo Computer Speaker Set (optional)
• LM386 or TI TPA301 Audio Amplifier
• Resistor: 10 kΩ Pot
• Capacitors: 1 µF, 1 nF, and 47 nF
• Capacitors (electrolytic): Three 10 µF
• 8Ω Speaker
• Stereo Audio Sub-Miniature Socket
© National Instruments Corporation 1
Lab 7. Let’s Make a Little Noise

• Solderless Breadboard

Prerequisite Reference Materials

Equipment Check (Analog Output(AO0,AO1) and Analog Input(AI0,AI1)):
http://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-12884
Equipment Check (Audio Output and Analog Input):
http://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-12885
Music Scales:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_key_frequencies
Audio Amplifiers:
http://www.techlib.com/electronics/audioamps.html/

Exercise 7-1: Getting Started on a Piano Keyboard

Audio Check

Connect your iPod output to the myDAQ (Audio In socket). Connect your
earphones or external speakers to myDAQ (Audio Out) Socket.

Open and [Run] the LabVIEW program entitled Test Audio.vi.

Start playing a favorite song on the iPod. Sound will tell you that the iPod
signal is being streamed from your iPod through a LabVIEW program and
back out to the earphones/speakers.

Audio also can be played from a LabVIEW program to the analog output
channel 0 (pins AO1 and AGND). Using two alligator cables, connect
these two pins to your earphone or speaker cable.

Launch the function generator FGEN and set it to Sine, 1000 Hz, and
0.5 Vpp.

Press [Run] and hear the sine wave signal in your speakers or earphone.

Now that the audio channels are set to go, let’s build a LabVIEW program
to generate some sounds.

The Keyboard

Load the program Piano.vi and look at the front panel (see Fig.1).

2 ni.com
 Lab 7. Let’s Make a Little Noise

A keyboard for one octave is made up of seven white keys and five black
keys. The extra white key on the right side has been added so you can go
from middle C (C4) to the higher C note (C5). The frequency for C5 is
exactly twice the frequency for C4. The keys are just LabVIEW Boolean
indicators shaped, colored, and placed into a keyboard arrangement.
Whenever a key is pressed via the mouse pointer, a note is played to the
analog output pins (AO 1 and AGND).

[Run] the program and play the scale.

Some Music Background

There are 88 keys on a standard piano keyboard. The frequency range is

separated into seven and one half octaves. An octave is the frequency
interval between the same notes in two successive octaves. For example,
the key middle A (A4) is 440.00 Hz. In the next higher octave, the note A5
is 880.00 Hz, and the next lower octave A3 is 220.00 Hz. There are eight
white keys and five black keys in an octave where neighboring keys are
separated in frequency by the 12th root of 2 (diatonic scale).

For more information and the frequencies on all 88 notes, checkout

Scales:
http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/scales.html
Note Frequencies:
http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html

Simple Piano Keyboard

Look at the block diagram for the program Piano.vi, as shown in Fig. 2.

© National Instruments Corporation 3

Lab 7. Let’s Make a Little Noise

Fig. 2 Block Diagram for LabVIEW Program Piano.vi

The musical note frequencies are stored in an array called ‘Notes’. The
notes are entered in the array in the same sequence as the keys are laid
out on the keyboard.

Example:
Middle C (C4) is element 0 of the array (261.63 Hz).

The keys have a mechanical action of ‘Switch Until Released’. The output
is ‘True’ as long as a key is pressed. The keys C, C#, …, C’ are built into a
Boolean array whose value is 0 until a key is pressed. The Search 1D
Array VI returns a value of –1 (no key pressed) or the integer number
related to the key position. This number becomes an index into the ‘Notes’
array to find the note frequency. The frequency data packet then passes
on to the function generator (FGEN), which produces the sound and
outputs it to the analog output sockets AO 0 and AGND.

Note: FGEN VI cannot handle a negative frequency number (–1) when no

key is pressed, so for this case, a 10 Hz frequency is generated. The ear
cannot hear this low a frequency.

[Run] program and play a little jingle.

You soon will hear the limitations of having only one octave.

Modify the program for two octaves (C4 to C6).

4 ni.com
 Lab 7. Let’s Make a Little Noise

Exercise 7-2: Building an External Audio Amplifier

Next we will look at building a low-cost audio amplifier that can drive an 8
Ω speaker, as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 Audio Amp

Reference: http://www.techlib.com/electronics/audioamps.html

You will need the LM386 IC, a few resistors and capacitors, a small
speaker, and a power supply. NI myDAQ can provide +15 and
–15 V at 2 ma. We will use the +15 V on the sockets labeled +15 V and
AGND. The input for the amplifier will come from myDAQ analog output
sockets AO 0 and AGND. You can use the myDAQ DMM(Ω) software
instrument to verify the values of all your chosen resistors. The values of
the capacitors are not critical, so the values stamped on the package are
good enough. However, if you wish to measure the capacitors, you can
use the Bode Analyzer (see Lab 2) and the –3 dB cutoff point (or 45
degree phase point) to calculate the capacitance.

Assemble all of your components on a breadboard, as shown in Fig. 4.

© National Instruments Corporation 5

Lab 7. Let’s Make a Little Noise

Fig. 4 Breadboard of Low-Cost Audio Amplifier (Single Channel)

Try exploiting the myDAQ instruments to make useful measurements to

test and debug the circuit.

Here are some suggestions:

• DC measurements use myDAQ digital voltmeter DMM(V).

• AC measurements use myDAQ function generator FGEN and
SCOPE.
• Output signal AO 0 can be connected to both the circuit input and
the SCOPE input AI 0.
• The amplifier output pin 5 (LM386) can be connected to SCOPE
input AI 1.

Inject a small signal (0.2 Vpp) into the circuit input from the FGEN. Adjust
the 10 kΩ pot for a comfortable output. Measure the circuit gain, and
compare it with the expected gain.

Note: With no components connected between pins 1 and 8 of the

LM386 IC, the amplifier gain is set to 20. This implies that the input signal
level (FGEN) should be no more than 0.75 V.

Once the amplifier is tested, then it is time to replace the FGEN signal with
the program Piano.vi and make some noise.

6 ni.com
 Lab 7. Let’s Make a Little Noise

Exercise 7-3: More Music Concepts—Quality

Suppose a trumpet, an oboe, and an acoustic guitar were to play the same
note (frequency). They all sound quite different. How would you describe
the sounds? You might say the trumpet sounds brassy, the oboe sounds
haunting, and the guitar sounds mellow. Each note has a fundamental
frequency and a set of harmonics. All musical instruments, including your
voice, have a unique set of harmonics that make up their sound
signatures.

A sine wave has no harmonics, just sin(ωt). A composite waveform,

however, can have any number of harmonics. Take, for example, a
‘triangular’ waveform, which has a fundamental frequency and two
harmonics:

sin(ωt) + sin(2ωt) + sin(3ωt).

Let’s use myDAQ to explore this idea. The FGEN can only output on one
channel, AO 0. However, the iPod connector has two outputs (stereo) with
a separate channel for each ear. The arbitrary waveform generator (ARB)
has two outputs. Let’s put a pure sine wave into one channel (left ear) and
our composite waveform into the other channel (right ear). Now it will be
easy to hear the difference.

Note: If you are not familiar with the ARB, check out the reference
http://Decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-12941.

Launch the Arbitrary Waveform Generator

Channel [AudioOutout Left] is enabled and Sine1.wdt entered in the

Waveform Name box.

Channel [AudioOutput Right] is enabled and Sine3.wdt entered in

the Waveform Name box.

Note: Use the folder icon to navigate to where your .wdt files are stored.

The update rate is 20 k samples per second (S/s) and run continuously.

© National Instruments Corporation 7

Lab 7. Let’s Make a Little Noise

Connect your stereo speakers or earphone to the myDAQ [AUDIO OUT]

socket.

Click on [Run] and explore the differences. Can you hear which channel is
the sine wave and which is the composite wave? Try changing the update
rate. Any difference?

Compare the wave file pairs:

Sine1.wdt and Sine3.wdt (1.0 sinωt, 1.0 sinωt + 0.25 sin3ωt)

Sine1.wdt and Triangle.wdt
Sine1.wdt and Square.wdt

What can you conclude?

(The larger the discontinuities in the waveform, the harsher the signal
sounds.)

Historical Note: Fourier Series Theorem

Any periodic waveform can be generated by an infinite number of sine and

cosine waveforms harmonically related.

Look at these examples:

Triangle waveform = sin(ωt) – 1/9 sin(3ωt) – 1/25 sin(5ωt) + ...

Square waveform = sin(ωt) + 1/3 sin(3ωt) + 1/5 sin(5ωt) + …

Our ability to view these harmonics is the key to many scientific

measurements. In the next Lab we will look at techniques for viewing the
harmonic content of a periodic signal, or see graphically its sound
signature.

8 ni.com