The Ohm-ing Beacon

The new instrument, The Ohm-ing Beacon, is not built from an audio device at all. By happy accident, while trying to use the LEDs from a spinning top toy, I discovered they produced tones!

The tones are varied; the alternating brightness and colors of the lights produces different notes. This isn't the one I used, I didn't think to take a picture of it since I thought I was just salvaging components, though I would love to get my hands on this one now. The two I got were taped to cereal boxes. In Korea, you get a number of random things for free at the grocery store that are just taped to other things!


The tops I used have 3 Leds, red, blue, and green. One of them had to be shut off for the sound circuit to work, connection to the green light made the best audio loop, but turned the brightest light off. The green Led still produces sound from what I can tell, but no light anymore. It wasn't until I saw the following picture I realized a connection between the light and sound: Both are the same circuits but for some reason, one is brighter than the other. Interestingly, the darker circuit plays in a lower key than the other! I am thinking that the pulses you see in the picture are the visual representations of the aural oscillations.


This is the original circuit I accidentally attached to a speaker in an ass-backward way:


March of the Light Emitting Diodes


As a bus for some of the multiple connections, and as representation of the spiritual elements of the instrument, I used two totems.

Humanity: wired to the mind, clueless, and wide eyed. There is not much control here try as it might, just things flowing in and out of the mind.


Divinity: god of music. The soul of sound. Keyboard at hand and omnipotence in a three-eyed elephant face.


Two synthesizers. Two totems. Lots of Hot Melt Glue!

I turned the switches around on the circuits and balanced the boards on a ruler I shattered. It has a 1/4 inch output from an old tape player. I didn't bother to remove it from the old circuit board. You can see it on the

Bottom:


Side:


Other Side:


Front and Top:


The name refers to the electronic Ohm, the Hindu/Buddhist Om, and a homing beacon. It is an aid in finding one's way.

The video does not have properly recorded audio. It was made before the instrument was finished for documentation in case I destroyed it accidentally. I hope you find what you are looking for.