Sound Level Meter using

Arduino

By,
R.Rajeswari
K.Kiran
P.Megavarshini
M.Savitha
AIM:
To implement sound level meter to
measure noise in dB by using Arduino UNO.
Project Objective:

• Noise Pollution effects on Living beings.

• Human ear audible range : 0 dB to 140 dB.

• Slightly expensive meter only available for

measuring sound levels in dB.

• It is necessary to monitor sound level and keep

it under control for good and long time hearing.
Project Overview :

Using a normal Electret Condenser microphone , we will

measure the sound level and a normal amplifier circuit is
used to amplify the sound signals which will be feed to
Arduino to calculate the sound signals in dB.

Hardware Required: Software Required:

• Arduino UNO Arduino IDE
• Microphone
• LM386
Total cost = 655/-
• 10K variable POT
• Resistors and Capacitors
COMPONENTS:
 ARDUINO UNO:
• Arduino UNO is a widely used open source micro
controller board.
• This board is equipped with sets of digital and analog
input /output pins that may be interfaced to various
expansion boards and other circuits
• The board features 14 digital pins and 6 analog pins.
• It is programmed with Arduino IDE (Integrated
Development Environment) via USB cable.
• UNO is generally considered the most user-friendly and
popular board among the other Arduino board series.
 Why Arduino Uno?
• It is an open source project where software and hardware are
extensively accessible.
• It is flexible, offers a variety of digital and analog inputs.
• It is easy to use
• It is inexpensive
• It is easy to learn for beginners.
• Cross-platform: You can program it on Windows, Linux and
several other operating systems.
 Arduino IDE
 Contains all the software which will run the computer in order
to program and communicate with the Arduino Board.
 Arduino IDE contains an editor which we can use to write
sketches in a simple programming language
 Using the IDE the program we wrote is converted to C
language and then compiled
 When the Arduino board is connected to a computer using the
USB cable, by using the IDE we are able to compile and
upload to board the program.
Electret Condenser Microphone :
It is the most common type of transducer that is used to
detect or measure sound signals. It functions exactly as
opposite of a normal speaker, that is when a sound signal is
detected it produces electrical signals.

How to use Electret microphone:

The Electret microphone has two plates inside
it.The distance between the plates is directly proportional to
sound present in the environment. Recommended operating
voltage is 2V but it can withstand up to 10V. Microphone
has polarity to make sure you connect the positive (output)
terminal to supply through the resistor and the ground
terminal to the ground. The resistor R1 (.1K) is used to
limit the current flowing through the microphone
(maximum should be 0.5mA) .
Continued..

The capacitor C1 (1uF) is used to filter the DC noise that

might be coupled along with the analog electrical signals
(output). Also, note that the capacitor is also polarity
sensitive and the positive should be connected to
microphone Output pin. This capacitor is rated for 20Hz
to 16,000Hz so any sound waves in that range will be
picked up the microphone.

100Ω
Specifications:
• Dimension: 6 x 3.4 mm
• Operating Voltage: 2V to 10V
• Current consumption: 0.5mA (max)
• S/N ratio : More than 62 dB
• Operating Frequency: 20Hz to
16,000Hz
• Impedance: <2.2kΩ
Applications:
• Noise detectors
• Voice control modules
• Sound recorders

LM386 Amplifier:

LM386 is a low voltage audio amplifier and

frequently used in battery powered music devices like radios,
guitars, toys etc. The gain range is 20 to 200, gain is
internally set to 20 (without using external component) but
can be increased to 200 by using resistor and capacitor
between PIN 1 and 8, or just with a capacitor.. LM386 has a
wide supply voltage range 4-12v.
Pin Number Pin Name Description
Used to set the gain of the IC by
1,8 GAIN
connecting to a Capacitor
2 Input (IN-) The Inverting pin is normally grounded.
The Non-Inverting Pin of amplifier is
3 Input (IN+)
provided with audio signal.
The ground pin is connected to the
4 Ground
ground of the system
Provides amplified audio output,
5 Vout
connected to speaker
6 Vss/Vcc Connected to power
Bypass pin is used for connecting a
7 Bypass
decoupling capacitor
LM386 Audio Amplifier:
The IC consumes very less power and hence can be operated
using a 9V battery easily. Volume control and gain control is
also possible in this. The IC comes in a 8-pin PDIP package
and requires very less components to function hence it is
highly easy to use.

How to use LM386 IC:

The LM386 only requires a couple of capacitors and
resistors to start working.
The IC is powered using the pin 6 (typically 5 or 9V) and the
ground pin 4 is connected to the ground. The inverting pin (pin
2) is normally grounded and the Non-inverting pin (pin 3) is
provided with the Audio signal. This audio signal can be from
a microphone . The 10k resistor is added in series with the
audio signal to act as a volume control.
Continued..

The pin 1 and pin 8 are used to set the gain of the Amplifier. If
there is nothing connected between these pins then the default
gain will be 20 dB, but we can connect a 10 uF capacitor across
it to get the maximum gain of the IC which is 200dB. The pin 7
is used to connect a filtering capacitor (0.1uf) for our amplifier
IC to avoid unnecessary oscillations. The amplified audio
signal can be obtained from the pin 5 which is connected to a 8-
ohm speaker through a filtering capacitor. The RC network with
0.05uF and 10k resistor is optional.
LM386 Audio amplifier features and specifications:
• Supply Voltage: 4-15V
• Quiescent Power: 24mW @ 6V
• Analog input voltage 0.4V (maximum)
• Voltage Gain: 20 to 200
• PSRR: 50dB
• Speaker impedance :4Ω
Available in 8-Pin PDIP,SOIC packages.

Applications:
• AM and FM Radio amplifiers
• Portable music players
• Low Power Audio amplifiers
• Power Amplifiers
• Audio boosters
Circuit Diagram:
Working Explanation:

Condenser microphone(transducer) convert

sound into an electrical signal which will be amplified
by LM386 audio amplifier and supply it to the analog
port of arduino.ADC converts analog signal to Digital
value which will be converted to values of dB through
regression method.And the LED is made to go high if
there is sound recorded above 60 dB.
Capacitors Function
C1 Gain(20-200).
C2 Filter DC noise from
microphone.
C3 Filter DC noise after
amplification.
Application:

 To Measure:

• Noise at work and Occupational noise.

• Environmental and Community noise.
• Industrial noise.
• Airport noise.
• Mining noise.
• Traffic noise.
• Construction noise.

 Vehicle Noise Testing

 Future Agenda:
• Regression method analysis and calculation.
• Code Implementation
References:
• https://circuitdigest.com/microcontroller-projects/arduino-sound-
level-measurement
• www.bksv.com
• www.bestengineeringprojects.com
• www.enviroeqipment.com
• www.noisemeters.com
• www.tutorial45.com
• https://components101.com/ics/lm386-audio-amplifier-ic-pinout-
circuit-datasheet.
• https://circuitdigest.com/electronic-circuits/lm386-audio-amplifier-
circuit
• https://components101.com/electret-condenser-microphone