The VU-DIY kit is a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and 2 vinyl window decals that allows someone to make a Do It Yourself LED VU meter, or DC Voltmeter. The VU-DIY can be used in 7 different modes!
You must supply your own LEDs.
| Function / Switch | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| VU Meter Bar Graph Mode | Bar | VU | A |
| VU Meter Bar Graph Mode with peak hold | Bar | VU | B |
| 12V DC Voltmeter Bar Graph | Bar | VM | A |
| 16V DC Voltmeter Bar Graph | Bar | VM | B |
| VU Meter Dot Mode (moving needle) | Dot | VU | A |
| ---------- no function ---------- | Dot | VU | B |
| 12V DC Voltmeter Dot Mode | Dot | VM | A |
| 16V DC Voltmeter Dot Mode | Dot | VM | B |
The VU-DIY comes with a high quality FR-4 double sided PCB (Printed Circuit Board), all of the electronic parts and microprocessor, mode switches, sensitivity potentiometer, and on-board bare wire connectors.
There are 11 output channels, so it can make a display with up to 11 individually controlled segments. The Outputs are active LOW, this means the PCB grounds things to turn them on. When used with LEDs, current limiting resistors need to be used on each LED. 1,000 ohms - 2,000 ohms resistor on each LED will be sufficient to drive common LEDs with 10 - 20mA of current each. If one wishes to make a giant meter like the one in the video below, it can be made with 12V LED strips available on EBay and other places. These LED strips typically have the resistors built in so no external resistors are needed. Each output channel of the VU-DIN can output up to 500 mA.
PCB size = 2 1/8" x 3 3/4" (54mm x 95mm)
Input Connections = 12AWG to 22AWG (B+, Ground, Remote turn on, audio input)
Output Connections = B+ common for all LEDs, and Ground outputs 1 - 11
Input Sensitivity for VU Meter 15V to 200VAC RMS (for amplifiers 200W to 40,000W at 1 ohm)
Input Range for Voltmeter in 12V mode = 10.5V - 15.5V
Input Range for Voltmeter in 16V mode = 13.0V - 19.0V
Operative Voltage = 9VDC to 20VDC
Owners Manual: VU-DIY Manual