led guitar fretboard

[Guitarist]

Hi, complete noob.

Many people have attempted successfully to light up fretboard markers.

Usually, they use 1 basic LED per fret marker. I need 5.

they typically wire them up in parallel, and wire the negative to each fret, so that when depressed, it lights up.

They also have a toggle switch so that when activated, all frets light up simultaneously.

I dont have a background in electronics.

I can tell you I do have plenty of LED's and resistors and copper wire.

Questions:
1) How do I wire up 11 sets of 5 LED's so that each group will light up independently of another group of 5

2) what rating/type of toggle switch will I need to go from off, on independently, ALL 11 groups of 5 on at once

3) I would like the battery pack to be put on my guitar strap since I play wirelessly, but also be able to plug into a power supply when at home.


Would any of you please help me create a useful to noob diagram and include links of where to buy what part?

Your kindness is very much appreciated.

By the by, Eddie Van Halen passed the other day and I'd like to build a tribute guitar to him.

Thanks so much for any help you can give.

Noob.

 

[DIWdiver]

I'm not a guitar player, so forgive me if I demonstrate my ignorance.

If I understand you correctly, you want to associate a group of 5 LEDs with each of 11 frets, and when any (guitar) string touches that fret, all 5 LEDs all light up. You also want a toggle switch that will cause all 55 LEDs to light.

If that's correct, the circuit is pretty simple. It's 11 copies of the following, from battery positive to battery negative (ground): resistor, 5 leds, one signal or rectifier diode, toggle switch. All the diodes connect to the same terminal on the toggle switch. The other side of the switch is grounded. Each fret is connected to the junction between the last LED and the signal diode of the associated string. The guitar strings are all grounded.

 

[Guitarist]

I'm not a guitar player, so forgive me if I demonstrate my ignorance.

If I understand you correctly, you want to associate a group of 5 LEDs with each of 11 frets, and when any (guitar) string touches that fret, all 5 LEDs all light up. You also want a toggle switch that will cause all 55 LEDs to light.

If that's correct, the circuit is pretty simple. It's 11 copies of the following, from battery positive to battery negative (ground): resistor, 5 leds, one signal or rectifier diode, toggle switch. All the diodes connect to the same terminal on the toggle switch. The other side of the switch is grounded. Each fret is connected to the junction between the last LED and the signal diode of the associated string. The guitar strings are all grounded.

Yeah. I think you understood me very well.

3 more questions:

1) what battery would I use? I'd like it to be like one. Of those cellphone power banks that connect to phones via USB. So I guess I'd need a red and black wire on one end and usb at th other to connect the circuit to the battery. I play wirelessly so being tethered to a wall wart when at a bar is tough.


2) relatedly, if I wanted to be plugged into a wall what power supply would I use?

3) what switch would I need. I suspect its a fairly hefty switch and off/on/on correct?


Thanks so much for your help

 

[DIWdiver]

1. The battery will need to be high enough voltage to run the string of LEDs plus a few volts. Depending on the LED colors you use, this could be anywhere between 11V and maybe 18V. The power load is actually pretty low, so a powerbank type battery would run it for a long time, if it has sufficient voltage output.

2. Any small power supply of the correct voltage should work. If the powerbank can be used while charging (there's no guarantee of that), then just keep running off the powerbank.

3. Actually, the switch doesn't need to be big. Small indicator LEDs that I imagine you are planning to use typically are run at 5-20 mA. Since all the LEDs in a string get that same current, each string will need 5-20 mA. Multiply this times 11 strings, and you get 55 - 220 mA. You'd be hard pressed to find a toggle switch that would NOT work fine, even subminiature ones. And it only needs to be on-off. On gives you all LEDs on, off puts you in "fret control" mode.

If you are looking for as small a battery as possible, a handful of 2/3A cells would run it for hours. If you are in fret control mode most of the time, even two 9V batteries would run for hours. There are also many rechargeable options.

 

[DIWdiver]

I just did a quick bit of research on powerbanks, and even the high power ones only go up to 9V. That wouldn't be suitable.

I found one listed as battery+powerbank that's 12V, but nothing higher than that.