Sound Reactive LED Project

[Loser777]

I'm trying to do this http://www.instructables.com/id/Music-LED-Light-Box/step1/Materials-Tools/ project with a TIP31AG NPN Transistor and a 9v Battery as my power source. The circuit works fine, but it's not sensitive enough. It reacts properly, but only when I turn the volume to about 80% of what my iPod can put out (pretty uncomfortable). The guide didn't mention a specific type of transistor -such as TIP31C instead of TIP31AG, so I think the gain on my transistor may be too low. (This behaves the same way regardless of how many LEDs I have attached, be it a single LED or nine)

My experience with this stuff is limited to AP Physics in high school, so I don't understand much beyond resistors and capacitors.

I have some random resistors on hand, along with a few other transistors, 2N3904, 2N304, 2N2222, etc...

[FOOKz™]

switch the red wire for the blue wire on the base. then its probably going to work better. i dont have a computer right now im on my phone.

[Loser777]

The red wire is already on the base
This is a TO-220 Case Transistor:

[FOOKz™]

... lesson learned dont assume lol. =D         ok try this -- hook the blue wire connected to the collector and swap that one with the red wire on the base.       what this would do is invert the sound reactive leds.

[Loser777]

hmm, that leads the the LEDs staying lit at full brightness, like I'm just directly wiring them to the 9v battery