Hello there! It’s been a while that I don’t post any electronic HowTo. Since I started electric engineering my life have been quite busy, studying a lot, but some days ago I have made a simple project in which I created a metronome using some simple parts you can find in any electronic shop. And I decided to share with everyone this blog. So if you are interested, so let’s start!
Hmm, what is a Metronome?
“A metronome is any device that produces a regulated audible and/or visual pulse, usually used to establish a steady beat, or tempo, measured in beats-per-minute (BPM) for the performance of musical compositions. It is an invaluable practice tool for musicians that goes back hundreds of years.” (text from wikipedia, click here to read more about metronome)
Material Needed: (I’m linking components to wikipedia, if you want to know more about them)
Tools:
The tools depend in what way you want to assemble the parts. Right now my project is assembled in a BreadBoard. In some days I’ll but my metronome in a small board, and then it will be soldered using some TIN and a Soldering Iron. (If you want to know more about soldering, you can look HERE and HERE).
Now the scheme:
To build your metronome, you have to follow this scheme:
Pictures and Videos:
The circuit I made isn’t so beautiful right now, but it will be cute as soon as I assemble it in a read boar, then I will update this HowTo.
Video 1
Video 2
Video 3 - Testing my new metronome 
Video 4 - Having fun! ^^
After you have all assembled, just turn on your circuit and you will see and hear the beats, where you can set different speeds by chancing the resistance from the 250K potentiometer. Now grab your guitar, or whatever you play and go practice with your new metronome. 
I hope you could understand my HowTo, if you have any question, just post a comment with the form below.
Thanks for readying!
Although 642-901 is not a difficult course, people still delay it until after 70-431 as well as 70-620. Only after SY0-101 is their concept disabused.
good thing, but you can’t never have a 200 ohm cap.
oh yeah and you don’t change the value on the cap. you change it on the pot
Oddly enough, you can have a 200 ohm cap
It could refer to a couple different measurements, for example the reactance. Xc=2pifC, (IIRC), it depends chiefly on the frequency.
Neat metronome…
I only have one nitpick about your guitar playing: Try to not have your pinky tucked in all the time (my music teacher is always on my case about the same thing).
@Danny Antakli: Thanks man! My mistake, of course you can’t have 200K Ohms capacitor,
Just fixed.
@Sam: yeah! I don’t really play guitar in like 2 years
But thanks for the tip 
Excelent! good cicuit.
hi daniel,
i’ve been wanting to make a few metronomes for friends for a while, and found your tutorial in my search. great job. and thanks.
cheers,
roy
nice job! I noticed Iron Maiden: The Trooper. Good song, fun to play too.
thank dude,i made my frist metronome with no skill in this feild at all and with about 40$( that inculeding the wire kit and bread board) plus abut 5 hours looking at your fuzz and one sized pic.
I me a noob, so the diagram was basicy unless.
i toke some CLEARer pic hehe; i hope to sent them in.(flicker i think)
I think i used less wires then u, now i need to learn how to sodera little board.
thank again
I have an electronic drum machine (Boss DR-220A) and am interested in this project to use as a foot operated ‘trigger’. (it is hard to turn the drum machine on and then start playing my guitar) The drum machine accepts a 5v signal (beat) that triggers the rhythm pattern to play.
I think I could use your circuit with no speaker - just run that output into the drum machine with a footswitch to start/stop. I wonder what voltage is coming out of this circuit (to the speaker) or if I should use 4.5 volts (two 1.5v batteries) to power this to get closer to 5v out at the speaker. Or perhaps it does not matter…
If any of you have advise/suggestions, I appreciate hearing them!
Sid
Thank you very much!
By the way, this is the first working circuit I built which has a speaker on it but no microcontroller
WOW That… Is… AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!! I did that, but I screwed up the wireing 3 times until it worked!!!!! Although, how can you change the sound affect??? : )
I made It it is awsome!!!
REPLYYYYYY
please????
Well, it’s a bit harder to make it sound in a different way using this scheme. If you would like to learn more, you could make one using a Arduino. Then you can make any sound from it!
Daniel, vc poderia me dizer cmo eu identifico o numero das pernas do CI? d qual ld começa a contagem?
Hey rodrigo, you can identify where the IC pins “start” by looking for a semi-hole on the top. You can follow this example: http://www.orgonecentral.com/zapperguide/555pins.gif
thanks..I asked cause Im going to make a circuit for it..thanks again
Hi, im a AP Physics student in my high school and we have to build something for a end of the year project. I decided to build a metronome and found this page during my research. It is the best how to by far i found but i cant find anywhere that explains exactly what the different parts do (i know that the resistors make resistence and V=IR and that stuff) but like how they function together to make the variable speed metronome would be a great help to me. So what im asking is maybe if you had some extra time could send me and e-mail or post a thread or something going into more depth than just the circut setup i would be very very very grateful. You can put in as much depth as you want or as time allows, anything will help. But dont forget i am still a high school student. Much thanks.
I think to be a little more specific i wanted to know how you put it together from scratch, why did you connect this to that and whats it fuction as, etc, and how you knew to put it there
@Rodrigo, good luck man!
@Cal Yes, I think I have a good .doc file explaining how things work there. If you want, just send me an email from CONTACTS.
hey just checking up on the e-mail making sure there wasnt a sending problem or something. Ill be waiting, thanks.
The Arduino Sounds interesting, would it cost alot?
Arduino isn’t exencive! Take a look here http://www.arduino.cc
Or use PICAXE, it’s much cheaper than Arduino!
Hey! I’m in a similar situation as Cal. I’ve actually alreay built the circuit but I’m having a hard time making it work. If you can send me that .doc file too, it would be great! Thanks!
eh so umm how about not audion metronom..i mean with leds only
is it possible??
Please send me the doc you talked about. I don’t see the LED’s in your schematic. Also, there are two capacitors in your schematic but only see one capacitor in the photos. What’s up with that?
It is fine if you want to do it for fun… but with about 10$ you can buy a digital metronome, with much more precision…
Hello… I was wondering if you had a multimeter and could check something for me. When no sound is coming out of the speaker, is the Voltage at pin 3 0?
Asfastasdark, I can’t do it right now, but when I connected the output to the oscilloscope, the sound happens when the signal goes down or up.
The schematic as shown doesn’t oscillate with a 50% duty cycle, meaning that one LED is on for slightly longer than the other. Of course, this is only noticeable at very high tempos. For example, when the 250K pot is down to 1K, one LED will be on for twice as long as the other. There’s a circuit in the 555 datasheet that shows how to make it oscillate with exactly 50% duty cycle regardless of the frequency.
Hi!!! very good!! I am Brazilian and I liked project… I made it and functioned!!! great!!! thank you guy!! mail me!!! God bless you!!!!
Hello everybody, I’ve built the PCB this metronome, if anyone wants it please contact me
herberthturcios@hotmail.com
greetings from El Salvador
what if i decided to put a volume knob for the speaker? how should i do it?
Hey this metronone is pretty slick!!!I’d like to try it but i’m not good at reaing schematics so can you please upload the .doc file or send it to me please
PLEASE!!!!
PLZ!!!!
@Vignesh, I don’t have the file with me, but what you can do is take a look on how the IC 555 work, that’s a good beginning. =)
Hi, will these capacitors be OK? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270279772936&cguid=33507e2d11f0a0e203410041ff601354
Please answer :), want to complete this circuit. You’ve been a great help so far.
@nigvesh, sorry for the delay, yes, they will work =)
hey this is really good, but im struggling to work out what holes each component goes into? im not clever enough to work it out from the diagram :p
Thanx for the circuit. It was perfect for me. Simple, Cheap.
Hi! I’ve just built this scheme and it worked, but I got a little problem. I’ve got one led lit all the time. I mean, there would be only one led lighted on each beat of the speaker, but there is one always on (the onde between 9V and the 3 pin node) and the other goes on and off at each beat. Would you give me some help?
Can i use another pot value? I couldn’t find the 250k ohms around here, only the 330k ohms. Cant I use a lower value, like 150k or some comercial value around this point and associate with a static value resistor? Or just use a lower value pot without association?
By the way, thanks for the project! It’s going to be very helpful for me.
hiiiiiiii
Hi, I am living in Holland and saw your metronoom and i like it.
Did you have a drawing of the PCB?
Thanks in advance!
Andries teunissen
@Andries Sorry, I have not made one for this project!
You can try Eagle Cad and make your own, it`s fun!
Daniel, vc poderia me dizer cmo eu identifico o numero das pernas do CI? d qual ld começa a contagem?
hey, good work.
can i use this circuit without teh LEDs?
@paul sure! =P