Conceptually speaking... what 'bits' allow you to detect sounds?

Just like a TSOP IR receiver is a nice, neat, all-in-one solution that allows me to detect IR signals from a remote control, and pass them to a PIC for the software to actually decide what to do with it (on a falling-edge interrupt on pin A2)... is there a similar component / device used for detecting a sound... i.e. a clap or music or a voice?

In an ideal world, I guess I'd be looking at a single component - like a sensitive microphone - that, say, has three legs, one from +V, one to ground and one to an input pin of a PIC... but I have learned enough to realise that might not be possible. I'd be very happy with an IC solution too if one was available.

Maybe I would like more information from this device, like the frequency of the sound, so I could recognise differences that I would code for... but I'm not too sure yet... at the moment I'm just thinking about detecting either the presence or absence of sound (above a certain level (dB), of course... and I'm thinking this is why it might not be a single electronic component that does the job.

Any pointers greatly appreciated.

I think I would look at electret microphones and an op amp amplifier (or 2). They are inexpensive and easy to use. Google will have lots of circuits.

Google for "simple VOX circuit"?

You need a very smart brain (computer) to sense the difference between the sound of a clap and the sound of a dog bark.
A computer might or might not be able to sense that a violin sounds different to a clarinet when they both play the same note.

A few Years ago, National Semi developed a tiny preamp IC that was designed to be installed inside a small electret mic. But today, no mic manufacturer uses it.

Well, a preamp is one thing, and a whole lot easier to implement than what the O.P. is apparently looking for: a 3-terminal signal-processing chip, microphone in, data out. So far as is know, no such thing exists.

Since you have a PIC at hand, you might try to do some rudimentary signal processing there. Ultimately, though, this really sounds like a job for something more suited for the task, like a DSP, which means you ain't going to get it in a nice little package for $2.50.

Mr RB said:

Google for "simple VOX circuit"?

Click to expand...

Sorry, not a very helpful reply. It's not as if people here don't know how to use Google, right?

Beside, what you'll find with this search are a lot of circuits like this one, which are basically PTT (push-to-talk) circuits for controlling noise, where the signal source is assumed to be the human voice.

Sometimes it is helpful for me to be simply told "this ain't as easy as you hoped it might be" then that puts me off and I'll focus on something else. I'm not against a bit of hard work and learning but I had seen plenty of people doing VU Meter type circuits and I had hoped (expected?) that there would be a neat and simple way of doing this but with the source 'noise' being separated from the circuit by a medium other than wire... i.e. air.

'tis no big deal, I'll wait until electronics catches up with my requirements... ha-ha.

Well, if you have some time on your hands, some test equipment, and a little ambition and curiosity, you might try capturing the sounds you're interested in using as triggers and characterizing them, using an oscilloscope and doing some rudimentary wave analysis (FFT, etc.). Who knows? you might just come up with an as-yet-undiscovered simple DIY way of processing audio signals. You'd learn stuff in any case.