Flame speakers

[Nixie]

LOL
http://www.swtpc.com/mholley/PopularElectronics/May1968/Flame_Amplification.htm
Anyone DIY this?

 

[classd4sure]

Nope, but I'm thinking of the world's coolest amp stack for concert duty.

 

[Geek]

Yup! Radio-Electronics magazine in the early 80's had a project based on this

 

[bremen nacht]

I love the photo of the super-nerdy Three Scientists listening to music. They could be triplets but they all have different names.

 

[classd4sure]

I love the photo of the super-nerdy Three Scientists listening to music. They could be triplets but they all have different names.

Haha.... it's making me think of Roswell /UFO's for some reason.

 

[rcavictim]

I saw that magazine article and successfully duplicated the experiment in my high school electronics lab class back about 1971 or '72. I had trouble getting suitable material for the electrodes. If you want to try this today may I recommend getting thoriated tungsten tig welding electrode rods from your hood's welding shop. The wick seeding the flame with pottasium nitrate worked for me. It was so impressive that my electronics teacher arranged for the physics class to come have a demo.

 

[bigwill]

How did it sound?

 

[Christer]

Yes, I also remember reading about that some time back in the 70's. I have always wondered if the flame itself is silent enough? Usually you can hear a burning flame, but it depends on at what rate you are burning gas, of course. I suppose the cost of running those speakers would be prohibitive in the long run anyway.

 

[rcavictim]

How did it sound?

It would only work intermittently because you had to establish a plasma between the electrodes. It would go for ten or fifteen seconds sometimes. That could be corrected by a proper design. Aside from the rush of the torch flamre the sound was absolutely sparkling clear. No bass of course.

You can get a similar effect by modulating a vacuum tube Tesla coil and listening to the brush discharge in air. I've set that experiment up on the bench many times over the years. It is a real crowd pleaser.

 

[Nixie]

Combustion is not a great idea to get plasma. Hill's solution in the Plasmatronic speakers was much better, and he also bothered to calculate things such as optimal plasma shape for flat frequency response, etc.