24khz from the average amplifier?

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I want to reproduce (inaudible) 20k+ .wav files through a partsexpress piezo horn for example
GRS PZ1016 2" x 5" Piezo Horn Tweeter Similar to KSN1016A 292-440

I've got a few amps sitting around gathering dust. Since this is for a simple project I'd like to just try and use an ultra-budget little Radio Shack amplifier ...
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


My soundcard is up to the task. If I feed this a 22khz or higher signal will it amplifiy it via a capable piezo horn?

How much are these "specs" to be believed?
Screenshot-optimus_zpse1c881fa.jpg


Since someone will surely have to know, this is a diy anti-barking project for the neighbor's dogs. I'm fiddling with a program called "Digital Dogsitter" that plays
any .wav file dropped into a folder in its program files in response to a GUI set threshold of voice/noise/bark. I've got a few 10 second 20k+ files of various
noise, tone, warble, ready to go but would like to amplifiy it beyond the output of the headphone jack on my laptop into that two dollar PE piezo horn.
I want it to sound like the damn dog-eating aliens have landed every time the little bastard barks, which many evenings is roughly every 15 seconds for three hours at a time.
Yes I've tried to deal with the owners very gracefully on this. They ignore me. Myself and another neighbor have complained to the county. Since this scenario plays out
140 times a day throughout the county the cops, and therefore the dog owners, just ignore our pleas.

I love most dogs. There are a few, along with their owners, that just get under my skin.
 
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Not enough power.

One and a half watts ought to be plenty. Distortion is not an issue. It might even be beneficial in this situation. One watt can get you over 100db can't it?

Otherwise the next candidate is a Hitachi integrated 30w/ch. From the early seventies. Just collecting dust. I'd have a hard time finding specs on this.

So to the original question.... Can I expect a "typical" integrated amp to handle 20k Plus input and amplify it into a capable piezo horn? I cannot hear it to judge. My Radio Shack 33-2055 Sound Level Meter drops off at around 12K for measurement. I have no way of really ascertaining whether the high frequency .wav is actually broadcasting.

Any suggestions here?
 
Acceptable waveform? A 555 timer set to free run at 24 KHz would produce an acceptable waveform. That small amp would probably be fine as long as it is stable into the capacitive load. Even if the amp is down 3 dB in gain, so what? Be careful, though - piezos are NOT that tough at ultrasonic frequency. At 25 KHz, it will handle about the equivalent of 18 watts at 8R (12 volts RMS) before the magic smoke comes out. They handle 5 times this at 3 KHz. It still should be loud enough to be annoying (to dogs, cats, squirrels, armadillos, or any other varmit).

If you want REALLY loud at 25k, get a D3300 compression driver on an HL4750 horn. Drive with 75 watts RMS. It will have about a 3 degree beamwidth at 25k, but pity anything on the business end of it.
 
You can try to measure the AC voltage at the output of the amp. At 1.8 Watt into 8 ohms, the voltage should be just shy of 4 VAC. Just about any True-RMS meter will respond just fine to 25 kHz signals. A very cheap meter may not. If I was at home, I'd test that with a couple of my cheap meters.

I agree strongly with the idea of using a 96 kHz or higher sampling soundcard. A typical 48 kHz one will roll off quickly above 20 kHz or so. The above voltage test will confirm however if you are putting any power into the speaker, verifying the amp and soundcard response.
 
If you have no test equipment (and most DVM's won't read that frequency) then try a test of a 400Hz tone and DVM to get an idea of output voltages. The connect a torch bulb as a load and turn the volume up so it lights. Then try your high frequency tone and see if the bulb is the same brightness.

There are always ways and means 😀
 
Creative, Mooly. I like it.

My brother had a similar situation. He used a 200WPC amp and an array of 8 peizo tweeters His kids complained about the anti bark noise and after a week or two the dog seemed to be immune to it. I guess what I am saying is protect children from the sound and don't leave it on all the time so the dog just learns to live with it (or has gone deaf). And, yes, my brother is moving...

Maybe with a 96KHz card you could get up into the 30K region. The peizos should have some output up there. That should give some protection to people. I was able to hear (really just be annoyed by) that mosquito ring tone at 52, even though I can't seem to hear anything above 15KHz in a pure tone.
 
Generating a 24kHz wave with a PC sound card could be problematic, but rolling your own oscillator is very easy. An old 30 watt amp might be a dB or two down at 24kHz but should suffice. The biggest challenge is getting a speaker that will put out a waveform, but it can be done. Good luck!

BTW, our dog is also a bit noisy but none of the neighbors has ever complained.
 
Creative, Mooly. I like it.

My brother had a similar situation. He used a 200WPC amp and an array of 8 peizo tweeters His kids complained about the anti bark noise and after a week or two the dog seemed to be immune to it. I guess what I am saying is protect children from the sound and don't leave it on all the time so the dog just learns to live with it (or has gone deaf). And, yes, my brother is moving...

Maybe with a 96KHz card you could get up into the 30K region. The peizos should have some output up there. That should give some protection to people. I was able to hear (really just be annoyed by) that mosquito ring tone at 52, even though I can't seem to hear anything above 15KHz in a pure tone.

Definitely don't leave it on all the time. You need to train the dog to not bark, since its owners are incapable of doing that. (I never mutter "stupid dog!", I say "stupid dog owner!" instead). There must be a cause and effect relationship between the barking and the noise. Bark, get painful noise for a minute or so. Bark again, pain again. Dogs are amazingly smart, even the dumb ones, and most will learn quickly enough.
 
That was my brother's setup as well. I didn't mean it blasted all the time, just was ready to blast the barking dog for a minute or so with each bark, like you plan. The potential SPL with the power he applied made me wonder if the offending dog lost its HF hearing.

Yes they learn quickly, but sometimes don't care about the consequences. I trained (or thought I did) a foxhound mix and watched him test the invisible fence on his own. The first time he got zapped he jumped up about 5 feet and ran back to the house. The next time he just gritted his teeth and walked through the shock zone with a little shake to loosen up once clear. When he came back in the same way I put his collar against my bare leg to see if it was really shocking. As expected it felt like grabbing a spark plug wire. Not quite enough to knock me over, but close. We clipped the area where the electrodes were hoping for better effect. Nope. I never saw that stubborn dog run through it, he always walked (Unless he was chasing something). We considered a double fence, but he didn't seem to mind enough.
 
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