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Registered Member #1361
Joined: Thu Feb 28 2008, 10:57AM
Location: Cairns, Australia
Posts: 305
I was thinking, since audio is AC, wouldnt just getting a high powered amplifier, and pumping the audio straight into somehting such as an ignition coil result in a singing arc? In theory it could work, but has anyone tried it?
Registered Member #580
Joined: Mon Mar 12 2007, 03:17PM
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 410
definitely not on an ignition coil, these are pulse transformers. You build up the magnetic field and suddenly disrupt it, resulting in a sudden collapse. As for other types of transformers, they usually use the flyback effect to increase the voltage, they have a resonant frequency. To use them for audio you must either use the audio to cause the main oscillator to slightly detune (decreasing the intensity of the output voltage) or change the duty cycle, which would change the average power input.
Registered Member #580
Joined: Mon Mar 12 2007, 03:17PM
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 410
If you had an AC transformer rated for audio frequency, and the largest secondary you have ever seen, then perhaps. eg: NSTS are rated for 50/60Hz and use 120v/240V to step to 15kv and they are quite large.
Registered Member #580
Joined: Mon Mar 12 2007, 03:17PM
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 410
Not really, those transformers are designed to work for 50Hz/60Hz, the impedance would increase at higher frequencies and then the power would go down. It is quite hard to make a power transformer suitable for a large frequency range. In a tube amplifier often the audio transformer contributes to the altered sound you get from them.
Registered Member #33
Joined: Sat Feb 04 2006, 01:31PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 971
It works with standard AC transformers. They are made for mains frequency, but they work well beyond. Of course the audio is not exactly going to be Hi-Fi, but I suppose you wouldn't expect that in an application like this. To step up the voltage to mains, you can just use a mains -> low voltage transformer hooked up with the low voltage coil to the amplifier and the mains coil to the primary of your HV transformer.
It would sound quite bad I suppose, since the spark would extinguish during the zero-crossings.
It has already been done, see towards the bottom of this page:
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