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Tesla coil based stereo plasma sound system

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LAN_403

Mates

Tue Mar 16 2010, 11:46PM

Registered Member #1025 Joined: Sun Sept 23 2007, 07:53PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 566

Hi,
This is just a small upgrade. Every tweeter needs a horn so made one of standard bulb reflector. First, I had to remove the reflection layer by etching solution. I like the spontaneous blue shine at dark. It looks quite cool.

Mates

Mates

Wed Mar 31 2010, 09:44PM

Registered Member #1025 Joined: Sun Sept 23 2007, 07:53PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 566

Work in progressâ€¦.

Big horns = big sound

Mates

Sat Apr 10 2010, 08:36PM

Registered Member #1025 Joined: Sun Sept 23 2007, 07:53PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 566

I spent some time in designing the right shape and size of a horn for the sound system. Now it plays really loud ;)
Cheers Mates

HV Enthusiast

Sun Apr 11 2010, 12:21AM

Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068

Mates wrote ...

I spent some in designing the right shape and size of a horn for the sound system. Now it plays really loud ;)

If you really want to boost the volume and improve bass response, you need to maximize the surface area (volume) of your oiutput arc. Having it formed into a small arc just reduces volume / lower frequency response.

My new Class-E i'm working on runs almost 100% modulation depth, although usually set around 75-80% to ensure no clipping. In this video, its set pretty high (about 95%), which results in high volume, but increased distortion due to clipping.

Here is the video . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cOsFgW8P3M

GhostNull

Sun Apr 11 2010, 06:20AM

Registered Member #2648 Joined: Sun Jan 24 2010, 12:45PM
Location: Australia
Posts: 291

This looks very nice. You should make a projects post. Can you post a video with the new improved horns?

HV Enthusiast

Sun Apr 11 2010, 01:16PM

Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068

You could even incorporate some neon tubing in your horn design to give it extra dazzle.

Or how about a plasma headphone design! Sounds like a patent! :)

Mates

Sun Apr 11 2010, 08:20PM

Registered Member #1025 Joined: Sun Sept 23 2007, 07:53PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 566

EastVoltResearch wrote ...

You could even incorporate some neon tubing in your horn design to give it extra dazzle.

Or how about a plasma headphone design! Sounds like a patent! :)

Actually I percept all those shinny LEDâ€™s and neon tubes you all here like so much in the tesla coils design as a kind of â€œchocholate-box artâ€œ. It this case the plan is to impress people by the sound quality anyway.

Regarding your headphones idea â€“ LOL. Those horns are made of artificial stone â€“ you would need really strong neck. But it came to my mind also, as a smaller design â€“ higher freq etc. The only unsolvable problem I see is the O3 produced by the discharge â€“ that probably would ruin your inner ear very quickly.

BTW: I run into concurrence recently â€“ in both plasma tweeter design

and also horns design

And here is the latest video of the system. I noticed it plays so loud that you can hardly hear my commentary â€“ it is a combination of bullshit and my horrible english anyway so donâ€™t worry.

HV Enthusiast

Sun Apr 11 2010, 09:48PM

Registered Member #15 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 01:11PM
Location:
Posts: 3068

Yeah. Plasma speakers have been around for over 100 years. Nikola Tesla himself, and a few others, have patents on musical PRF modulation of both Tesla Coils and HV arc lamps (1800's). Thats more than 100 years before anyone PRF modulated their DRSSTC.

Mates

Sun May 09 2010, 07:56PM

Registered Member #1025 Joined: Sun Sept 23 2007, 07:53PM
Location: Czech Rep.
Posts: 566

Hi,
I did a lot of experimneting with different horn desgins and with different materials... I had to solve problems with high temp produced by the plasma and it was not trivial.
I also made a lot of changes in the schematics so now the sound quality even improved significantly (unfortunately you have to believe me in this, or come for a visit ;) ).

Here is a kind of an image "protocol" of how my latest prototype was done

Making the proper horn shape is my own idea. It is based on a large latex ballon, gypsum and vase with cutted bottom.

The sound chamber is made of pure talc. It was not easy to get it. I had to mine it by myslef in an old quarry. It is amasing material, it can stand 1500C

It was glued by a mix of water glass with talc dust. Great glue which can stand high temps. Unfortunately it is not such a good electric isolator as pure talc. Piece of glass was also glued to make kind of window.

The black color is a special silicon based color for high temps (700C)

Temporary instalation in my living room. The boxes behind are pair of Celestion SL12 - it is bi-wire system so I can easilly disconnect the tweeters. Sound is just perfect.

Steve Conner

Sun May 09 2010, 09:16PM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

Amazing :) I was curious to know how you got/made those horns, but you've answered my question.

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