Cymatics - Voice Coil Chladni Plate Driver

Hand-wound voice coil coupled with a thin aluminum plate to display vibration patterns in a fine medium. A project to be published in Make Magazine in 2008.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• cymatic
• chladni
• vibration
• sound
• make

[beeyalen]

going to attempt to do this with a using a plate of 1/8 inch thick cold rolled steel on top of a speaker cone. would it be possible to make it work without attaching the plate to the cone? I'm not sure otherwise how the plate could be attached to the cone, its different than a magnet.

[EdwinWiseOne]

@beeyalen It's possible to make it work with just audio coupling (e.g. placing the speaker under the sheet) but you have to make the audio very very loud! 1/8 inch steel is also very heavy and stiff, so your vibrations may be pretty small -- I used a much thinner material; less mass is easier to move. But experimentation is what it's all about, so good luck!

[beeyalen]

@EdwinWiseOne I'm also not sure where to find a speaker magnet and a voice coil. Radio Shack does not carry it, and they said they do not know who would have them

[EdwinWiseOne]

@beeyalen If you can get your hands on Make Magazine issue 16 (or get it from their website) there are details. I used a signal generator, and if you search for the term "signal generator" you can probably find a software one as well. I got my speaker setup by getting a speaker, and then tearing it apart! Simple, if a bit wasteful. But old speakers can be found here and there.

[MrDesertstars]

@EdwinWiseOne I have been working on it! Found your tutorial in Make Magazine. I see you are using coated magnet wire. The only magnet wire I was able to find at the store is uncoated. Is this going to cause any hazards?

[EdwinWiseOne]

@MrDesertstars Yeah, it needs to be insulated - electricity takes the shortest path it can find, and given a choice, won't want to run through the entire coil but will just jump crosswise through it (or whatever). If it's truly not varnished... maybe a thin layer of spray paint?

[MrDesertstars]

@EdwinWiseOne It would also be helpful if you could provide some information on how to remove a speaker magnet

[beeyalen]

@EdwinWiseOne Thank you so much. I was wondering if you also could point me in the direction of somewhere where I can see some info on correctly attaching the speaker magnet to the voice coil. Also, how are you powering your speaker device?

[ZolaDominique]

The swiveling base is a good idea.

[delphinny]

Hi, I would like to make one of these and was wondering if you could tell me where I can buy speaker magnets and if you can post some construction diagrams ? Thanks! There is verry limited info all around about these things.