In this case, I’m using a standard, small, mid-range speaker placed on a level surface, with a plastic food lid serving as a membrane. The lid has a raised edge and a flat, recessed central area, so it turned out to be perfect for the experiment. The lid is then secured to the speaker’s mounting frame hardware with small strips of duct tape.

On the top of the lid, I poured a small layer of water to serve as the visualization mechanism. This provides a great resolution and clarity in the visualization. You can also use sand, ferromagnetic fluid, and a variety of other liquid/semisolid substances for this medium.

To power the speaker, a function generator was used connected directly to the speaker’s terminals, to ensure decent accuracy for the frequency range. The function generator’s range was 0 to 2mhz.

The audio frequency range used was 52 to 150 hz initially, then higher frequencies at higher amplitudes.

The videos have been edited for a variety of visual effects, with at least a few seconds of unaltered footage in each.

Check it out in PDF (54k)

This device, using the same basic principles as a smoke ring generator (like the kind sold as a novelty during halloween), “shoots” a ring of air using a small combustion chamber.  The device is mostly completed, with only a couple of parts still needing to be acquired.

Inside, a combustion chamber with two outer layers for blowout mitigation provides the pressure, which subsequently feeds into a threaded area which initializes the vortex, then feeds into a gradually expanding tube which finally stabilizes. Without going into the finer details, this process creates the rings at the edges of the tube, which are then shot out the end of the barrel.

With the project, I’m hoping to simply be able to visualize the concept in a fog-laden “cloud chamber”, and maybe have a little fun with a new mad science project. Check out the prototype in progress below!

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