Unreal Bluetooth Plasma Speaker (3D printed)

[@PlasmaChannel]

If you want to be a smart person - go to Brilliant. If you want to see my new website, and learn more about why i'm obsessed with plasma, go here - www.PlasmaChannel.net. Also, sorry about that high pitch noise in the beginning! It was mostly an artifact of the camera being too close.

[@sFeral]

Flyback can't be AC Jay, you keep making the mistake. Flyback is the name for the "topology", pulsed DC to pulsed DC... but it's not the only way to get HV DC, you already played with an ignition coil, and that doesn't even have a diode on the output, yet gives DC (if driven right) 1EabqJJnWhc

[@sFeral]

btw it would make more sense (be more efficient) to modulate a Mazilli ZVS when you're using output AC. Look what CoolDudeClem tried, but there are other more successful attempts, just can't recall channel names.

[@PlasmaChannel]

@@sFeral As long as the spark output by an ignition coil dissipates all energy in the first cycle, it will be DC. In reality, most all ignition coils i've used have a ring on their output. As for flybacks - they are AC by nature. The addition of diodes is what makes them DC, or, an offset secondary balance will also do similar. Any secondary coil that is mid point balanced will output one terminal negative voltage, the other terminal positive. I tested my custom flyback to have an AC output.

[@arkhilious]

@@PlasmaChannel I love it when random commenters try to get smart with the pros but they're actually wrong. sFeral, ya made me laugh. Do your damn research before ya make corrections.

[@FUTURE56]

where can i buy these parts?I want to buy too I'm trying to do something

[@jordanbennett6461]

I love that giant table saw! Makes for some very clean builds.

[@EEthanGao]

Please make part two of your star in a jar with the tritium and deuterium! Can’t wait!

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thank you! I am looking into building that Version 2

[@ILCorvo001]

Another wonderful video, Jay. Ionophones are one of the first HV projects I ever messed around with, and are always an interesting conversation piece, even to those who are familiar with this kind of work.

[@self_taught_stuff]

damn man, who is making your videos? there is no way an engineer can have such video editing skills and sense for good quality video production... best wishes, keep them coming...

[@PlasmaChannel]

I appreciate that. The trick is...i'm not an engineer. I'm a maker :P

[@self_taught_stuff]

@@PlasmaChannel 😂👍

[@frankearl9285]

You might be surprised...

[@patrickcox4113]

@@PlasmaChannel what do you do for a day job?

[@ldlm91]

Love your videos! I did a similar circuit with my Tesla coil but my method of control was PWM and that seemed to provide a very clear and loud sound. The spark frequency was however much higher at around 2 MHz.

[@eseseis7251]

your title and thumb, never do justice to what i find in the vid, i mean, i only click cuz boreed, now, im glad, i mean, is like a vault of information and music to my brain. i feel dumb for not getting here before. i didnt imagine music from plasma, you know, literaly, but blew my mind

[@PlasmaChannel]

Hey, I want you to know that I really appreciate your comment. MAKING the thumbnail, often, can take hours. To try and figure out the best way to show the world your video, with a single frame, is nearly impossible. But the fact that you think my thumbnails aren’t as good as my video is actually a huge compliment. Means you think my videos have good value. Thank you

[@heftycat]

That flyback design looks gorgeous, the 1st one.

[@Vagabundo74]

This was the first video I've seen of yours, and I dont think that any combination of words has ever caught my attention faster than "plasma river table." I subbed before I even saw the clip, lol. Also, the sound of the electrical arc was so strangely soothing. Maybe it's because it reminds me of the sound of my parents' old CRT or the plasma globe I had as a kid, but I've always loved that sound. Anyways, great video. Thanks for the great content!

[@FiglioBastardo]

Niiiiice! Hands down one of the coolest channels here on yt!

[@nigel-matthews]

Nice clean build as always! I love your “giant” table saw 😭 That electronics store looks amazing! Is it in Washington?

[@PlasmaChannel]

Hey Nigel!! Thank you sir. Yeah, that table saw is the thing of dreams. Vetco electronics is the only store near Seattle.

[@platypusrex2287]

In Tucson we have Elliotts Electronics

[@arkhilious]

@@PlasmaChannel Vetco has helped me out so many times!

[@dresdenvisage]

​@@PlasmaChannel Adding it to my list, for when I take a trip up from Portland to see the SPARK museum!

[@Igoran8686]

Hello friend, it looks like your flyback is warming up! The 220n capacitor on the primary winding will create resonance and increase efficiency. Is there a link to the 3d model? I'd like to wind one too. Thank you in advance!

[@PlasmaChannel]

That flyback was more than warming up. It was melting lol

[@Igoran8686]

@@PlasmaChannel Ha ha! Good sense of humor) On my channel, the latest video. There the flyback works for 10 minutes, without radiators and with zero heating. The power supply is 1 bank of 18650, but you can also set it to 12 volts. By the way, can you give a link to a 3d model of the frame? I want to repeat.

[@LabCoatz_Science]

Excellent video Jay, that's quite the beast! Have you considered using it to make a musical Jacobs Ladder? And also...your mini table saw is easily one of the coolest tools I've ever seen.

[@PlasmaChannel]

Haha right?! My father actually gifted me that for Christmas. It's the best. Musical jacobs ladder sounds amazing.

[@karlharvymarx2650]

@@PlasmaChannel You could play Stairway to Heaven on a loop and put it in a time-out area or use it to remove house guests that have gotten that fishy smell. I love the song but after a few hundred loops pain sets in which explains most chemical abuse in '70's nightclubs.

[@khashayarmodaberi4958]

​​@@PlasmaChannel Yeah! The Jacob's ladder is one of the projects of Mehdi in ElectroBoom! You can get a good idea from it! Very high voltage with powerful arcs!!😅 You are Great man😊

[@MattH-wg7ou]

Dude I love this channel. It is everything, exactly what I want to see!

[@GrandadIsAnOldMan]

That is another beautiful piece of functional art, Jay 😊❤

[@PlasmaChannel]

Hey Grandad, thanks. That's my style. More of an artist than an engineer!

[@brandonfranklin4533]

This was great! Thanks for answering the call :) it was kinda cool seeing my comment up there on screen too 😎

[@PlasmaChannel]

Haha well thanks for commenting!

[@EnricoMarangonJunior]

Plasma is the future !! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WORK.

[@pablogarin]

This comment is to show support for your channel... Cool project, I have to say, I'm a big fan of 555 timers... I use them all the time, but this is one of the best ideas ever for one of those... kudos!

[@abbeyoneworld]

That whisper to your 3D printer is the ice on the cake for this video 🤣🤣🤣..love it ....nice work as always

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thanks Abbey, haha, sometimes you need to say tender things in order to get stuff done.

[@sarahdaviscc]

That was really cool. I'd love some more footage of the finished product in action!!

[@PlasmaChannel]

I can do a follow up video, for sure.

[@sarahdaviscc]

@@PlasmaChannel cool! 🙂

[@mckanebullerlee3020]

@@PlasmaChannel You sir are a badass! Keep it up! Also, I’m in Snohomish County. We should grab some beers and have a lively conversation regarding electricity.

[@MrBademy]

bro this is epic, keep it up you are one of my favorite innovators, please create a whole plasma speaker, that arcs epic on sounds, that would be next level, and this is an interesting way of distributing sound without using magnets and membranes to shake the air.

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thank you, I appreciate your support

[@theelectronmachines]

Excellent video. I can definitely see you getting 1 million subs soon 👏

[@kreynolds1123]

Thank you for your story arc on creating musical arcs.

[@Ivan.Wright]

Hey Jay, I hope you're doing well! I've been following your content and I'm enthralled by your knowledge and passion for plasma physics. I was wondering if you have any plans to build your own plasma toroid like BackMacSci and others have made? I'd love to see your unique take on the device, its construction, and operation. I'm sure your followers would be just as interested as I am.

[@PlasmaChannel]

That video honestly is planned. I've been in talks with BackMacSci - met him at a conference in November accidentally.

[@Ivan.Wright]

@@PlasmaChannel That's awesome to hear! I remember seeing a photo of you two from that. Can't wait to see your take on the plasma toroid!

[@NerdlabsSci]

hi jay! this build was really impressive! You should try powering a plasma globe with it!

[@PlasmaChannel]

Oh that's a great idea! Dont know why I didn't try that....

[@kreynolds1123]

I once seen a splama speaker made with two half globes curved surface to curved surface with a space between them and a high voltage arked between them. I imagine they helped the sound curve the soind radiate it in all direction while concurrently providing capacitance for a hotter louder arc.

[@inventorkr1]

I love the content you are doing ✅

[@doyouevenscience]

I hear the frustration with AC flybacks. What I didn't know was the little ones for CO2 lasers were AC. Thanks for the info. Great project as usual. From a plasma nerd down under

[@abhishekjnair4]

You're a geek 😎😎

[@proxyhx2075]

I also used one of those XY-P15W mini amplifiers for a big slayer exciter project. And it worked flawlessly! This thing can power small to medium size subwoofers very well with minimal distortion under 30Hz. It's a very neat amplifier for it's size, that's one thing for sure. Excellent video Jay, I loved the design aspect of this project. Unique as always!

[@MANUKRISHNAN008]

What a quality work man....!! Love from India buddy

[@b4by_dr1v3r4]

Best profession: "RAGHH, I HAVE THE POWER OF IMAGINATION, HUMAN INGENUITY AND CREATION BY MY SIDE, AND ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD - YES!!!" but nobody will hire me for that, must be too awesome. Great video by the way, I like the background info like the difficulty of parts sourcing - thanks and have a great day and why not week :)

[@cryptoscientia]

Awesome! The good old 555, works like a charm.

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thanks Chris. Man, the high pitch sounds so much worse on camera than in person. Honestly, it's almost silent in person.

[@naasking]

@@PlasmaChannel might be audio compression from your video editing.

[@patrickday4206]

I haven't used one in a while since I made a power inverter!

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

Any old radio in the neighborhood probably replicated the sounds too, from the EM pulses. You can listen to an AM radio transmission just by gently holding a leaf on a branch against the high power antenna.

[@patrickday4206]

Yeah lots of interference with high voltage arks sometimes they can fry your circuits if powerful enough!

[@paulmichaelfreedman8334]

@@patrickday4206 These arcs can make TL lights closeby flicker.

[@patrickday4206]

@@paulmichaelfreedman8334 lol

[@clusterstage]

I would love to see an entire video dedicated to this arc playing music. Tho, you might not be able to monetize that one. But, for sure, this is an amazing product, (no moving parts) especially if it can play BASS frequencies.

[@kimberlysmith5404]

This channel has everything I've been searching to find!!! Like WOW!! Thank you. Xo

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thanks Kimberly! If you have questions about any of my projects, don’t hesitate to reach out.

[@Mulakulu]

I wonder if only making pulses when the audio makes pulses would sound any better than adding a square wave to the music.

[@PlasmaChannel]

It likely would increase audio quality. My driver circuit was really basic - some people get crazy complex with their designs....and you get what you pay for. Rather...you get what you design for. I was most interested in voltage output, with music as a secondary. But some plasma tweeters are incredibly clear.

[@A.I.O-k7k]

Man ! The intro is just awesome as hell ! You blew my mind 🙂 🔥 That sound gives me a sci fi vibe ... Thanks 👍

[@gauravroy8528]

Everytime you upload a new video, I feel satisfied. You are only the one who rules over the lightning and thunder. I think you are the god of lightning and thunder. ⚡⚡🤩🤩

[@PlasmaChannel]

Wow, that's an honor! Lightning and thunder are friends.

[@vipranshmishra7472]

wonderful video jay can you tell me no of turns in your flyback(the one you made) secondary coil.

[@PlasmaChannel]

So that one I cannot help with. I designed the secondary using concepts, not using calculations. It's often how I build my devices. I wound enough wire and left space where needed to ensure 1) no arcing to the core 2) not too great of voltage gradient is experienced between turns, and 3) no arcing between halves of the secondary. It's a good 150 meters of wire though, I can tell you that.

[@vipranshmishra7472]

@@PlasmaChannel thanks jay, if possible can you tell me the diameter of your 3d printed plastic inner diameter and outer till where coil was wound

[@aryansingh7209]

Every video of yours is absolute gem. Looking forward for more interesting videos. Man made whole channel based on plasma and think we wouldn't even notice.

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thank you Aryan, thats really nice of you. Glad you enjoy my videos.

[@jsutorus]

Where's the audio for the revised 3D printed AC flyback? It just went back to the DC audio before ending.

[@PlasmaChannel]

It sounded about the same as the DC, and arc size was identical. So I didn't really want to make the video any longer with an identical camera shot.

[@Slowly_Going_Mad]

That improvement in audio quality and design is amazing. Also as you said in another comment sometimes there is distortion when recording so I can see it being nearly silent in operation.

[@PlasmaChannel]

Hey Mad Scientist! Good seeing you here. Yeah, after thinking about it, my audio equipment has a good 4-6" loop of COILED wire going from the audio receiver, to the camera. The audio equipment clips ontop my camera. The camera was only......5 inches from the arc during many of those shots. So I think the transformer pulses were artificially inducing a voltage in the audio equipment. Bummer - the arcs are hot and silent in person! At the right frequency.

[@Slowly_Going_Mad]

@@PlasmaChannel that's another good point that I didn't even consider. EMI on the pickup. I wonder if having it shielded would help. I'm thinking like that perforated or mesh metal like on the older studio mic's.

[@Sttreg]

omg, what is this table saw?? It is so tiny, yet so perfect! I've cut multiple acrylic panels " by hand" and this table saw would come in handy !

[@leosthrivwithautism]

Now this is freaking cool! Loved it!

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thank you!

[@leosthrivwithautism]

@@PlasmaChannel your welcome! I always love checking in every so often to see what cool new thing you come up with. Every so often I build things myself it’s always fun. But heck, it’s not even close to what you build. Maybe one day I’ll figure out how incorporate some of the things you invent and make my invention just a bit cooler 👍 always love your content! Keep it up!

[@TheLeg4tus]

that intro was the most horrid sound ever... thanks for blasting my ears with it

[@PlasmaChannel]

Man, I really tried to filter out that high pitch squeal. It was a delicate balance...because making it silent also made the arc much smaller. Thanks for the feedback :(

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

Just wait till you get old and can't hear it.

[@omegaassassin9854]

@@x9x9x9x9x9 𝕓𝕣𝕦𝕙

[@blvckbytes7329]

Seriously? That's what you're gonna comment under a video like that, made with so much effort and attention to detail? No wonder some creators get depressed over the superficiality of their viewers. This is what HF arcs sound like, and everybody who plays with these has grown accustomed to it. You even got the convenience of just turning down your volume at your disposal, in comparison to experimenting with it in real life.

[@4DRC_]

If you hate loud and high pitched tones you're in the wrong business

[@JesusGonzalez-gr9wz]

Okay you finally convinced me to use Brilliant.

[@JoeyBlogs007]

I suggest the plasma filament needs to be in a clear glass vacuum. Plasma does not need oxygen. Plasma is a state of matter that consists of ions, electrons and neutral particles. It can exist in the absence of oxygen and can also exist in a vacuum. That said, in suggesting that, I'm not sure how well the speaker part would function, if at all. However the filament might last longer.

[@bradpace6524]

Thank you for this. Ive been struggling with this circuit for awhile and many of the other videos on plasma speakers aren't very clear or easy to follow. Quick question, can the neon bulb be replaced with a zener or ultra-fast recovery diode? Thanks again!

[@justinbanks2380]

Your third grade teacher must've been way cooler than mine if they were commenting and proud of your soldering!! 😂 And "here's a cookie, well what's left of one..." 🤣😂

[@English_Lessons_Pre-Int_Interm]

I would love to hear a musical symphony played by lightnings, like those which appear at thunderstorm. Make a gigantic lightning into an arc. A 2 kilometre-long arc reaching clouds. The bass would be ground-breaking. And then a voice speaks from the sky!!!

[@DavidCook42]

Loving how the channel pushes you further ;-) Awesome content that I like to share with my kids. Thank you !

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thanks Dave, it certainly pushes me further. Every video...I learn something

[@szaki95]

I think a much cleaner sound quality could be acchieved using amplitude modulation as commercially produced plasma tweeters usually use this method. The coil is fed with a constant high frequency wave and the audio is AM modulated on top of it like a radio transmitter.

[@SwagCat852]

Could this circuit have an audio jack instead of bluetooth? Or would the arc put noise into the jack disrupting the signals? Also how much current does this draw?

[@gstoe5560]

I made a plasma speaker with a small florescent light ballast powering a flyback from a tv. Then for the audio board used a desktop computer speaker board with a volume control and aux cord. And then a mosfet from a tv I think. Music plays sine waves I think because you can hear vocals clearly like a regular speaker. Not sure if this is the same circuit or not. Also I use an old phone to play music because the aux cord shocks you when its playing which also makes the phone extremely glitchy and hard to get the volume buttons or the touchscreen to register. So I guess the high voltage is leaking into aux cord somehow. I don't know a lot about electronics but could you use a full size ballast to power a bigger flyback and get a 1 or 2 inch spark like franzoli electronics except it would play vocals and not just 8 bit or square wave music? Thanks

[@patrickday4206]

I wish I could see that sounds awesome maybe the shocks are from emf

[@noelandrew3600]

To make it even more awesome add a ring magnet as the hv ground and place the other hv lead in the midddle of the hole, and now you have a plasma vortex speaker, as the output gets spun by the magnetic field. this results in a disk of plasma in a vortex, and volume is increased.

[@PlasmaChannel]

I thought about that after I posted it this morning. I thought, "Why not a vortex speaker!?" So, i'm going to try it.

[@alexnuttall9162]

Looks great such a cool project - have You though about putting an ducting on the rear to create another Venturi effect ?

[@ProjectPhysX]

I built a plasma speaker as a school project many years ago. Only problem was that the Mosfet would desolder itself after about a minute of operation, even with heatsink. Is there a trick to have less energy loss at the Mosfet?

[@sFeral]

get one with the lowest rDS

[@raobuildz6550]

Hey, one of the ways to lower energy loss in MOSFETs in a flyback driver is to have a snubber circuit across the primary coil. A primary with high inductance is also preferred. Let the resistor be a high power one coz it heats up very much. Just built one a couple hours ago and the snubber circuit keeps the MOSFET stone cold. Good luck with your build!

[@PlasmaChannel]

I do find my MOSFET getting very hot after a minute of use, but never enough to break. The snubber circuit indeed does help - using a 10k resistor in series with a neon indicator bulb is an awesome snubber.

[@hishnikchannel3529]

I have a suggestion on how to increase the thrust of a jet engine, my idea is based on the principle of a fanless fan, The thrust of a jet engine is directly dependent on 2 factors, the amount of air it blows out, and the speed at which the gas flow blows out. I want to increase the amount of air, it is known that fanless fans blow 15 times more air than the turbine itself pumps For this, it is necessary to remove the outer housings of the jet engine, and create new housings, according to the principle of a bladeless fan, part of the jet stream must be used to build up pressure inside the new housing, which will throw in a jet air stream at the beginning of the jet engine compressor, in this way it is possible to increase the amount of air in engine, you're supposed to work with a lathe for a bit, and figure out how to force some of the jet into the hulls, but then you get new types of Jet Engines.

[@inee6543]

Hello man, could we like have some info on the AC transformer, like output voltage, turns on secondary?

[@hoopajuusa7313]

It would be interesting if you tried using the blue tooth from some noise cancelling headphones, if they would cancel out the feedback sound of the square waves to make the blue tooth sound more clear?

[@deizozd]

It's amazing, the sound is very good

[@iamkian]

Wow. This is so nice Jay. I'm going to have a look and see if I can build one too. ~Kian

[@davidh.4649]

So the 555 timer chip limits your input voltage to about 15-16 V max but it sounds like that's enough. Just curious, why the neon indicator lamp across the output? Why not just another LED? How do you even get enough voltage to light a neon lamp across the output?

[@PlasmaChannel]

The neon indicator bulb is a snubber circuit. It lights up when there's back EMF above 80 volts, and protects the circuit.

[@davidh.4649]

@@PlasmaChannel Ok yeah that makes sense. I figured the only way it would light is via back EMF from the flyback primary. Wondered why you'd even want a light there given the frequency but I didn't consider the protection angle. I can see how it would protect the MOSFET and the power supply. I do recall seeing yours light intermittently during operation so it clearly works as intended and is needed.

[@troyallen8223]

Can't wait. This is so tight👍

[@electronics588]

I like to do something similar, but how much many turns did you do on the secondary? And how thick is the wire? Please answer me.... 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@jaakanshorter]

How would you mask or totally get rid of the sound of the unwanted arc'ing sound and just leave the sound that you want to hear?

[@metanim1]

As an engineer, I wouldn't use bolts as electrical connectors, mostly for the safety of it, but as a guy on the internet, this is really cool!!

[@noneedtoknow5315]

I usually use a variant of an astable multivibrator to power my flybacks. It allows me to change the time period for both the on and off states. I started using multivibrators because BJTs can tolerate up to 30 volts, where my 555s burned up at 15 (Under 12 without protection). I also had trouble driving a stable frequency above 21 KHz with the 555. I'm currently working with one that goes from 6 to 60 KHz. I made a mock up of the inside of a microwave magnetron, except without the resonant cavities or emitter. The arc spun around at probably 30 to 40 Hz, so no danger. An idea for a video, but I must warn you, it took a lot of current to overcome the electrostatic confinement from one anode fin and allow it to jump to the next in rotation. Enough to melt the cathode. (I'm guessing about 22 milliamps at 12KV, about 250 watts.) Oh, I also needed an RF filter between my driver and the power rail to compensate for the voltage drops when dumping around 25 amps at 20% duty cycle.

[@SlitDiver]

Idk that much about electricity, but I really enjoy watching your videos

[@PlasmaChannel]

I appreciate that!

[@legendK.D]

It works perfect but can i increase its input voltage while making sure that ne555 driver receives only 12v from buck converter..will this damage the mosfet because of higher back emf from primary inductor

[@TomboRectify]

Can I use this driver circuit for two ignition coils whose inputs are connected in parallel? The other coil is connected in reverse compared to the other one in order to create double the voltage.

[@TomboRectify]

BTW the coils are identical

[@PlasmaChannel]

Id recommend my other 555 timer build from last year. It's tailored more for ignition coils. This one specifically is for flyback coils.

[@TomboRectify]

​@@PlasmaChannelOk now I need some help: now I have disassembled a CRT tube and removed the flyback from it and built this circuit. What is a good resistance for the primary? The transformer has 3 coils outside the actual transformer. Their resistances are 5.4, 2 and 0.4 ohms. The 0.4 ohm coil has two copper wires on it. Which one is the right one?

[@spiritualinsight]

If I remember correctly if you need the output to be cleaned then the input you run a 555 op amp into a 555 op amp as a negative feedback loop. Though for just power not sure if that's needed.

[@avazgaziz]

Very nice idea to make sound by arc! Some details interested me: switch makes meandres which transform to saw-like signals after current-field-current transformation. It will be interesting to see that. Also interesting to see some illustration of sound specter transformation.

[@bobbybruh9723]

So are those two coils opposite phased wired in series, sort of like a [real] neon sign is?

[@dakrazyk_]

Do you use any thermal compounds between the heatsink and Mosfet?

[@sushi3377]

Probably, but im pretty sure it'll do just fine without

[@PlasmaChannel]

No I didn't. I've found they do fine without it as long as it's a bolt-on style of heatsink.

[@sushi3377]

@@PlasmaChannel I got a question as well. Im not that far into all this yet but I still wanna recreate that build myself. The 1nF timing cap you mentioned, does it have to be exactly that type of cap you've used or will any type do? Since the shop where i'd order the parts doesn't have those in stock. Thanks!

[@TechnoW1zard]

Very nice! For HV output terminals that can endure the heat of the musical arc, may be try a copper-tungsten (CuW) alloy rod segments. I hear it's easier to cut than pure tungsten.

[@skylerlehmkuhl135]

Or just get tungsten TIG welding electrodes, which are pre-made to an appropriate length.

[@lukes3576]

I’d have to experiment further by mounting a tack or something similar to the centre of a tin foil pie plate and and seeing how much more tone and acoustics you maybe able to get.

[@petevenuti7355]

That huff after reading the parts list 👌 Question is there any reason one of these couldn't act as an ultrasonic transducer? I mean if I ran it close to 50khz could I get decent audio from 15-25khz? Or would I be better off rapidly changing impedance on the other input?

[@maeanderdev]

If you only want one frequency (and many harmonics of it) It's actually easier than that: The ac from the transformer is already enough to get sound produced by the arc. Note that the arc fires twice as frequent as the drivers frequency, since ac passes zero and reaches a maximum twice per period, becuse of that you'd have to drive the transformer at 15kHz to get 30kHz If you want to have a plasma speaker for ultrasonic waves you indeed need to set the driver to a significantly higher frequency. The theoretically lowest possible would be twice the sound's frequency due to the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem (the 555 chip can only change once per period, and thus has a sampling frequency equal to the drive frequency) You may be able to drive a flyback transformer at 100kHz, but for that you will likely require a larger heat sink, changes to the circuit or a totally different circuit, as well as a well picked Mosfet

[@briandejing762]

Is it possible to use sonic waves instead of sound? Receivable through water and other things...(im probably not using thebright words)

[@Nielsquake0]

Highvoltageshop a german based supplier sells AC flybacks. I used one with 36v with a 300Wh battery and man the arc was over 5 cm long!

[@Mrjrich37055]

Love it, amazing as always!!! Keep up the great job

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thank you so much

[@Speeder84XL]

Very nice! But looking at your circuit diagram, I think you should add a LC filter or at least a decupling capacitor before the transformer as well. As it is now, almost all current will be drawn as pulses at the switching frequency, directly from the power supply. That can mess with the regulation circuits of your power supply - which can explain the problems at 5:38. It seems very unlikely to have something to do with the audio signal - the control signal input of a 555 is quite high impedance and you would fry your audio player long before any significant part of the current can take that path. The resistors probably helped by just lowered the control signal (audio signal) amplitude and thus keep the frequency and duty cycle variations lower (a more erratic frequency and duty cycle usually causes interference problems to get worse - but the main problem can still be the pulsating input current).

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thanks for the feedback! You know, I tried (off camera) adding several values of air-cored inductors on the positive path to the transformer. I tried 1uH, 5uH, and 10uH, all with no change what so ever in performance. Though....the 10uH did seem to drop overall current draw (which makes sense). So you think I should try a Decup cap? I appreciate your feedback, greatly.

[@Speeder84XL]

@@PlasmaChannel Yes, but it will do more to add a parallell capacitor from transformer input to ground. Which can supply the pulses needed. Every time the MOSFET turns on, it will draw current, which stops once it turns off, while most of the stored energy in the transformer is transferred to the high voltage output (a flyback is like a combination of the inductor in a boost converter and a transformer). Adding an inductor in series before the transformer will just waste energy (since the energy stored in that inductor can not get transferred to the high voltage side - it has to get dissipated in the MOSFET or snubber circuit). The reason the total current dropped with the biggest inductor is probably just because the input pulses got choked - which doesn't help much and you may risk to blow your MOSFET due to the voltage spike when it turns off. But a capacitor in parallell, can supply the current in pulses, without the need to travel all the way from the power source (possibly making your cables act like antennas and cause RFI). Then adding an inductor between that capacitor and the power supply, will further help filter out any remaining ripple and get a pretty much continuous DC to flow from the power supply. But it's the capacitor that do the main work.

[@treasuretotrash2067]

Nice build as usual Jay, a great way to ensure that there will be no arcing over is to encase the windings in epoxy. Maybe you could use the remaining epoxy from your table

[@PlasmaChannel]

Thank you. Yeah, I mentioned in the video that I was thinking of encasing the windings in resin. I found a far better solution. To dunk the entire secondary in Super Corona Dope, then place in a vacuum chamber. It gets the Corona Dope in between the windings, and does total wonders.

[@oneplaneteer1708]

Would you have the ability and interest to try to build a rig that would demo the effect Helion Energy stated would enable the production of usable electrical power directly from the back pressure of fusion plasma?

[@SHEMZILLER]

I used to keep a lot of flyback from old CTRs which I came across you channel earlier

[@BlueprintScience]

Pretty cool!

[@sFeral]

except for the mistake he keeps making of calling everything a flyback lol

[@PlasmaChannel]

Let me flyback to that comment real fast. [lolz] Yeah, I do use that term quite liberally. Flyback and high voltage, high frequency ferrite core transformer for me go hand in hand. Even though they aren't all flybacks! Fair point, good sir.

[@LunaWuna]

I really need to get ac flybacks sometime for a voltage multiplier

[@corylevitt9350]

Isn't this essentially older tech like electrostatic headphones? But basically as a cool plasma speaker? 🤔

[@hectoris919]

Imagine if you made the plasma table dim and brighten to the beats of music you play with a similar circuit :)

[@Bananhammock]

homie never gives his mosfets any gate drive love

[@kevincox5397]

Hey so I am new to this channel and I love the build and I am tryin to get the parts together to build one, but I have questions. What do you use for the input on the power supply and are there any good online resources you know of for caps, resistors and such, my local store had some stuff and online is really hit or miss. Even the mouser source you have in another video was limited. Any help would be appreciated.

[@Jezorius]

Another great vid 👍 good job

[@Roeliebrah]

The begining sound made my skim tickle...oddly satisfying

[@clairmorrill8660]

Jay, sometime in September 2005 I designed a Halloween themed circuit, from some online research that I did on arcs I discovered that using brass balls generates more noise than sharp points, your ionic speaker build could benefit from this knowledge

[@Patrick-dw8hq]

Nice clean build

[@6-V-6s]

Imagine 10 in a row, tune each one to be triggered by seperate frequency ranges (overlapping slightly to avoid cutout), would be a unique little light show for each song if you could tweak it right!

[@shitpostingsandwhich]

You know you have good headphones when that arc at the start pierces your brain.

[@vinnysworkshop]

I am using some of the cheapest, crappiest headphones known to man and it still pierces my brain. Maybe it's just because I am young.

[@EricTheCat]

Sweet project. Really impressed by your build quality. You would probably laugh at the monstrosity I built years ago to do essentially the same thing with a 2N3055HV transistor instead of a MOSFET with huge heat sinks and fan cooling for the transistor and the power resistors. 1/4" audio jack for plasma speaker operation. Done "wrong" but works perfectly with a larger footprint. :)

[@alexm6193]

What in bells hells is that table saw? So cute, never seen a little one like that.

[@johnruscigno5738]

Hi Jay! Great video as usual. I'm surprised the 555 can drive a p260. I'm pretty sure if you add buffer transistors to the output of the 555, you'll get a better output and put less strain on the 555 because they'll carry the current. The mosfet will run better too.

[@arjovenzia]

I found very good results using a totem pole driving stage. It worked fine without it, but the 555 kinda struggled to switch the FET hard enough, so I wasnt getting a nice crisp square output. made the fet run hot and limited the amount of current it could put out. a totem pole really improved the output drive waveform under load, ran the FET cooler, and my arcs doubled in thickness and meanness. the only other mod to this unit that made a bigger difference was going from 24v to 100v, which was a MASSIVE redesign for many reasons. you should be able to shoe-horn a few extra transistors on any design without much effort.

[@johnruscigno5738]

@arjovenzia exactly. And if you check the design on the 555, you'll see inside of the output on pin 3 is actually a little mini totempole. So by adding an extra stage, it's like steroids for your pwm lol.