Plasma Arc Loudspeaker

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By John Baichtal
Posted 2011/07/17 @ 8:00 am
Category Music

High voltage electrodes immersed in acetylene torch flame produce a plasma arc, and superimposing an audio signal on this high voltage turns the flame into a loudspeaker at TX/RX Labs in Houston, TX.

[Thanks, Metis!]

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9 Responses to Plasma Arc Loudspeaker

Patrick Wheeler on July 17th, 2011 at 5:02 pm said:

Kelly says the next step is to get better fidelity at the lower frequencies and stereo .

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John Stoner on July 17th, 2011 at 6:10 pm said:

Let’s see it at Burning Man!

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John Stoner on July 17th, 2011 at 6:10 pm said:

Let’s see it at Burning Man!

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Gordon McLellan on July 17th, 2011 at 10:12 pm said:

cool stuff, sound from flame!

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J on July 18th, 2011 at 9:45 am said:

I sure wish they just let Buckley go for a minute or so, also not a lot of info on what this might ultimately be capable of. Neat concept. Can it give pretty good audio? Please keep us posted.

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J on July 18th, 2011 at 9:45 am said:

I sure wish they just let Buckley go for a minute or so, also not a lot of info on what this might ultimately be capable of. Neat concept. Can it give pretty good audio? Please keep us posted.

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Anonymous on July 18th, 2011 at 11:37 am said:

This is the 1st time I’ve seen this in the 42 years since I was in high school and did the exact same thing using a 400 watt PA amplifier and a high efficiency bunsen burner for the flame! My partner supplied the Johnny Rivers album and the flame speaker played Secret Agent Man which was appropriate for the times when James Bond movies were all the rage. Keep up the good work, young man.

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b on July 18th, 2011 at 2:03 pm said:

Dittos, I built mine in 1968 for my High School Physics class/ I used a Western Electric Tube Amplifier, furnace electrodes a High Voltage Power Supply and a step up transformer. An asbestos wick dripped a KNO3 solution into the flame (seeding the Plasma). The problem was that the Lab Countertops conducted electricity (a couple of minor shocks) It must have left an impression, I was a Contract Engineer on the Tokamak Fusion Reactor at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. ps now semiretired Science Teacher

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b on July 18th, 2011 at 2:03 pm said:

Dittos, I built mine in 1968 for my High School Physics class/ I used a Western Electric Tube Amplifier, furnace electrodes a High Voltage Power Supply and a step up transformer. An asbestos wick dripped a KNO3 solution into the flame (seeding the Plasma). The problem was that the Lab Countertops conducted electricity (a couple of minor shocks) It must have left an impression, I was a Contract Engineer on the Tokamak Fusion Reactor at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. ps now semiretired Science Teacher

Reply ↓