[Mike] saw a few videos of ultrasonic acoustic levitation rigs put together by student researchers. Figuring it couldn’t be that hard to replicate, he set out and built his own using surplus parts and whatever was sitting around his parts drawer.
The build began with a huge ultrasonic transducer from an old ultrasonic cleaning tank [Mike] picked up on eBay for $20 £20. He didn’t pick up the standard driver board, as those don’t have a very clean output – something desperately needed if you’re setting up a standing wave. He did manage to put a simple supply together with a 555 timer, a MOSFET and a 12 V transformer connected backwards, though.
The test rig is pretty simple – just the transducer sitting on a table with an aluminum plate sitting above it on threaded rods. By adjusting the distance between the transducer to the aluminum plate, [Mike] managed to set up some standing waves he was able to suspend small Styrofoam balls in. It’s not quite precise enough to levitate small chunks of sodium and water, but it makes for an excellent science fair-type project.
wait…is this 1630? since when did sound waves become a ‘chemistry hack’? 80)
Ha! Nice one. But I’m fairly certain that ultrasonic levitation is sometimes used as a tool in chemistry experiments. Not being a chemist or chemical engineer myself I’m counting on some knowledgeable readers to back me up on this one.
The writeup itself provides the example you’re looking for – observing the reaction of acoustically levitated sodium and water. An example of this reaction:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H64APZ52XmQ
Though the build isn’t (yet) capable of this, filing it under chemistry hacks isn’t too much of a stretch.
Hello, I would like to know what’s the precise reference of the transformer you are using in the driver.
Thank you.
first
Oh if only the actual first comment wasn’t awaiting moderation. Now you look even more silly than you would have ;-)
In your article you say $20 but in the video he says £20 which is ~$32
Thanks, fixed.
Ummm… perhaps the follow-up would be a set of these controlled by software to make a static styrofoam pixel display?
where to get such transducers? i cant find one on ebay under 50€
Ebay isn’t static, just gotta keep searching and waiting patiently until something pops up.
Wow great!! Is it okay to stimulate the transducer without a liquid? I heard it is easy to break the transducer if being stimulated iwithtout liquid.
can you post all the supplies needed in writing?
Hello !
You are a group of french students interested in your acoustic levitation experiment. We are looking forward to recreating this experiment in the context of our scientific studies. Would it be possible to have more informatinos about the way you carried it out ?
Thank you very much !
Hello, my 12 y.o. daughter, too, is very interested in trying to recreate this project for her school’s science fair. She is fascinated with acoustic levitation learning about it on the History channel this weekend. Thank you for any tips you may be able to provide, namely specific supplies you used. Thank you!!!
I wonder if a transducer of this type would work. Very cheap and comes with 2.
http://www.steminc.com/PZT/en/ultrasonic-air-transducer-45-khz?gclid=COWUy8C02b0CFW5eOgodYFgA7Q
Could you possibly send or post a slightly more detailed explanation of the circuit, with amperage and other details so we might recreate it more easily? Would greatly appreciate it.
Could you say me please what kind of transformer are you using? I tought it was the DJ-1503 but I need a confirmation.
Thank you
One little trick is that.. you could put the transducer upside down and place a balance under it. When there is a standing forming in the space between the transducer and balance, you would see a local maximal mass reading.
Could I use a 100w 28kHz transducer instead of a 70w?
how did you determine the proper distance to place the plate for the wave to bounce off of?
Standing waves are created when the antinode of the wave rests on the endpoint of the thing it’s bouncing off of. In this case, the aluminum disk. From his video, it appears that there is a node every centimeter or so, so if you move the platform around within a centimeter, you should get an antinode resting on the disk. It’s just kinda guess and check