The Ferrofluid Speaker
Ferrofluid is a special magnetic liquid we employ in many of our tweeters and woofers to achieve two objectives: cooling of voice coil and dampening assembly – key features in improving loudspeaker performance, power handling capacity, manufacturability.
Liquid has four times greater heat transfer capability than air, meaning it could potentially allow speakers to operate outside their normal parameters if necessary – although this rarely happens.
Features
The Ferrofluid Speaker is an eye-catching display with magnetic fluid used to visualize music. As music plays, this fluid responds by dancing across its surface – perfect for showing off your tunes while making an impressive gift! Developed specifically to be non-toxic and safe for children to play with!
NASA developed ferromagnetic fluid for use in moving fuel into rocket engines without using gravity, similar to engine coolant but with increased magnetism and density. Pumped into chambers using electromagnetic force, its particles move freely within liquid.
Sony implemented this technology into their slim speakers to deliver more volume with reduced distortion and energy usage by 35%. Ferrofluid helps dampen vibration and decrease amplitude fluctuations which cause noise pollution.
Ferrofluid can help improve the performance of high-frequency drivers and midrange speakers by lowering impedance at resonance, smooth frequency response curves, increasing thermal power handling capabilities and increasing voice coil temperature to help achieve a superior audio experience.
Ferrofluid may help, but it cannot prevent all speaker failure: it doesn’t protect against blowout, nor mechanical splattering or boiling off; nor will it stop normal operation beyond the design limits of the tweeter (usually beyond most people’s ability), which eventually will lead to its voice coil failing and eventually failing completely. While ferrofluid may help mitigate some damage and delay this process, ultimately failure remains inevitable despite all efforts at deflecting some damage through deflection; ultimately though, nothing can completely avert this eventuality.
There are other ways to mitigate the risk of damage to your speakers, however. One is listening at a reasonable volume level without pushing it too far; alternatively you could purchase a high-quality noise cancelling headset or in-ear headphones to block out ambient sound and enjoy music uninterruptedly.
Design
The Ferrofluid Speaker is an incredible piece of technology designed by [Dakd Jung], that brings not only sound but also visuals to your music. Built as a Bluetooth speaker and featuring special fluid that reacts magnetic fields, the project creates artistic visualization of your favorite tunes using fluid that reacts. It’s a testament to DIYers that they can take any idea and turn it into their own masterpiece!
It utilizes two speakers for playing music, an electromagnet to manipulate Ferrofluid, and an Arduino that accepts input from microphones to determine when music should play, and an LED whose brightness varies based on volume of music being played.
Ferrofluids are liquids that respond to magnetic fields, and can be utilized in many different applications. Ferrofluid is often found in speaker magnetic seals to help prevent air leaks and improve acoustics; Sony even created slim speakers using ferrofluid as dampening agent to produce louder and higher quality sounds from speakers.
Magnets located within ferrofluid can generate a magnetic field which, when turned on, forms a magnetic seal. This allows speakers to function without an independent magnetic circuit which saves both space and weight while also decreasing distortion levels in sound produced by speakers.
Though this project may appear straightforward, it can prove challenging. First you must locate an appropriate container. Next comes mixing the appropriate amount of ferrofluid. Lastly, finding a way to prevent ferrofluid from adhering to its container can be daunting but can be achieved with some adjustments and care.
Ferrofluids can also benefit speakers by helping to reduce short-term peaks of sound waves. This feature is especially important in classical music with high peaks; rock ‘n’ roll tends to feature compressed and low peaks that put stress on speaker voice coils, leading to audio clipping or distortion.
Sound quality
The Ferrofluid Speaker is an innovative audio product that transforms listening into an unforgettable multi-sensory visual experience. Utilizing ferrofluid, an advanced magnetic fluid developed by NASA for controlling rocket fuel in zero gravity, to add another dimension to music listening experience. When music plays, black blobs of ferrofluid dance around in unison with vibrations of song resulting in mesmerizing audio display which truly brings your music alive!
Ferrofluid can be found in nearly all tweeters, some midranges, and woofers of today’s speakers – nearly all tweeters, midranges and some woofers to be precise – serving two functions: increasing voice coil cooling while dampening excessive tweeter excursion that would otherwise damage the speaker.
Ferrofluid uses a proprietary carrier liquid that allows them to create the ideal combination of viscosity and magnetization to ensure optimal speaker performance. Furthermore, their advanced manufacturing process and long-term quality assurance program guarantee reliable products with consistent repeatable performance.
Ferrofluid serves a primary function in tweeters by dampening impedance at resonance, which helps reduce distortion and smooth frequency response. Furthermore, ferrofluid increases thermal power handling up to 10-40 times that of conventional speakers – although such increases in thermal power handling may only last temporarily.
Ferrofluid should possess low viscosity and high saturation magnetization to optimize performance, and be designed to work well with speaker components in terms of heat, lubricity and chemical stability. Ferrotec offers an assortment of premium ferrofluids tailored for specific applications.
The top ferrofluids are free from contaminants and safe for use in high-performance speakers, produced according to stringent environmental and safety requirements, and with minimal chemical additives so as to minimize corrosion risks.
One of the primary goals in speaker design is optimizing how much energy is converted to sound by woofer and tweeter components. Most electrical energy is wasted as heat, so their primary goal should be dispersing this waste quickly to prevent overheating or burnout. A sagging voice coil or mechanical issues may cause thermal compression that degrades its voice coil over time; additionally, stagnant air acts as an ineffective thermo-insulator and does not disperse heat as efficiently.
Price
The Ferrofluid Speaker offers an immersive musical experience. Utilizing ferrofluid – a magnetic fluid developed by NASA for rocket ships to control fuel in zero gravity – as the song plays, its magnetic field causes ferrofluid to dance and shift shapes as you listen – creating a visual representation of your favorite songs!
The speaker contains three upward-firing speakers, an amplifier and Bluetooth module to connect wirelessly with devices wirelessly. All this comes packaged up in an elegant 3D printed case for $1,995. Pre-order is now open.
ferrofluid can be found everywhere from speaker dampers and bearing lubrication fluid to hard drive sealants – and someday even biomedicine! Its uses range from speaker damping applications to being used as an lubricant lubricant or sealant in hard drives and as sealants in hard drives.
Sony has been employing ferrofluid since 2012 in their slim speaker series. Ferrofluid acts as an energy-saving liquid damper that helps the speaker produce higher volume and higher fidelity sound while simultaneously cutting energy consumption by 35%. If you are interested in including this technology in your product, click here for a loudspeaker information worksheet and contact Ferrotec about meeting any unique requirements for your project – our team can answer all questions related to ferrofluid damping as well as provide the optimal solution.