Soundlazer parametric speaker to enter production
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Finished prototype case after sand blasting and assembly
Soundlazer's PCB on a stand awaiting surface mounted components and the piezo ultrasonic transducers
The low-cost, pocket-friendly, open source, and completely hack-friendly Soundlazer parametric speaker has now secured sufficient crowd-funding to enter production
The Soundlazer will be made available in kit form or enclosed in a rather swish red anodized aluminum casing outer case with black stand
The audio signal from a connected media player is sent through an onboard DSP before being transmitted to an oscillator, after which the signal is amplified and directed to a listener via 39 piezo ultrasonic transducers
Just one of many of the very small surface mounted components used in the Soundlazer
Designing the circuit board layout
The design of the Soundlazer circuitry involved lots of intensive testing and experimentation
Each component was modeled to make sure it fit properly inside the case
Diagram demonstrating the difference between audio from a loudspeaker system and a parametric speaker
A fully functional Soundlazer unit gets ready for its first public appearance
The basic Soundlazer kit consists of a fully functional circuit board with power supply and audio cable
Cose up of the Soundlazer circuit board
Article Summary
Sonic technology that allows audio to be specifically directed at a limited audience, as opposed to booming sound out as far and as loud as possible, has been around for a good many years but has yet to penetrate the mass consumer market. That situation could well change very shortly, however, thanks to the Soundlazer. The low-cost, pocket-friendly, open source, and completely hack-friendly parametric device developed by Richard Haberkern uses ultrasonic carrier waves to transmit sound from a connected music player on a narrow beam to a select listener.
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