Music Tesla Coil
The Music Tesla Coil is an ingenious electrical device that turns high voltage into music...
Tesla coil is a resonant transformer invented by Nikola Tesla. It produces an alternating current of very high voltage but low amperage. It consists of two electrical circuits, which must work in sync. A power source connects to the first circuit, which charges the capacitor in the primary circuit. When the capacitor is fully charged, the switch closes, and a current flows through the primary coil, around which a magnetic field is created. However, the changing magnetic field in the first coil causes an electric current in the second coil. The two circuits operate at a resonant frequency, causing the first circuit to "pump" energy into the second circuit. If the voltage in the second circuit has become very high, the electricity tries to find its way to a place of lower potential, i.e. the ground. The electric field becomes strong enough, and the air breaks down and starts to conduct electricity. So we can see long sparks trying to find their way to the ground. You can read in more detail how tesla coil works in the blog post HOW TESLA COIL MAKES LIGHTNING AND PLAYS MUSIC.
By switching the Tesla coil on and off at a certain frequency, we can even play music - this is basically how musical tesla coils work. Since the spark creates a pressure wave in the air, we can generate sound waves with different frequencies by flicking the sparks on and off at a certain frequency. The music tesla coil in the video below, plays square wave music that can be found on the internet or easily converted from other audio formats. The smartphone with audio files is connected to the musical tesla coil wirelessly, using Bluetooth.