[sdiy] About that spherical impulse generator...

[Glen]

Here's a follow up idea that John Mahoney and I both had:

Would a truly spherical piezoelectric transducer be practical? 

One potential approach would be to take a brass sphere and coat it with the
piezo material they put on the piezo discs. But since that material is
crystalline and faceted, I'm not so sure it would like "wrapping" around a
brass sphere.

Alternately since quartz is piezoelectric, zap a crystal ball with high
voltage. (There's a joke in there somewhere.) It would certainly be easier
to get the crystal ball than a custom-built piezo sphere.

I'm afraid that since the piezo material is a crystal structure with
definite "facets" to it, that it might not expand equally in all
directions. It might be just as well to cover a geodesic dome with piezo
discs. 

For a better fit, use triangular piezos instead of discs. I wonder if it's
possible to cut the discs into triangles yourself? Use a Dremel tool,
perhaps? I know it's a lot of work, but how much would custom-built piezo
triangles cost? (A lot, I bet.)

later,
Glen Berry