Want to build a feraliminal lycanthropizer
September 23, 2011 11:47 AM Subscribe
Calling all electronics/audio savvy MeFites. Let's say I want to build a feraliminal lycanthropizer. How?
I'm decent with a solder gun and putting components together. Not so decent at reading a description of a thing and knowing instinctively what to do.
I am unable to find online any detailed descriptions or plans...but I want to attempt construction of a feraliminal lycanthropizer. What should I get? Can anybody else find plans? What sort of considerations shouild I ...er...consider?
I'm decent with a solder gun and putting components together. Not so decent at reading a description of a thing and knowing instinctively what to do.
I am unable to find online any detailed descriptions or plans...but I want to attempt construction of a feraliminal lycanthropizer. What should I get? Can anybody else find plans? What sort of considerations shouild I ...er...consider?
Er, I meant mainly because "unduplicable", "aurotic", "Plecidic", "nucleopatriphobic", are not real words.
posted by griphus at 11:56 AM on September 23, 2011
posted by griphus at 11:56 AM on September 23, 2011
Hmm...
The link between periods of insanity and exposure to specific infrasound frequencies forms the basis for the ‘Feraliminal Lycanthropizer’, a device claimed to stimulate atavistic animality, sexual excitement, and a loss of inhibitions in its target. As described in an essay published in Dainty Viscera magazine, the Feraliminal Lycanthropizer creates two infrasound frequencies – 3Hz and 9Hz – which, combined, generate a lower, third
frequency of 0.56Hz. The machine also uses a combination of four subliminal, looped, audio tape recordings – playing both forwards and backwards – outside the normal audible pitch.
The legends about the machine challenge belief; besides being credited with sparking unrestrained orgies, it has – at least according to Dainty Viscera – been blamed for the sex-and-strangulation deaths of six youths. Some, who claim to have used the machine, have felt themselves become mentally stronger and their will more focused. The enigmatic author of the essay claims that “[a] Catalonian national using the machine daily over a period of five or six weeks eventually managed to ingratiate himself to Adolf Hitler, [and] persuade his quarry to adopt the swastika as high totem and emblem of the burgeoning National Socialist Conference”.7 Such stories are, clearly, beyond belief. There is no evidence that the Feraliminal Lycanthropizer exists or could have such effects; information on it is limited and shrouded in secrecy. Any technology or documented process, no matter how rudimentary, that can affect people, both physiologically and psychologically, at a distance is bound to attract military scientists. A search of the available literature and the Internet reveals that many conspiracy theorists, paranoiacs, and some political activists, sincerely believe that the military has developed infrasound weapons… but precisely what these weapons are, how they function, and how they would be deployed remains vague. Unlike bacteriological, chemical, atomic, laser, and even microwave warfare, little information exists on the use of infrasound as a weapon.
You're probably going to want to put down some sheets. Also it probably doesn't exist or work. Possibly finding a copyof that Dainty Viscera magazine everybody references would be good research.
posted by Artw at 11:58 AM on September 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
The link between periods of insanity and exposure to specific infrasound frequencies forms the basis for the ‘Feraliminal Lycanthropizer’, a device claimed to stimulate atavistic animality, sexual excitement, and a loss of inhibitions in its target. As described in an essay published in Dainty Viscera magazine, the Feraliminal Lycanthropizer creates two infrasound frequencies – 3Hz and 9Hz – which, combined, generate a lower, third
frequency of 0.56Hz. The machine also uses a combination of four subliminal, looped, audio tape recordings – playing both forwards and backwards – outside the normal audible pitch.
The legends about the machine challenge belief; besides being credited with sparking unrestrained orgies, it has – at least according to Dainty Viscera – been blamed for the sex-and-strangulation deaths of six youths. Some, who claim to have used the machine, have felt themselves become mentally stronger and their will more focused. The enigmatic author of the essay claims that “[a] Catalonian national using the machine daily over a period of five or six weeks eventually managed to ingratiate himself to Adolf Hitler, [and] persuade his quarry to adopt the swastika as high totem and emblem of the burgeoning National Socialist Conference”.7 Such stories are, clearly, beyond belief. There is no evidence that the Feraliminal Lycanthropizer exists or could have such effects; information on it is limited and shrouded in secrecy. Any technology or documented process, no matter how rudimentary, that can affect people, both physiologically and psychologically, at a distance is bound to attract military scientists. A search of the available literature and the Internet reveals that many conspiracy theorists, paranoiacs, and some political activists, sincerely believe that the military has developed infrasound weapons… but precisely what these weapons are, how they function, and how they would be deployed remains vague. Unlike bacteriological, chemical, atomic, laser, and even microwave warfare, little information exists on the use of infrasound as a weapon.
You're probably going to want to put down some sheets. Also it probably doesn't exist or work. Possibly finding a copyof that Dainty Viscera magazine everybody references would be good research.
posted by Artw at 11:58 AM on September 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
I'm decent with a solder gun and putting components together.
You can do it all in software. Just generate two pure tones in audacity and throw in some audio loops on a low volume or filtered, or whatever. Should take take you 10 minutes.
posted by empath at 11:59 AM on September 23, 2011
You can do it all in software. Just generate two pure tones in audacity and throw in some audio loops on a low volume or filtered, or whatever. Should take take you 10 minutes.
posted by empath at 11:59 AM on September 23, 2011
Response by poster: Griphus: Oh, I know it probably doesn't work. It's hokum of the finest sort, however, and I'd sort of just like to have one as a curiosity. You know.. a nice wood cabinet, some brass work... it could be a fun and campy project. Even though I see it in a lighthearted manner, however, I'd like to build it as 'to spec' as possible, should I do it.
Empath: tossing aside for a moment the fact that I'm more interested in hardware, wouldn't a limitation of that method be the speakers? To produce sub-aural tones that low, do you not need special speakers?
posted by kaseijin at 12:04 PM on September 23, 2011
Empath: tossing aside for a moment the fact that I'm more interested in hardware, wouldn't a limitation of that method be the speakers? To produce sub-aural tones that low, do you not need special speakers?
posted by kaseijin at 12:04 PM on September 23, 2011
You can do it all in software. Just generate two pure tones in audacity and throw in some audio loops on a low volume or filtered, or whatever. Should take take you 10 minutes.
Not with paper horn computer or headphone speakers you can't.
You'll need unconventional speakers to get down to 3 Hz. The typical hardware for this is a fan or rotary subwoofer.
A commercial model. (Note: this costs $13,000.)
Or build one yourself. The basic principle is the pitch of the blades are modulated according to the driving frequency. This might be kind of tricky to build yourself....
posted by mr_roboto at 12:05 PM on September 23, 2011
Not with paper horn computer or headphone speakers you can't.
You'll need unconventional speakers to get down to 3 Hz. The typical hardware for this is a fan or rotary subwoofer.
A commercial model. (Note: this costs $13,000.)
Or build one yourself. The basic principle is the pitch of the blades are modulated according to the driving frequency. This might be kind of tricky to build yourself....
posted by mr_roboto at 12:05 PM on September 23, 2011
You could do it like an organ pipe; build a quarter wave resonator. The pipe would have to be long, though (maybe 100 feet?) and you'd need to be pushing a lot of air through that to get significant power.
posted by mr_roboto at 12:10 PM on September 23, 2011
posted by mr_roboto at 12:10 PM on September 23, 2011
Sorry; I'm curious about the cheapest way to do this, now. Here's a six-meter-long pipe that can get down to 10 Hz. That looks like a pretty thrifty installation. You'd need to double the length of pipe for each halving of frequency...
posted by mr_roboto at 12:13 PM on September 23, 2011
posted by mr_roboto at 12:13 PM on September 23, 2011
OK; last post. Here's a technical paper on building a rotary subwoofer. There's a review section at the beginning that might give you some other options.
For further investigation, the work you're looking for here is "infrasound".
posted by mr_roboto at 12:16 PM on September 23, 2011
For further investigation, the work you're looking for here is "infrasound".
posted by mr_roboto at 12:16 PM on September 23, 2011
You can use Audacity to generate all kinds of pure tones and combinations for all your pseudoscience needs.
Most sound card DACs are going to have an AC-coupled output (effectively, a high-pass filter around 20 Hz) which means you'll have problems generating infrasonic output frequencies with standard computer audio gear.
posted by Rhomboid at 12:57 PM on September 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Most sound card DACs are going to have an AC-coupled output (effectively, a high-pass filter around 20 Hz) which means you'll have problems generating infrasonic output frequencies with standard computer audio gear.
posted by Rhomboid at 12:57 PM on September 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Sarah Angliss did a series of experimental performances using an Infrasonic Pipe. The series has never been repeated, due to the lycanthropic bloodshed and aurotic orgies that resulted in Vienna. The Infrasonic Pipe was disassembled and melted into slag, and Sarah Angliss swore never to release the plans for a weaponized instrument while she lived.
people just reported feeling kind of spooky.
posted by benzenedream at 2:13 PM on September 23, 2011
people just reported feeling kind of spooky.
posted by benzenedream at 2:13 PM on September 23, 2011
Model helicopters use variable-pitch assemblies on the main rotors. You might be able to repurpose one of those to build a rotary subwoofer, although you'd have to create the blades yourself, and connect it to a voice coil somehow.
posted by Kadin2048 at 2:21 PM on September 23, 2011
posted by Kadin2048 at 2:21 PM on September 23, 2011
It probably wouldn't even be difficult. All you need is a tail rotor assembly, not the entire helicopter.
posted by Chuckles at 4:05 PM on September 23, 2011
posted by Chuckles at 4:05 PM on September 23, 2011
... creates two infrasound frequencies – 3Hz and 9Hz – which, combined, generate a lower, third frequency of 0.56Hz....
Has anyone figured this out? Seems to me you'd just get 12Hz and 6Hz. Where does the 0.56Hz come from?
posted by exphysicist345 at 6:52 PM on September 23, 2011
Has anyone figured this out? Seems to me you'd just get 12Hz and 6Hz. Where does the 0.56Hz come from?
posted by exphysicist345 at 6:52 PM on September 23, 2011
Didn't read it all, but if you want low frequencies, adjustable amplitudes and arbitrary waveshapes there are a lot of options in the test equipment world.
Sub-Hz frequencies aren't any different than audio, and all of my analog and digital function generators do sub-Hz. Just pick a frequency and type/dial it in. The number, variety, specs, costs, sizes of these things on eBay is huge. It's also kind of apparent to me that the frequency synthesis part is easy. Ditto amps. All you need is something DC coupled.
Tektronix TM-500 module racks are like $50 on eBay. Audio modules, like the AA501, are $20-100 each, depending on operational/cosmetic state. A few of these and some cables and you have a waveform. Old Kenwood power amps came in a DC coupled form which had 100 KHz+ bandwidth and 50-100 Watts per channel.
Transducer, however... you will have to get creative. At a certain point, sound becomes visible motion. You need to move some air via a membrane. That takes a magnet and an electro magnet, for the most common form, but there's no reason you can't use another approach. You could use a cam and variable frequency motor arrangement, but you'll suffer with the mechanical time constants of such a high mass system. Easiest way to move air is with a speaker.... there used to be some 30" diameter bass speakers, I think Electrovoice made them. It's been so long, I don't even know if EV is still in business, but someone has some 30" woofers, for sure.
If you have specific problems you run into, feel free to shoot me an email.
posted by FauxScot at 4:16 AM on September 24, 2011
Sub-Hz frequencies aren't any different than audio, and all of my analog and digital function generators do sub-Hz. Just pick a frequency and type/dial it in. The number, variety, specs, costs, sizes of these things on eBay is huge. It's also kind of apparent to me that the frequency synthesis part is easy. Ditto amps. All you need is something DC coupled.
Tektronix TM-500 module racks are like $50 on eBay. Audio modules, like the AA501, are $20-100 each, depending on operational/cosmetic state. A few of these and some cables and you have a waveform. Old Kenwood power amps came in a DC coupled form which had 100 KHz+ bandwidth and 50-100 Watts per channel.
Transducer, however... you will have to get creative. At a certain point, sound becomes visible motion. You need to move some air via a membrane. That takes a magnet and an electro magnet, for the most common form, but there's no reason you can't use another approach. You could use a cam and variable frequency motor arrangement, but you'll suffer with the mechanical time constants of such a high mass system. Easiest way to move air is with a speaker.... there used to be some 30" diameter bass speakers, I think Electrovoice made them. It's been so long, I don't even know if EV is still in business, but someone has some 30" woofers, for sure.
If you have specific problems you run into, feel free to shoot me an email.
posted by FauxScot at 4:16 AM on September 24, 2011
You need to move some air via a membrane.
This will never work at these frequencies. It's essentially an impedance matching problem; the air just doesn't want to be forced by a membrane at infrasonic frequencies. You need to force the air with another mechanism, a fan or a pump or a blower, and impose the frequency on it with some kind of modulator (pitch-adjustable fan blades) or a resonant chamber (pipe).
Generating the signal is absolutely trivial.
posted by mr_roboto at 10:48 PM on November 22, 2011
This will never work at these frequencies. It's essentially an impedance matching problem; the air just doesn't want to be forced by a membrane at infrasonic frequencies. You need to force the air with another mechanism, a fan or a pump or a blower, and impose the frequency on it with some kind of modulator (pitch-adjustable fan blades) or a resonant chamber (pipe).
Generating the signal is absolutely trivial.
posted by mr_roboto at 10:48 PM on November 22, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by griphus at 11:55 AM on September 23, 2011