We’ve seen plenty of folks create plasma audio system over time right here at Hackaday, so at first blush, the newest Plasma Channel video from [Jay Bowles] may seem to be extra of the identical. Even his overview of the meeting of the 555 timer circuit on the coronary heart of the setup, as detailed as it might be, is one thing we’ve seen earlier than.

However the again half of the video, the place [Jay] talks in regards to the flyback transformer used on this plasma speaker, actually received our consideration. You see, annoyed by the restricted choices in the marketplace for AC flybacks, he got down to put collectively a customized transformer using a 3D printed secondary former of his personal design.

Armed with a spare core, [Jay] spent a while in CAD arising together with his secondary. Regardless of by no means having constructed a flyback earlier than, his first try managed to supply some spectacular sparks — that’s, till it arced by the printed plastic and launched the crucial Magic Smoke. Impressed by this early success, he went again to the digital drafting board and cranked his manner by a number of totally different iterations till he got here up with one which didn’t self-destruct.

As soon as he had a coil that was working reliably, he hooked it as much as his Bluetooth-augmented 555 circuit, and began taking part in some tunes from his cellphone. Whereas it won’t be our preferrred technique to take heed to the most recent episode of the Hackaday Podcast, we’ve received to confess that the audio high quality was pretty spectacular. Music coming by the air with no seen speaker aspect has an nearly magical high quality to it — that is undoubtedly the form of factor that may have gotten you burned on the stake again within the day.

Regardless of his troubles with the printed part, a take a look at the ultimate result’s a reminder of how easy a flyback transofmer actually is while you get proper right down to it. Just a few windings of thick wire on one facet of the core, an entire lot of windings of skinny wire on the opposite facet, and also you’re good to go. In fact, a printed jig like this actually makes for a neater remaining product, particularly if  you find yourself encapsulating the entire thing in epoxy.

Not taken with winding your individual coil? [Jay] has put collectively an educational video on constructing a high-voltage provide with the form of commercially accessible flyback you’d discover in a CRT. If it’s the singing plasma that’s received you , you may want to try one among his earlier initiatives that was based mostly on Honda ignition coils.