I've always been fascinated by the ultrasonic fog generators you see in pet shops (and this link), but they tend to be kind of pricey. I think it would be fun to build my own from scratch, but there are a few operating principles I need some clarification on.
My understanding is that most of these fog units (and cool mist humidifiers and medical nebulizers) use a piezoelectric transducer with a resonant frequency of ~1.6MHz, and this high energy vibration nebulizes the water on top of the disc, creating a cool looking fog effect.
So, basically, all I'd need to do is build a 1.6MHz function generator (555 timer-based?).....right? I'm still not sure how much power it takes to drive one of these piezo transducers, however. Should I build my function generator and use its output to drive a power transistor (like, say an IRF510 MOSFET), which in turn, would drive the transducer, allowing me to experiment with higher voltages?
My understanding is that most of these fog units (and cool mist humidifiers and medical nebulizers) use a piezoelectric transducer with a resonant frequency of ~1.6MHz, and this high energy vibration nebulizes the water on top of the disc, creating a cool looking fog effect.
So, basically, all I'd need to do is build a 1.6MHz function generator (555 timer-based?).....right? I'm still not sure how much power it takes to drive one of these piezo transducers, however. Should I build my function generator and use its output to drive a power transistor (like, say an IRF510 MOSFET), which in turn, would drive the transducer, allowing me to experiment with higher voltages?