Beam Frequency Disks

thingiverse

This concept just popped into my head recently. I realized that these disks attached to a motor will spin, allowing you to pass a beam through one of the holes. This beam can be a laser, photons, or any other type of beam, as long as it doesn't penetrate the plastic. As the disk spins and chops your beam, it creates a frequency. You can also experiment with different types of radiation by covering the plastic with aluminum foil and not the holes. These disks can serve as mini "observing windows" that provide brief flashes of signal. Calculations are straightforward: Frequency Created = revolutions per minute * number of holes in the disk For example, if you spin at 200 RPM using a 24-hole disk, you'll get a frequency of 4800 Hz. That's equivalent to 4800 flash frames. I've included the original template for the disk, which you can open up in Sketchup or any other software and use the push/pull function to create custom patterns for your research. I'm eager to see someone build a smaller-scale version with tiny holes and thousands of apertures on the disk. This would yield an enormous maximum attainable frequency! Please note that the disks are a bit thin, so you may need to use the push/pull function to thicken them up. Print Settings: Printer Brand: MakerBot Printer: MakerBot Replicator Rafts: No Supports: No Infill: 10% Notes: I scaled down the disk to an arbitrary size to see how it would print, roughly 0.25 of a 0.5 scale (so approximately 0.125 scale). It turned out well enough, albeit with smaller windows. Feel free to experiment with the template and create your own pulse patterns!