Question
I can't get my Chladni plate to work with my vibration generator and signal generator - is one of them faulty?
Answer
Any signal generator with an amplified output should work fine. If it doesn't have an amplified output it probably won't be powerful enough to drive a vibration generator. I think it is more a case of using dry sand, making sure the Chladni plate is really clean (so the sand doesn’t stick to it) and finding the right frequencies for the different harmonics to create patterns with the sand. This sometimes needs quite careful adjustment of the frequency - you can usually tell when you’ve got it right because the sound/vibration intensity suddenly increases. Also, adjust the output (amplitude) so the signal is strong enough but doesn’t over-vibrate the plate.