[Renka]

This is the medical device : http://www.dymedso.ca/site_usa/patient/en/frequencer_v2_easy_to_use.htm

You can hear what it sounds like here :

This paper describes how it works (Page 10) : http://www.dymedso.ca/pdf/White paper_rev0_Sept20_041.pdf
The above document contains a lot of valuable information and some math regarding how the Frequencer works (page 19).

The device uses sound waves to create vibrations inside the patient's chest to help dislodge thick mucus.

I need a driver that can generate frequencies between 20Hz and 65Hz. It has to be around 6 inches and not too heavy. From the little that I understand about speakers, this seems like a tall order. How can I achieve this?

Thanks for your help.

Edit :
Really? Is no one willing to assist with this? Not even point me in the right direction? Replicating this device is 100% safe and even if there was any risk involved, I am an adult and I am able to make my own decisions with regards to my health. Holding back from helping me out of some unfounded concern for my health is the opposite of helping me. As it stands right now, I am looking at possibly having to get on supplemental oxygen 24/7 unless I can find a way to improve my lung clearance. In other words, I'm dying. It can't get worse than that.

 

[cyph3r]

hi 
 
medical devices are regulated by health authorities to make sure that they safe and efficacious. If you replicate this (maybe because its cheaper) you may damage yourself or the patient. While sometimes a particular device appear obvious in their design and thus easy to replicate, a lot of engineering is behind that to make sure the action of the device is safe and efficacious. 
 
I have browsed a bit through the white paper (which is quite concise), particularly throught the section describing the sequencer. It appears that the its not very trivial (check "Mechanical principles behind the Frequencer’s effectiveness in clearing mucus from airways"). 
 
If its any help, I have found Louis Plante's patent (https://www.google.ch/patents/US7445607) describing the device in a more details.
 
Overall, I anticipate that it wont be trivial to replicate a working, safe and efficacious version of the device. It'll need a fully equipped electronics lab (e.g. oscilloscope, frequency generator etc).
 
If you cannot afford the device I would suggest to ask Dymedso nicely if they can send you a machine for lower price or no fee. Potentially you can also source a used device... 
 
I hope this helps.

 

[Renka]

Thanks for the link to the patent.

There is nothing dangerous about replicating this device unless you think that standing in front of gigantic speakers and taking in all the bass for a prolonged time at a concert can be harmful. The guy who invented this device made his first prototype out of a large subwoofer in his garage. As the patent says, it's "generating acoustic waves of a frequency in a range of about 30 Hertz to about 120 Hertz and of an amplitude in a range of about 10 Watts to about 50 Watts". There is really nothing fancy about how this device works. It's a speaker connected to a controller that you apply on your chest.

The reason they cost so much is not because they are costly to develop or manufacture or because they are super fancy, but because US insurances accept to pay for these insane prices so they are milking them. The device the most used in Cystic Fibrosis in the US is called a "vest" and it's just as expensive even though it's basically an air compressor connected to an inflatable vest.

If Dymedso had been selling these devices for cheap to people who can't afford it, I would have heard about it. They're a company from around here and no one here that I know of has insurance that will cover these.

 

[Renka]

Really? Is no one willing to assist with this? Not even point me in the right direction? Replicating this device is 100% safe and even if there was any risk involved, I am an adult and I am able to make my own decisions with regards to my own health. Holding back from helping me out of some unfounded concern for my health is the opposite of helping me. As it stands right now, I am looking at possibly having to get on supplemental oxygen 24/7 unless I can find a way to improve my lung clearance. In other words, I'm dying. It can't get worse than that.

 

[CoffeeCutie]

Hi!

IPV machines are not for DIY. Nor are they related to high fidelity audio. I know it is tough, but medical costs are high for other reasons too- medical clearances are usually obtained around 5-10 years after initial testing, much longer for pharma industries. Cyph3r is correct- you can make a subwoofer oscillate at 150 "pulses" per minute (std. spec) at 65hz at 15 watts after a short trip to radioshack (BOM: Subwoofer, amp) in garageband/some other DAW (65hz sine [gated perhaps] under a 1.9hz LFO)- BUT its use for percussive respiration or delivering nebulized meds does not equal a $10k hospital IPV machine at the frontline of CF research (it will indeed equal a radioshack sub + garageband's ability to deliver percussive respiration and meds... There is a reason they aren't sold for that).

....

Really though, all the best- I hope you find what you need!