ZVex have always been known to build some pretty strange and interesting effects and their recent venture into the modular market means that there is definitely more on the horizon, however we never expected this!

The ZVex Candela Vibrophase is a vibrato/phaser powered by a candle! The design takes its power from a low-power Stirling engine design created about 200 years ago.

The heat from the candle drives a tiny piston that powers a flywheel. The flywheel turns an optical disc that has a bank of photo cells on just one side. This produces an intermittent input to the cells that drives the tremolo sound.

Solar powered photo cells give the effect a filter increase or decrease dependent on how much light shines on the cells. This is similar to a dry/wet knob. The intensity of the effect is achieved by moving a neodynium magnet relative to the flywheel.

Unfortunately you wont be able to buy this effect any time soon as ZVex estimates that it will cost about $6,000 to manufacture.

More info at Zvex

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