The rotating platter idea is a good one, if you had some good engineering skills it'd be possible to build one.
You could clamp the driver in position by 4 clamps holding the magnet, with opposing clamps winding closer together on the same adjuster, so they would always be the same distance from the centre.
Since the pattern is done by degrees it would be easy to make a slotted guide to raise and lower either the paint applicator or the speaker. Kind of like those old self playing pianos.
I initially thought it might be possible applying it with a sponge which I suggested to Bud. The hard bit would be first making a curved sponge that would fit the curvature of the driver you were applying on and you'd have to bring the sponge down so the force was perpendicular to the surface. Also the sponge would only be suitable for a driver of a particular size and depth.
It would work well for doing flat surfaces though like cabinets easy enough though I'd guess.
You could clamp the driver in position by 4 clamps holding the magnet, with opposing clamps winding closer together on the same adjuster, so they would always be the same distance from the centre.
Since the pattern is done by degrees it would be easy to make a slotted guide to raise and lower either the paint applicator or the speaker. Kind of like those old self playing pianos.
I initially thought it might be possible applying it with a sponge which I suggested to Bud. The hard bit would be first making a curved sponge that would fit the curvature of the driver you were applying on and you'd have to bring the sponge down so the force was perpendicular to the surface. Also the sponge would only be suitable for a driver of a particular size and depth.
It would work well for doing flat surfaces though like cabinets easy enough though I'd guess.
zBuff - Mongo - BudP - Dave
I'm thinking of a "Lazy Ed" (per BudP) that would have a top plate with a hole cut in it that the speaker sits in. Mount the speaker on a temporary baffle - mount the baffle on the "Lazy Ed"
Ed - you could mod your helmet to resemble those hats guys wear that hold a can of beer on each side with the tubes that hang down to sip from. One can holds the paint and the other one holds the JD - don't get the tubes mixed up!
Flip down shades and magnifiers optional!
The photo shows a top bearing assembly for the "Lazy Ed"
I'm thinking of a "Lazy Ed" (per BudP) that would have a top plate with a hole cut in it that the speaker sits in. Mount the speaker on a temporary baffle - mount the baffle on the "Lazy Ed"
Ed - you could mod your helmet to resemble those hats guys wear that hold a can of beer on each side with the tubes that hang down to sip from. One can holds the paint and the other one holds the JD - don't get the tubes mixed up!
Flip down shades and magnifiers optional!
The photo shows a top bearing assembly for the "Lazy Ed"
Attachments
Thomas,
I haven't figured out how large to make the rotating plate. I do think I want to control the location of the driver with a "poor man's" 3-jaw chuck. I'll make it out of lumber, slotted holes and screws. I anticipate I'll need some range of adjustment for lack of concentricity between magnet and cone. It'll be interesting to see the range of variance found.
lazy Ed bearings from Woodcraft
I haven't figured out how large to make the rotating plate. I do think I want to control the location of the driver with a "poor man's" 3-jaw chuck. I'll make it out of lumber, slotted holes and screws. I anticipate I'll need some range of adjustment for lack of concentricity between magnet and cone. It'll be interesting to see the range of variance found.
lazy Ed bearings from Woodcraft
Just don't let the device be so hard to set up that it is quicker just to do it by hand...using the templates makes it easy to figure out where. The biggest issues are "ink" flow issues (trying to get consistent lumps, how it reacts when it hits the driver surface, and not smearing it (often when you remove the template)
MarcE is also working on some ideas (and the company he works for makes things like this)
Here is the latest batch started...
dave
MarcE is also working on some ideas (and the company he works for makes things like this)
Here is the latest batch started...
dave
Attachments
Silly Contraption
Heres my best very silly contraption after have some fun mulling over a few ideas lastnight.
You have 2 turntables connected together with a belt which has equal size cogs on the underneath, causing the 2 turntables to turn around at the same rate of degrees.
One turntable goes a centred speaker driver, on the other goes inversed wooden(or something else solid) template. Inspired by the Dave's picture, between the 2 turntables is lever arm with a paint applicator of some sort on the speaker end, and a weighted guide that moves up and down on the wooden template.
With multiple lever arm applicators you could all the patterns across the whole driver in one revolution. It should also be possible to apply patterns underneath whizzer cones easier with such a device.
Here's a quick sketch I did in paint for you guys to have a chuckle at
Heres my best very silly contraption after have some fun mulling over a few ideas lastnight.
You have 2 turntables connected together with a belt which has equal size cogs on the underneath, causing the 2 turntables to turn around at the same rate of degrees.
One turntable goes a centred speaker driver, on the other goes inversed wooden(or something else solid) template. Inspired by the Dave's picture, between the 2 turntables is lever arm with a paint applicator of some sort on the speaker end, and a weighted guide that moves up and down on the wooden template.
With multiple lever arm applicators you could all the patterns across the whole driver in one revolution. It should also be possible to apply patterns underneath whizzer cones easier with such a device.
Here's a quick sketch I did in paint for you guys to have a chuckle at
Attachments
Whew...
it is 2 1/2 hrs later and i have just done the inside rings on 14 more drivers. I had in the past procrastinated at tackling inner rings because it was by far the hardest part... 1st batch i used the 0.6 pen that Bud had suggested ($35 at Island Blue Print), I spent more time cleaning it than using it. Part way thru the 2nd batch i adandoned the pen and tried the smallest calligraphy tip that came with the cheap-*** caligraphy starter kit from Michael's. That was a lot easier, but control wasn't quite as good as the pen (when the pen worked). Today i used a higher quality 56 round point calligraphy pen (<$2 -- picked out as the smallest practical caligraphy nib i could find at Island Blue). It worked a charm....
So until "the contraption" is perfected, add a 56 round point as a substitute for the pen in your manual EnABL tool kit.
dave
it is 2 1/2 hrs later and i have just done the inside rings on 14 more drivers. I had in the past procrastinated at tackling inner rings because it was by far the hardest part... 1st batch i used the 0.6 pen that Bud had suggested ($35 at Island Blue Print), I spent more time cleaning it than using it. Part way thru the 2nd batch i adandoned the pen and tried the smallest calligraphy tip that came with the cheap-*** caligraphy starter kit from Michael's. That was a lot easier, but control wasn't quite as good as the pen (when the pen worked). Today i used a higher quality 56 round point calligraphy pen (<$2 -- picked out as the smallest practical caligraphy nib i could find at Island Blue). It worked a charm....
So until "the contraption" is perfected, add a 56 round point as a substitute for the pen in your manual EnABL tool kit.
dave
Thoughts for today regarding some type of fixture upon which to mount a speaker that is to undergo BudP's EnABLE pattern mod.
I wanted to do something simple and low cost that could be easily stored after use and came up with the idea of using an octagon shaped "baffle" like "contraption" (Hi Dave!)
You would need to make one for each size of speaker to be modified as the center cut out allows the speaker to pass through the device and be secured to it with regular mounting screws. The speaker then rest on the magnet assembly in the rear and the rim of the "contraption" - (Hmmm - I think I'll name it "Lazy Ed" in honor of Mongo). The "tilt" in elevation could be adjusted by placing some type of spacer beneath the front rim. With 8 sides you get 12 degrees (more or less) to work with before you rotate it and go to work on the next section.
Ruff sketch attached. (Says Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog)
Thanks for the "tip" about the tip Dave!
I wanted to do something simple and low cost that could be easily stored after use and came up with the idea of using an octagon shaped "baffle" like "contraption" (Hi Dave!)
You would need to make one for each size of speaker to be modified as the center cut out allows the speaker to pass through the device and be secured to it with regular mounting screws. The speaker then rest on the magnet assembly in the rear and the rim of the "contraption" - (Hmmm - I think I'll name it "Lazy Ed" in honor of Mongo). The "tilt" in elevation could be adjusted by placing some type of spacer beneath the front rim. With 8 sides you get 12 degrees (more or less) to work with before you rotate it and go to work on the next section.
Ruff sketch attached. (Says Mighty Manfred the Wonder Dog)
Thanks for the "tip" about the tip Dave!
Attachments
How do you determine how far from the cone edge to put the pattern? What effect will it have if it's too close or too far from the edge?
If you are putting the pattern on the front of the cone and the surround attaches to the back of the cone, should the pattern be medial(inside) of where the surround attaches?
Scott
If you are putting the pattern on the front of the cone and the surround attaches to the back of the cone, should the pattern be medial(inside) of where the surround attaches?
Scott
Scott,
Look here, at these pics of drivers with their various pattern templates and before and after EnABLing. Just click on the picture shown to see the whole suite for each driver.
http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq
Rule of thumb is to have about a row of space between the top edge of the upper block row and either the edge of the surround, when it is glued to the face, or the edge of the cone, if the surround is glued to the back side. The backside attachment coverage of the surround is immaterial for pattern ring location on the front of the cone. It would be important for a pattern ring applied to the back side of the cone,
The pattern down by the voice coil is not as critical for placement and so we often combine dust cap and inner cone patterns into three rings. You will see both types portrayed in the various pictures. Feel free to download the pics to study them off line.
Bud
Look here, at these pics of drivers with their various pattern templates and before and after EnABLing. Just click on the picture shown to see the whole suite for each driver.
http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq
Rule of thumb is to have about a row of space between the top edge of the upper block row and either the edge of the surround, when it is glued to the face, or the edge of the cone, if the surround is glued to the back side. The backside attachment coverage of the surround is immaterial for pattern ring location on the front of the cone. It would be important for a pattern ring applied to the back side of the cone,
The pattern down by the voice coil is not as critical for placement and so we often combine dust cap and inner cone patterns into three rings. You will see both types portrayed in the various pictures. Feel free to download the pics to study them off line.
Bud
arend-jan,
For your Quad usage, probably. But if you are only doing one pattern set, and include set up and clean up, maybe not the fastest way to apply the patterns.
I suspect the paint would have to be almost dry when it touched the driver surface, to keep it from wicking and an air brush can be very good at this. At that point only making the mask, likely from photo etch metal, would be the worst problem.
Also, some of the cones we treat would be very problematical with a mask.
Dave does have someone working on the question, so an answer may come along eventually.
I am still two projects from your pattern for the Quad panels and have done all of the thinking. The doing should be this coming week though.
How far are you on your amplifier, will you make it to the ETF with it?
Bud
For your Quad usage, probably. But if you are only doing one pattern set, and include set up and clean up, maybe not the fastest way to apply the patterns.
I suspect the paint would have to be almost dry when it touched the driver surface, to keep it from wicking and an air brush can be very good at this. At that point only making the mask, likely from photo etch metal, would be the worst problem.
Also, some of the cones we treat would be very problematical with a mask.
Dave does have someone working on the question, so an answer may come along eventually.
I am still two projects from your pattern for the Quad panels and have done all of the thinking. The doing should be this coming week though.
How far are you on your amplifier, will you make it to the ETF with it?
Bud
If you have a metalworking lathe you could place the marks very accurately.
Someone earlier was worried about concentricity between the magnet and the cone. Clamp by the back plate (not the magnet!) using a three jaw chuck on a metalworking lathe. If the cone isn't concentric with the pole piece I suspect the driver isn't worth treating.
There are indexing devices available for lathes for gear cutting. you can make your own by bolting a large disc onto the back of the lathe chuck, Bolt a solid piece of metal to the lathe bed as a pointer/clamp. Degree wheels are available from automotive performance shops for dialling in camshfts one of these would be useful if larger than your chuck. You may be lucky enough to find a gear with 180 or 360 teeth too. (starter motor ring gear?)
Use the tool turret to support a pen guide/armrest.
Now if you're doing LOTS of drivers that are identical (Dave, Mr Lowther) it may be worth making a big stamp that fits in your tailstock. Controlling the amount of ink would be tricky, perhaps an annular vee through the centre of each block and dipping it in a tray with a controlled depth of paint.
Someone earlier was worried about concentricity between the magnet and the cone. Clamp by the back plate (not the magnet!) using a three jaw chuck on a metalworking lathe. If the cone isn't concentric with the pole piece I suspect the driver isn't worth treating.
There are indexing devices available for lathes for gear cutting. you can make your own by bolting a large disc onto the back of the lathe chuck, Bolt a solid piece of metal to the lathe bed as a pointer/clamp. Degree wheels are available from automotive performance shops for dialling in camshfts one of these would be useful if larger than your chuck. You may be lucky enough to find a gear with 180 or 360 teeth too. (starter motor ring gear?)
Use the tool turret to support a pen guide/armrest.
Now if you're doing LOTS of drivers that are identical (Dave, Mr Lowther) it may be worth making a big stamp that fits in your tailstock. Controlling the amount of ink would be tricky, perhaps an annular vee through the centre of each block and dipping it in a tray with a controlled depth of paint.
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