Has anybody made an ELS headphone?

[chinsettawong]

Originally Posted by graeme uk

been looking around for mylar in the UK.

I can get the 0.00025 (thats about 6 micron right?), or i can get 3 micron from one thing audio who re-build quad ESL's.

Will 3 micron be ok for headphones?

It works out more economical too as i'd have load left for futer speaker projects

Hi,

3 microns Mylar should be fine.

Wachara C.

[gentlevoice]

Hi All,

Very interesting thread this one Thanks for sharing your thoughts and knowledge on this subject.

I haven't read the full thread but noticed phil47's posts earlier in the thread where there was a photo of copper wire stators.

In case some of you have considered building phones like these and would like to use e.g. copper wires, and have a challenge straightening the wires, I used to straight out the wires by stretchening them. I.e I firmly tied one of the ends to a fixed point (like a radiator) and then pulled the wire - with force - until I noticed that it got longer. In the same round the wire straightened out (completely). Doing this while the wire is lying on a table should give a straight wire that may be cut for stators.

Maybe useful?

Greetings & Happy New Year

Jesper

[Few]

Thanks for sharing your wire straightening approach, Jesper. Have you noticed any trouble with the insulation after the wire is stretched---or perhaps you're using uninsulated wire?

Few

[gentlevoice]

I only used uninsulated wire but my guess would be that if it is a lacquer insulation then it may crack. I would guess that other types of insulation (plastics) would stretch and more or less stay in place.

The elongation of the wire (1,5 mm thickness and 2 meter length) is ~ 0,8 cm so maybe this gives you an idea of what will happen with the insulation.

Best,

Jesper

[JonasKarud]

Straightening wire can be done with an electric screwdriver, just stick one end of the wire in a hole of wire diameter in your workbench, bend it 90 degrees, stick the other end in your screwdriver, pull gently as you operate the screwdriver clockwise for a few seconds.

[chinsettawong]

Hi JonasKarud,

Thanks for sharing your technique on making wire stators. I'm sure it will benefit a lot of people here. Since I have a CNC machine, I feel that it's much easier to make stators using PCBs. I will try to drill PCBs to imitate wire stators and see if I will find any difference in sounding.

Wachara C.

[Ulf Eliasson]

Originally Posted by Calvin

The kind of glue makes the difference. Tests with UHU glue which looks smells and tastes the same failed completely.

Have you tried the Tesa glue without ink? Maybe the Tesa glue is conductive enough by itself.

[chinsettawong]

Hi Matt,

If you still read this thread, please update your progress.

Wachara C.

[pelikan]

Hi guys,

I'm working with the pva glue / water / ink coating on 1.4 micron mylar, but am having a hard time distributing an even layer. I find that as it dries, it puddles unevenly on the film and picks up dust. Perhaps hitting it with a hairdryer would help?

I'm considering reverting back to powdered graphite, since it's easier to touch up if uneven, resistant to moisture, and as light as can be.

[chinsettawong]

Hi Pelikan,

Graphite powder works fine as long as you can rub it into the diaphragm hard enough. As for me, I prefer using the PVA, water and ink. I experienced what you mention before. If you clean your diaphragm using alcohol before applying the glue, it should help. Good luck.

Can you show us your headphones?

Wachara C.