How about an ESL?

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Even under tension, I doubt these wires are nearly as rigid as a perforated panel. Thus, some of the electric energy would be converted to motion in the wires instead of just the membrane. Would this not be a source of distortion? Depending on their tension, one could imagine them acting like piano strings after a large transient. And how would moving wires affect the electric field?

Before I actually built a wirestator ESL I too was worried about this, but in practice it isn't a problem at all. Perhaps because the difference in weight between mylar and wire is very large.
It is important to tension the wires and support them about every 8cm though to keep it all stiff.
To ensure tension you bend the stator a little when you mount the wires. Afterwards you release the stator and it will straighten and effectively put tension on the wires.

Btw. Audiostatic use a similar technique.
 
Grey: Acoustat used polystyrene beads dissolved in (I think) acetone or MEK to glue the wires. On the stators I used (minus the green tennis balls), the wires were on there pretty solidly. One or two loose spots were touched up with an ABS adhesive that I got at TAP plastics. That was the same adhesive I used for reassembly after redoing the diaphragms.

Ordinary black paint won't work- you do need something with the proper type of carbon black in it.
 
One of the sexiest ESLs I have seen so far was using aluminium rods, supported by insulating bridges, as stator. They weren't even fed the same signal alltogether. Only the centre one was fed the "fullrange" signal, all the other ones were fed via lowpass filters with lowering cutoff frequency the more they were off-centre.
This was intended to reduce beaming. I don't know however how good this feature worked at all. The lowpwass filters were just resistors combined with the stator's intrinsic capacitance.

Regards

Charles
 
They weren't even fed the same signal alltogether. Only the centre one was fed the "fullrange" signal, all the other ones were fed via lowpass filters with lowering cutoff frequency the more they were off-centre.

In fact this is one of the main reasons for using wire (or rod) stators.
Btw the link in my first post uses this system. You can see the resistors in some of the pictures.
 
Quad does this in concentric rings to simulate a point source.
SY,
Acetone I keep in stock for use in the shop. Junked styrene from cutting a larger panel is easy enough. ABS sounds useful, too.
planet10,
You're going to have to change your moniker if they discover any more large bodies in the Oort cloud.
Excellent pictures for showing what I was describing. Thanks. I no longer have the time to go cruising the web looking for things. If I don't already know exactly where something is, I just shrug and go on to the next thing.
I'm going to have to quit reading this thread. I'm getting this familiar itch, and there's no way I can justify fiddling with an ESL right now. Too many other projects already in the queue. I've already had this oddball idea for a solid state direct drive amp and I'll be damned if I'm going to drop everything else to see if it works.

Grey
 
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GRollins said:
I no longer have the time to go cruising the web looking for things. If I don't already know exactly where something is, I just shrug and go on to the next thing.

Being on my website (& having been mine)i knew exactly where the pics where. The stats themselves have visited the Fountain of Youh and are sitting in SY's listening room awaiting their DD amp :)

dave
 
ESL question,

I need to ask about the cut out area of the frame, or area for the diaphram. Do the sides need to be parallel? If I use a frame that leaves me with a 4" width from top to bottom, it is basically parallel from top to bottom. SO, I'm asking if there is really any gain to widen the width at the top or bottom without widening the opposite. I have to wonder if I wouldn't gain lower end response, or some benefit? My overall size if parallel will be 4" by 32".

Thanks again,
GH

:rolleyes:
 
Well, a wider panel will give you more bass output at the expense of more beaming. The geometry you're proposing, if I understand you correctly, will do so too, but to a lesser extent. Standing waves aren't really an issue, and if they are, they're easier to deal with by staggering the internal spacers. So I don't think you gain an advantage there.

It might be interesting from a visual standpoint. And it might (might!) spread out the fundamental resonance a bit.
 
tensioned wire ESL's

Peter(R):
Very nice work on your tensioned wire ESL, as shown by your link. Without prior experience, I would have expected finer (thinner) wires for the stators. What gauge or diameter did you use? Do you prefer a particular type of insulation? Thanks in advance.
 
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