On the odd chance there is someone else out there that has Auricle ribbons that need rebuilding, I am posting these pictures just to let them know that it can be done.
And the world is a better place for it. They sound wonderful.
This is the damaged ribbon (torn while opening the chassis), showing three of the six rows of magnets - 324 inches of magnets in all.
This is the top end of the chassis, showing the copper circuit card at the end that completes the circuit. A similar card is at the bottom of the chassis with input leads attached. These cards were the source of the original problem with the driver...aluminum and copper don't mix!
This is the raw corrugated ribbon material (Kapton with aluminum traces) prior to being tensioned onto the chassis. It's a little amazing that 400 watts can pass through this, but it makes a very effective 108 inch long heat sink.
I took all the magnets out and re-epoxied them in place before tensioning the ribbon.
This is the repaired ribbon. I ended up using the "tongue and groove" method of re-tensioning the membrane. It's now ready for the other half of the chassis to be reinstalled. The magenetic field that must be overcome in order to get the chassis back together is striking.
This is a close-up after the repair. Nice corrugation, if I may say so.
And finally...the driver mounted in a test baffle ready for testing. Much still left to do...
Any comments are appreciated. Thanks forum.
And the world is a better place for it. They sound wonderful.
This is the damaged ribbon (torn while opening the chassis), showing three of the six rows of magnets - 324 inches of magnets in all.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
This is the top end of the chassis, showing the copper circuit card at the end that completes the circuit. A similar card is at the bottom of the chassis with input leads attached. These cards were the source of the original problem with the driver...aluminum and copper don't mix!
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
This is the raw corrugated ribbon material (Kapton with aluminum traces) prior to being tensioned onto the chassis. It's a little amazing that 400 watts can pass through this, but it makes a very effective 108 inch long heat sink.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I took all the magnets out and re-epoxied them in place before tensioning the ribbon.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
This is the repaired ribbon. I ended up using the "tongue and groove" method of re-tensioning the membrane. It's now ready for the other half of the chassis to be reinstalled. The magenetic field that must be overcome in order to get the chassis back together is striking.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
This is a close-up after the repair. Nice corrugation, if I may say so.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
And finally...the driver mounted in a test baffle ready for testing. Much still left to do...
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Any comments are appreciated. Thanks forum.
Thanks.
After trying to gather together the right materials for several weeks (.5 mil Kapton and .35 mil aluminum) I decided to take a long shot.
I had understood that David Graebener was also keenly involved in the design of the Carver ribbons shortly after the Auricle RD-57's became available. So, I called David Sauter who has a side business repairing Carver ribbons in Madison New, York.
I gave him the ribbon specs (trace width and spacing) and asked if he'd check to see if they matched the ribbon material he was having manufactured for his repair business. Voila!
A reasonable fee and a few days later and I had three new ribbons sitting in my workshop. They did not have the corrugation that the Auricles did, so I devised a corrugating machine and took care of that.
And yes thanks, I did use some "goo" to protect against the bi-metal corrosion effect at the contacts. I am certain it won't be a problem anymore. Now I am working to integrate a pair of 12" Dayton Reference Series bass drivers into the system. My hope is to bi-amp using a DBX Studio Drive at about 300-ish. This set-up will also give me the opportunity to add a notch filter to counteract the cavity reasonance at 4k, and to take care of any phase/time issues between the drivers.
Again, thanks for the response (I enjoyed reading through your audio website).
After trying to gather together the right materials for several weeks (.5 mil Kapton and .35 mil aluminum) I decided to take a long shot.
I had understood that David Graebener was also keenly involved in the design of the Carver ribbons shortly after the Auricle RD-57's became available. So, I called David Sauter who has a side business repairing Carver ribbons in Madison New, York.
I gave him the ribbon specs (trace width and spacing) and asked if he'd check to see if they matched the ribbon material he was having manufactured for his repair business. Voila!
A reasonable fee and a few days later and I had three new ribbons sitting in my workshop. They did not have the corrugation that the Auricles did, so I devised a corrugating machine and took care of that.
And yes thanks, I did use some "goo" to protect against the bi-metal corrosion effect at the contacts. I am certain it won't be a problem anymore. Now I am working to integrate a pair of 12" Dayton Reference Series bass drivers into the system. My hope is to bi-amp using a DBX Studio Drive at about 300-ish. This set-up will also give me the opportunity to add a notch filter to counteract the cavity reasonance at 4k, and to take care of any phase/time issues between the drivers.
Again, thanks for the response (I enjoyed reading through your audio website).
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