Where did you get your Stator material?

[jzh797s]

I was wondering what everyone here is using for their stator material?

Where did you get it?

Did you coat it with anything?

Thanks,
Zach

[Few]

That depends on which sort of stator you have in mind. I've bought perforated steel from McMaster-Carr, and lincaine-style perforated aluminum at local hardware stores (for building prototypes). Wire for wire-based stators can be purchased from Digi-Key, Mouser, Newark, Allied...or surplus suppliers if you can find what you're after.

WRT coatings: I used black epoxy spray paint to coat the perforated steel quite a number of years ago. I've used the aluminum uncoated, just relying on the anodized surface as insulation. Wire, of course, comes "pre-coated."

[Bazukaz]

Hi,
Properly coating perforated steel it very difficult to do at home.
Surface tension of paint makes it very difficult to get a thick layer of coat at edges of holes. You must keep in mind that coating should withstand voltages of around 10kV.An option is powder coating , however , the coat must be around 0.5mm thick , and not all types of powder are suitable.
Thats why wire stators are popular. The base material for wire stators is usually light louvers. The wire may be standard PVC insulated wire or double insulation 200C class magnet wire.

Regards,
Lukas.

[stokessd]

I got my perf aluminum for cheap at a metal surplus place. I think I paid about $2 per sq foot for my 20" x 48" stators. I mechanically mounted eyelets onto each stator and had them powder coated. The powder coating cost me $150 if memory serves me right. The combination of the cheap stators and powder coating added up to what I would have paid for simply painted metal from mcmaster carr.


My prototype panels were painted with several coats applied with a roller. I could shock myself if I tried with the painted ones, but not the powder coated ones.

Sheldon

[jzh797s]

Thanks for the info stokessd!

[stokessd]

If you don't have a good source for surplus metal (I haven't seen too many places like the one in Albuquerque), then based on my searching a couple years ago, McMaster Carr is the best source. That's for truely perf metal, in the stereotypical sense. You can build panels cheaply with lincain at a hardware store.

I'd consider wire stators before lincain though.

Sheldon

[jzh797s]

These speakers are not only being built for their sound quality but for their ascetics so wire stators are out of the question. I am hell bent on perf metal stators. I have a good source for mylar of any size/weight. My only remaining problems are the transformers and the stators.

This is my first build and I would love to have some curved statorsas, but as always I am a bit ambisious. I have been steered off of that for my first build. I have been told that this is extremely difficult to do, much less for a first build.

I have always lived by the motto "Go big or go home". I guess this time I will compromise and just go with some flat stators. I am just worried about the directionality of them. They will be in a rather large room.

[Few]

I've been listening to a pair of large panels (about 19" wide and 6' tall) for a few years now. The directionality has become an issue for me, and in fact that is one of the reasons I'm designing a new version. Nonetheless, I certainly don't regret making the first pair. I've gotten many years of very enjoyable use out of them. I do agree that starting with something flat and relatively simple improves the odds of having a successful outcome. You can then listen to them while working on the inevitable "new and improved" model a year or three down the road.

[moray james]

the number of wire stator designs out there? Some nice looking stuff here http://esl.hifi.nl/index.htm not to mention Final ESL's which are wire. However the ML look is cool to so what ever works for you is the important thing.
Regarding flat panels and directionality. If you plan to run powered subs (good idea) then narrow flat panels not only look excellent as tall line source monoliths but they will also give you a fairly wide listening area while at the same time being directional. This (directionality) is actually one of the strong points of line source dipoles. Just as a dipole ribbon microphone ony hears what is within the figure of 8 polar patern so too the dipole ESL only radiates inside that figure of 8 polar patern. This means that you can project the sound where you want it to go and have the least amount of room interaction. Less room reflections means cleaner sound at the listening position along with fewer room resonance's to have to listen to and deal with.
An active diaphragm area of 6 - 9 inches wide by 7 feet tall can play very loud. You can make a nice set of tubular frames (sand filled) and even include three spaced apart vertical tubes on the rear side of the panel to diffuse the back wave. This can not only look good but will stiffen the frame and make speaker positioning easier too. Perf metal with an open area of about 35 - 40% should yield you the highest possible output while offering more structural integridty that higher open area metals. Depending upon your stator spacing you might want to consider a central vertical spacer to insure diaphragm stability. Don't let this worry you as the panel will act as if the spacer were not there. Good luck and have fun. Regards Moray James.

[BillH]

Hi, jzh797s.

Go with Mcmaster-Carr for the perforated material. The prices are reasonable and they will ship small orders to DIYers. Plus, you've got your choice of materials, thicknesses, hole sizes, and open area.

Regarding the high frequency beaming of ESLs, it's going to be there. The narrower the panel, the higher the frequency that the beaming starts. If you can, divide your stators into narrow, wide, and maybe wider sections and low-pass filter the wide and wider sections with series resistors.

Transformer selection is limited unless you've got a large budget. I_Forgot found some toroids that look like a good choice if you want to give it a try without a lot of cost. See this thread. I got mine from JustRealMusic.com.

Moray James writes: You can...even include three spaced apart vertical tubes on the rear side of the panel to diffuse the back wave. This can not only look good but will stiffen the frame and make speaker positioning easier too.

Moray, can you give us some details? IMHO, positioning is one of the most important elements of ESL use.