I got so excited about building a ribbon speaker after reading all the wonderful articles that I just couldn't wait. So I built one using stuff I found around my office.
The "frame" is a drink mix box.
The magnets are from a Magnetix building set
the ribbon is scotch tape
the coil is a very thin wire I had for a different project.
Very very inefficient, but it actually sounds half way decent. Very surprising range.
The "frame" is a drink mix box.
The magnets are from a Magnetix building set
the ribbon is scotch tape
the coil is a very thin wire I had for a different project.
Very very inefficient, but it actually sounds half way decent. Very surprising range.
Attachments
good start Abso - freaking - loutely cool.
I have a similar one in mind using some serious magnets and the guts of the heil I just bought. But this is cool.
Now with the way your magnetic field is, the coils will get pushed outward and inward. That would in time tear the scotch tape ...
That is one reason the pleated diaphragm and magnets facing it works.
But hats off to you ... absolutely cool.
Cool.
Srinath.
I have a similar one in mind using some serious magnets and the guts of the heil I just bought. But this is cool.
Now with the way your magnetic field is, the coils will get pushed outward and inward. That would in time tear the scotch tape ...
That is one reason the pleated diaphragm and magnets facing it works.
But hats off to you ... absolutely cool.
Cool.
Srinath.
very cool !I did something similar years ago.It resembled a (mini-micro) maggie using rectanglar magnets from radio shack,monokote for the digphram and some magnet wire super glued to it using a balsa wood frame.Much to my suprise it sounded really good, and took every bit of 150watts without burning up!but it wasn very loud though.It was ony about 2 1/2" by 5 1/2" or so.But it was allot of fun to build and try. jer
Well I'm only giving this one like 15 watts, and if you turn it up it buzzes like crazy. It doesn't get very loud, but loud enough for an open office area.
Hrm.. balsa and monokote... you don't happen to fly model airplanes do you? That's my other hobby. Course I do that the DIY way too. I build SPADS.
Hrm.. balsa and monokote... you don't happen to fly model airplanes do you? That's my other hobby. Course I do that the DIY way too. I build SPADS.
yes,i have built many small ones.the only rc one i made was the eagle ll.but i never got the chance to fly it at a open field.i still have it but it needs a new motor and radio.it is another one of my several hobbies.when i get bored i just jump from one hobby to another. it's a never ending circle. jer
Am I correct when assuming the side of the ribbon closest to the red magnets produces the low frequencies and the side closest to the yellow magnets produces the mid frequencies? If you could incorporate a few blue magnets you could reach all the way into the treble. Violet magnets would give you a supertweeter!
By the way, you might flipping one of your two ribbons over so that the red magnets are on the outside and the yellow ones are on the inside. Much better imaging with a mirror imaged pair.
Thanks for adding a bit of light hearted fun into this game which seems to get way too serious at times.
Few
By the way, you might flipping one of your two ribbons over so that the red magnets are on the outside and the yellow ones are on the inside. Much better imaging with a mirror imaged pair.
Thanks for adding a bit of light hearted fun into this game which seems to get way too serious at times.
Few
Last edited:
Try some medical "skin tape" instead
Having an office, maybe you will find it in a first aid box
If what I see is a roll of wire to get high impedance, it may significantly roll off highs, or if worse, most of its output
Maybe try and make it half as wide
It would no doubt play louder
Having an office, maybe you will find it in a first aid box
If what I see is a roll of wire to get high impedance, it may significantly roll off highs, or if worse, most of its output
Maybe try and make it half as wide
It would no doubt play louder
Well this is 2010, so we have some new tech available ... so this is what we can do.
Take a board of ply wood, lay a sheet of mylar on it - a wine bag works great for general mylar, its a household waste if you're a wine drinker, and put nails at exact intervals, tight in a row on top, and on the bottom. Wind it with 30 guage magnet wire or aluminum wire - a bit snug is fine. Like stringing a tennis racket. It would have to be several inches wide cos we'd be pleating it. Then of course put mylar on top and iron them together ... yea put some paper on top, or it will stick to the iron.
Now corrugate that material, stick a plastic rod top and bottom and heep it snug. That can now be stuffed into a magnetic field.
Cool.
Srinath.
Take a board of ply wood, lay a sheet of mylar on it - a wine bag works great for general mylar, its a household waste if you're a wine drinker, and put nails at exact intervals, tight in a row on top, and on the bottom. Wind it with 30 guage magnet wire or aluminum wire - a bit snug is fine. Like stringing a tennis racket. It would have to be several inches wide cos we'd be pleating it. Then of course put mylar on top and iron them together ... yea put some paper on top, or it will stick to the iron.
Now corrugate that material, stick a plastic rod top and bottom and heep it snug. That can now be stuffed into a magnetic field.
Cool.
Srinath.
Yeah the roll of wire is for impedance, didn't feel like blowing up my amp and didn't have any resistors available.
By making it thinner wouldn't I loose some lower frequency?
How about using aluminum foil as the ribbon?
Would more winds make it more efficient? Or just increase the mass of the ribbon and make it worse?
@srinath: I can't picture at all what you are talking about.
Last edited:
winding and corrugating is actually for making compressions and rarefactions in the surrounding air. Sound is basically just that. That is why quick moving, light materials make better speakers than stuff that does not move.
Cool.
Srinath.
Cool.
Srinath.
Yeah that way, you can come close to reproduce Square waves.....
Is this thread becoming too much tech for its first intention!?`lol
Is this thread becoming too much tech for its first intention!?`lol
Good place to start
DIY Ribbon Project
If you can learn to wind a trafo, it will be perfect to use simple alu foil, corrugated
No, at this size you wont loose much by making it less wide
With very strong magnets I wouldnt go further that about 15mm gap
Beyond that theres a huge loss of energy
With your small office magnets, not more than 6mm wide ribbon
Yes this is the classic ribbon ... sorry I veered off the topic into air motion transducers ...
Cool.
Srinath.
Cool.
Srinath.
Ok, I tried using some foam board, made the ribbon half the width and twice the length.
I tried the ribbon both out of aluminum foil and out of wire and tape.
It sounds cleaner, but at about half the volume of the originals. I wonder if it is because the originals had a box and that was creating a resonance chamber?
I tried the ribbon both out of aluminum foil and out of wire and tape.
It sounds cleaner, but at about half the volume of the originals. I wonder if it is because the originals had a box and that was creating a resonance chamber?
Attachments
Neat, a real pleasure
Maybe because you use the green and blue magnets 😛
Nah, use more magnets, fill out the gaps 😉
And make 100% sure of correct magnet polarity
Also, you may not have control over the tension of ribbon
Could change the sound a lot
But take care that the wire outside the magnet gap doesnt "play" or ressonate
I have experienced that
Ok, doubled the magnets and used foil. That fixed the volume. Can't turn it up too much or it sounds really bad.
Great
But you need a capacitor in series
I dont know if can actually roll one yourself 😀
- Status
- Not open for further replies.