Has anyone tried to use a PCB for a stator? I think of a lot of dumb things late at night, but thought this might be an interesting way of putting together a pair of desktop ESL's. I checked, the mfg can put a high-strength dialectric instead of a conventional solder mask. Doesn't mean it would necessarily work..
Attached is just a picture for an idea. Only 24% "open" as is, and could be worked over to get closer, but didn't want to go crazy until someone said it was either a good idea or just plain dumb.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5f3lSwQ6tbmcy11em1UckZSUnM/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks in advance!
Attached is just a picture for an idea. Only 24% "open" as is, and could be worked over to get closer, but didn't want to go crazy until someone said it was either a good idea or just plain dumb.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5f3lSwQ6tbmcy11em1UckZSUnM/edit?usp=sharing
Thanks in advance!
Hi,
No, its no dumb Q at all.
Afaik the ol' Quad 57 is the most prominent example using PCB material for stators.
And H.Beveridge held a patent on such a design in the early 70s iiirc.
FR4 epoxy board is in fact a good choice, as it is produced in masses in good quality and close tolerances.
Its dielectric constant and isolation values are at least as high as for PVC, Acrylics or PU.
It lends itself to industrial machining and production processes, be it cutting, drilling, routing or PCB-manufacture.
The industry also offers numerous coatings and laquers to seal the copper layer.
I see only two issues.
First may be the cost of routing the required large number of holes or slots into the PCB.
Second may be to find a supplier capable to produce large PCBs (>300x500mm).
Oh, and then there is a patent from 2005(!!) that reinvents this rather ancient and common sense/common art technology with an invention depth of extremely close to 0. 🙄
The differences between those three examples seem to only be the material coating and protecting the conductive layer.
Quad used some laquer, Beveridge suggested a laminate of a Nylon compound and Sanders prefers a second Prepeg layer.
jauu
Calvin
No, its no dumb Q at all.
Afaik the ol' Quad 57 is the most prominent example using PCB material for stators.
And H.Beveridge held a patent on such a design in the early 70s iiirc.
FR4 epoxy board is in fact a good choice, as it is produced in masses in good quality and close tolerances.
Its dielectric constant and isolation values are at least as high as for PVC, Acrylics or PU.
It lends itself to industrial machining and production processes, be it cutting, drilling, routing or PCB-manufacture.
The industry also offers numerous coatings and laquers to seal the copper layer.
I see only two issues.
First may be the cost of routing the required large number of holes or slots into the PCB.
Second may be to find a supplier capable to produce large PCBs (>300x500mm).
Oh, and then there is a patent from 2005(!!) that reinvents this rather ancient and common sense/common art technology with an invention depth of extremely close to 0. 🙄
The differences between those three examples seem to only be the material coating and protecting the conductive layer.
Quad used some laquer, Beveridge suggested a laminate of a Nylon compound and Sanders prefers a second Prepeg layer.
jauu
Calvin
Last edited:
Hi Calvin and motrctyman
I have an old Quad 57 tweeter that arced to destruction and took it apart.
As far as I could tell it looks like a thermoplastic sheet that has been molded with a simple flat indent, making spacers and stators in one sheet of thermoplastic.
It then looks like quad drill all the holes separately, applies some sort of aluminium foil, and then an insulating layer to the thermoplastic. The thermoplastic might by polyethylene by the feel of it but I did not look too hard.
This said I have made stators using PCB material and it worked very well.
I have an old Quad 57 tweeter that arced to destruction and took it apart.
As far as I could tell it looks like a thermoplastic sheet that has been molded with a simple flat indent, making spacers and stators in one sheet of thermoplastic.
It then looks like quad drill all the holes separately, applies some sort of aluminium foil, and then an insulating layer to the thermoplastic. The thermoplastic might by polyethylene by the feel of it but I did not look too hard.
This said I have made stators using PCB material and it worked very well.
Quad 63's stators are made from PCB material.
Some models of Stax electrostatic headphones' stators are made from PCB material.
I also use PCB for all my headphones' stators and spacers.
Wachara C.
Some models of Stax electrostatic headphones' stators are made from PCB material.
I also use PCB for all my headphones' stators and spacers.
Wachara C.
Thank you for the information!
Every time I think I have a new/unique idea in audio...I should know better by now.
Regardless, it is now time to plow forward and see if I can get these things done now.
My version of cadsoft only allows me up to a 100mm x 80mm board. I am going to have to go further to get even more creative as I do not want to spend $1400 to get the version that will allow me to design beyond 160mm x 100mm. Was thinking of figuring out a 2-way mini for my desk with a tang band 5" driver handling the low freq. and maybe trying to figure out a board that would play down close to 800hz or so.
Thanks again for the confirmation. Time to get my mojo out and see what happens.
Every time I think I have a new/unique idea in audio...I should know better by now.
Regardless, it is now time to plow forward and see if I can get these things done now.
My version of cadsoft only allows me up to a 100mm x 80mm board. I am going to have to go further to get even more creative as I do not want to spend $1400 to get the version that will allow me to design beyond 160mm x 100mm. Was thinking of figuring out a 2-way mini for my desk with a tang band 5" driver handling the low freq. and maybe trying to figure out a board that would play down close to 800hz or so.
Thanks again for the confirmation. Time to get my mojo out and see what happens.
Here is a recent thread of a build using PCB,
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/planars-exotics/246846-first-time-esl-builder.html#post3724768
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/planars-exotics/246846-first-time-esl-builder-2.html#post3757543
jer 🙂
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/planars-exotics/246846-first-time-esl-builder.html#post3724768
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/planars-exotics/246846-first-time-esl-builder-2.html#post3757543
jer 🙂
Quad 63's stators are made from PCB material.
Some models of Stax electrostatic headphones' stators are made from PCB material.
I also use PCB for all my headphones' stators and spacers.
Wachara C.
well those look nice!!!!
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