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In Reply to: RE: Fluid filled damping of cables posted by banpuku on March 12, 2015 at 15:36:22
I have experimented with fluid filled cables, but not silicone. How are you going to seal them ?
That is the most critical question over time. It can be done as per Purist Audio, but it is pretty hard to accomplish
Follow Ups:
My initial thoughts were as follows:
1. start with a hose of some material (TBD), possibly teflon, as the exterior
2. machine a plug that will accomodate the + and - wires. the plug would fit tightly around the + / - wires and be a snug fit into the hose.
3. use 4 : 1 adhesive shrink wrap on the outside of the hose and where the wires come out. Hopefully the 4 : 1 shrink wrap will tighten up any gaps between the OD of the plug and the ID of the hose.
4. use hot glue to fill the remaining air gap between the 4 : 1 shrink wrap and the wires.
This gives a double layer of protection. The machined plug might not be necessary (TBD).
The damping liquid is 300,000 cST. I can go even higher, but it would be more difficult to fill the hose with liquid.
So, what do you think?
Might work for a while. I've built some cables using a ferrofluid fill.Heatshrink needs a glue layer; use the glue lined type, but even that glue will eventually part under pressure. Try injecting super glue between the HS and plug as you shrink the sleeve (don't use the glue lined shrink). The glue is brittle, though, so be aware. Super glue can be had in a lower slower drying viscosity at supply houses. Some wood craft stores sell it without the catalyst added for better control.
I've used a soldering iron to shrink a small section of the heat shrink end with glue, and then wind a tight coil of wire around to add a mechanical compression. Seems to work better.
Be sure to leave some air space in the silicon jacket. Simply bending the cable can create tremendous pressure and will cause the fluid to shoot out.....
The machined plug idea will not generate enough pressure to create an effective seal. Haven't tried a plastic plug and using heat to compress the plug around the wires, though.
Hot glue is not a great adhesive, BTW. Might want to investigate the epoxies used to fill film cap ends.....
Pictured is an experimental ferrofluid filled cable (Romex: for ease of construction, the smaller the wire gauge the more difficult the seals). Clips simply made it easier to play with different concepts. Remember soldering will heat up the wire and fluid and create a lot of shrinkage if too much heat is applied.
Good luck and keep us postedPS. Remember nothing much sticks to teflon. May not be a good choice.
Edits: 03/13/15
Stu, even the PADs lose their juice after a while. I've had a pair of the original PAD Elementa ICs for like 15 years and have had them refilled twice and they could stand to go back for a third filling. They don't leak per se, but as I understand it the fluid leaches out through the tubing and evaporates. I agree with you though. Keeping home brew versions sealed tight for the long haul will be the trick.
Curious as to what fluid PAD uses. I'm pretty sure it's not $500/gal.
Interesting concept guys. How did you guys like the sound of these fluid-filled cables/cords?
The fact that it's still in daily use after 15 years ought to tell you something.
very smooth sounding. They are hard to get a fix on their sound because any movement of the cables will necessitate another break in period, frustrating at atime.
Holding the cable up to a strong light one can see a dark particulate ( ferrite powder ?) and some brighter particulate which looks to be copper particles.I am sure they use other material also.
I have built a few cables with ferrofluid around the negative conductors. The increase in sound quality was quite noticeable: better dynamics , more detail, but issues of leakage is an issue.
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