• Re: WARNING! Repti Sand should only be used under adult supervision. - morricab 16:04:47 04/23/07 (2)
  In Reply to: WARNING! Repti Sand should only be used under adult supervision. posted by Al Sekela on April 21, 2007 at 14:34:09:

  That wouldn't be "brilliant" repti sand would it?? :-)
  
  

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  • No, it doesn't cost $159. per pound. (nt) - Al Sekela 17:31:20 04/24/07 (0)
    In Reply to: Re: WARNING! Repti Sand should only be used under adult supervision. posted by morricab on April 23, 2007 at 16:04:47:

    :)
    
    

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  • Very good. We should be hearing from - powermatic 20:24:04 04/23/07 (0)
    In Reply to: Re: WARNING! Repti Sand should only be used under adult supervision. posted by morricab on April 23, 2007 at 16:04:47:

    'Wellfed' any moment now.
    
    

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• Re: Clear as an azure sky of deepest summer that was. - wazoo 16:00:26 04/21/07 (6)
  In Reply to: WARNING! Repti Sand should only be used under adult supervision. posted by Al Sekela on April 21, 2007 at 14:34:09:

  But seriously, assuming an integrated crossover enclosure (that can't be isolated from the vibration induced by the panels), is it generally better to pack the enclosure or leave it alone? I'm seriously inquiring about the dielectric properties of other materials - if anyone actually knows.

  I used diatomite powder in a special filter (once a month) to polish the water in my 180 gallon salt-water aquarium (don't have it anymore - got tired of the noise) - that stuff was very fine and would pack densely, but it isn't abrasive. I have no idea if it would be an acceptable alternative.
  
  

  
  "Jazz is not dead - it just smells funny" FZ ♬
  
  

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  • Was that a nice lil clip from A Clockwork Orange I just heard? ;-) (NT) - Kiefer74.1 18:32:22 04/21/07 (2)
    In Reply to: Re: Clear as an azure sky of deepest summer that was. posted by wazoo on April 21, 2007 at 16:00:26:

    .

    
    shameless plug for my website: www.jdlkaudiomusic.com
    
    

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    • Yes, my little droogy, but... - wazoo 20:30:31 04/21/07 (1)
      In Reply to: Was that a nice lil clip from A Clockwork Orange I just heard? ;-) (NT) posted by Kiefer74.1 on April 21, 2007 at 18:32:22:

      don't you mean 'slooshied'?
      

      
      "Jazz is not dead - it just smells funny" FZ ♬
      
      

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      • and I thought I was a Clockwork Orange nut... - Kiefer74.1 09:53:57 04/23/07 (0)
        In Reply to: Yes, my little droogy, but... posted by wazoo on April 21, 2007 at 20:30:31:

        I LOVE the language in the movie. That, the story, and Beethovens 9th = one hell of a package. in my top 10 if not top 5.

        Jon

        
        shameless plug for my website: www.jdlkaudiomusic.com
        
        

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  • Pure cotton batting is a good alternative. - Al Sekela 17:52:45 04/21/07 (2)
    In Reply to: Re: Clear as an azure sky of deepest summer that was. posted by wazoo on April 21, 2007 at 16:00:26:

    Quartz is the natural crystalline form of silicon dioxide, SiO2. This is a wide bandgap semiconductor that acts as an almost ideal insulator at room temperature. It is grown on silicon to form the gate insulator in MOSFET transistors, such as the millions of transistors working in the integrated circuits inside your computer as you read this. The tremendous advances in packing density of transistors, that have led to cheap home computers with processing power that would have been considered in the realm of supercomputers a decade ago, would not have been possible without the superior dielectric properties of SiO2.

    The granular nature of Repti-Sand is responsible for the acoustic damping properties. Other granular materials might have similar acoustic damping properties, but would not have the benign dielectric properties of SiO2. I would NOT recommend alternative granular materials to damp crossover components.

    Cotton is a very good insulator for audio, and, as a natural fiber, has a broad range of individual fiber sizes. This makes it useful for acoustic damping in cases where the audio signal will be exposed to its dielectric properties. It is less convenient, as it has to be wrapped around heavy components tightly to exert effective damping. It could be stuffed in to existing crossover spaces if done with care not to break the wires.

    If you are concerned about sand, cotton would be a good material for experiments. Look for the 100% natural cotton batting, sold in fabric stores for use inside baby blankets and the like. Some of the batting is cotton mixed with polyester for strength. Polyester is not as good a dielectric, so use 100% cotton if you can get it.
    
    

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    • Re: Diatomite is 90% SiO2. - wazoo 20:27:13 04/21/07 (1)
      In Reply to: Pure cotton batting is a good alternative. posted by Al Sekela on April 21, 2007 at 17:52:45:

      One would have to use Diatomacious earth of freshwater origin, or there would be some salinity. It's available as a fine, small, medium or large grain powder. It's PH neutral and sterilized.

      My presumption is that the objective is a very tight pack, no?
      

      
      "Jazz is not dead - it just smells funny" FZ ♬
      
      

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      • And 10% other stuff... - Al Sekela 10:22:17 04/22/07 (0)
        In Reply to: Re: Diatomite is 90% SiO2. posted by wazoo on April 21, 2007 at 20:27:13:

        The impurities may dominate the dielectric response. Actually, this is true for the colored varieties of Repti Sand as well.

        As far as packing is concerned, no, you want a loose fill so that the mechanical vibrations of the components are damped. A tight pack would act as a solid body with its own resonance modes.
        
        

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