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2" diameter, 1 1/4" height polymer base with 1 3/8" countersunk freeze plug(imbedded in silicone, flush with top) and run of the mill glass marble. A co-worker is bringing me some 5/8" ceramic bearings from his lady's place of biz to try. Am I supposed to set the componet on top the marbles or should I use 2 bases with 1 ball and form a triangle?btw- said co-worker thinks I'm over the edge 8^)
Follow Ups:
You guy's might get a chuckle out of this, but what the heck.I made my rollerblocks out of cabinet knobs ( the kind you might find on your kitchen cabinet doors ) These are pretty high quality knobs made of solid brass. They have a bit of an exaggerated hourglass shape with the top ( the part you would grasp ) being 15/16" tall and 1 3/8" in diameter with a concave surface which is perfect for housing a steel bearing ( I'm using sling - shot bearings for now ).The bottom flares out to approx 1/2" allowing the knobs to be free standing , or they can be attached to some sort of base for greater stability. Mine are attached to 3/4" maple blocks using the supplied screw. My 9000es behaves physically with these as it did when I demoed the real thing.Does it sound as good? I really can't say, but it looks pretty cool sitting up on blocks. These knobs can be viewed at www.leevalley.com. They are called ribbon knobs , item # 01A06.04(zeros, not the letter o ), and are listed at $11.30 CDN or $7.70 US. When you stop laughing, check them out, really quite impressive
the kind words of encouragement as well as some excellent pointers/tips from Barry and Pete!I lent this set (as is) to a cat whom swears by his TnT Flexy Shelf. I explained these are the first prototype set making them a WIP(work in progres). His assignment(field test) is to place them under his TT for the W/E, then report his findings on Monday. He was almost closed minded about any possible improvement, but I've taught him better than that. I'd classify his tastes as heavy/metal/hard rock.(KoRN, etc.)...and LOUD!
with your input, I can further refine these until my table gets here and set up.
thanks again!
First, always listen to Barry's advice - he has a lot of experience with isolation and knows what works and what doesn't.Second, I'd shorten those blocks if possible. The taller they are, the less stable they'll be and the less effectively they'll isolate your equipment. If you're having trouble understanding the stability issue, just imagine making them ten feet tall - it would be very easy to tip them over at that height; the shorter they are the better they'll isolate due to increased stability. Keep in mind that you're trying to eliminate vibrations that the naked eye can't see, so seemingly small factors can sometimes have profound effects on sound quality.
Third, unless you believe the silicone you used is providing beneficial vertical isolation (I believe silicone is far too springy to achieve this), I'd lose it in favor of some high strength (slow curing) epoxy. Even though rollerblocks are isolation devices, they are also coupling devices. Essentially, rollerblocks combine the coupling qualities of cones with horizontal isolation. It's easy to forget about the coupling factors when experimenting with isolation.
Fourth - if you're worried about the stability of your equipment (thus the reason you've considered sandwiching the bearing between two blocks), I'd countersink the freeze plugs if possible. Once countersunk, the edges of the polymer base will keep your equipment from ever sliding off. Remember that the closer you can get the bottom of the bearing to the shelf/platform, the more effective your rollerblocks will be.
Fifth, I don't know much about freeze plugs, but I'm assuming they're made of common steel. You may want to look for a harder material to use as the cup in the block. I've had very good luck using ladles I found quite cheap at WalMart (yo8u have to make sure the ones you get are spherical - most of them are eliptical and aren't as effective). I do have to spend a little time cutting them down to size, but the SS is very hard a polishes up nicely. Corrosion is another reason I'd avoid common steel. Short of replacing the freeze plugs, do consider polishing the center where the bearing will make contact under normal use (this is a very small area, and therefore can be polished quickly and easily). When you have a good bearing surface, your bearing should oscilate for a full minute or more if you give it a flick while unloaded. In fact, you should be able to merely blow on the bearing and see it wiggle for several seconds. Do keep in mind, however, that under normal operating conditions, the movement of the bearing is microscopic, so how the bearing behaves transitioning from rest to micro-motion and vice-versa is critical. If your bearing's motion tends to become a little chaotic as the oscilations become small, then you probably need to polish your cup a little more (assuming good bearings).
Last, don't be afraid to ignore all advice and try out your own ideas. In the end the only thing that matters is that you get a smile on your face when you listen to your system.
Enjoy,
Pete
Hi Pete,"First, always listen to Barry's advice - he has a lot of experience with isolation and knows what works and what doesn't."
Thank you Pete but you're being too kind. I am an enthusiastic advocate of isolation but like everyone else, I'm still learning. If others can benefit from my experience that makes me feel good, as I have benefited from the experience of others.
What a nice bunch of folks.
To all:
Happy Listening!
Barry
No problem, Barry.Regardless of anyone's level of knowledge on any topic, knowing that they will only speak out of experience and not out of their butts goes a long way.
Cheers,
Pete
Attached (hopefully) is a picture of the ones that my dad made for me. The steel blocks were milled out to form the necessary concave depression (can't remember the exact dimensions). I ordered the steels balls from a bearing company. I haven't got around to it yet, but I am going to put spikes under the granite to go through the carpet.
Hi sober1,Nice job!
"Am I supposed to set the componet on top the marbles or should I use 2 bases with 1 ball and form a triangle?"
Making a "sandwich" with 2 bases will result in more damping on ball motion. They'll still work but isolation won't be as effective as with a single base below the ball. (greater damping = slower roll off above resonance)
Glass marbles will work but because they'll flex, they won't work as well as a harder material.
Looking forward to reading about your listening experiences with them.
Happy Listening!
Barry
I have used the rollers both ways. Purist say the component should ride atop the balls. I use the top and bottom freeze plugs to keep the component relatively in the same position.Try it both ways and let us know which way you prefer.
DaveT
I'll have to get more freeze plugs from NAPA. I'm building these for my upcoming turntable, so it'll be a bit before I can run them thru their paces. Looking forward to ceramic vs chrome balls shoot-out(2-3 weeks down the road).
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