Ribbon Mic:DIY corrugation machine .. THE SNACK IS BACK!!:)

[ToobieSnack]

Hi all been very busy lately... just today i fabricated the much awaited Destroyer D-2a ribbon mic.. SHE IS AWESOME .. more on that later..

for now check out this ribbon corrugation machine i DIY'd.
I used some parts froma vintage (not really) RCA camcorder.
the motor assymbly for the lens focus had a really strong and slow 8.6v motor with mount that had TWO GEARS MESHING PERFECTLY (they could have been wider and it would be easier to coorrugate but. .. oh well ..) :grin: BTW i have seen the ribbons on roysters website and mine are now tiny thin like those ribbons ...this really lowered my noise floor. ..and er uh ... it fits through my machine .. hehe :grin:

wiring in a simple switch and a 9v battery mounted it too a surface and viola! :GRIN:

My first attempt to corrugate prompted me to add a receiving ramp for the ribbon so it wouldn't do this....(explaination follows)

explaination: on my first attemp the ribbon ran through fine but.. hahaha this is funny ... after it did .. it arched back under the device and re-inserted itself .. and looped through like a snake.. i threw my hands up and all i could do was laugh as my machine ATE .my delicate ribbon and wrapped it around one of the gears ..ahahaha .. i had to cut it off the gear assymbly ... lol ...

anyway i used a peice of copper to make a little ramp so it could NOT fold itself underneath and wrap back around and re-insert itself ..

I was pretty frustrated but i resolved it quickly.. here are some pics .. sorry for the focus issues .. :grin:

OH and BTW the nail and the match book cover make the motor stand level.. hehe ..

later
ts

 

[rodabod]

Good to hear from you Toobie,

That's what I like to see! I've been wanting to make an electronic corrugator for a while.

Funnily enough, my idea for making one was the same as yours. I was going to get a model motor and gearbox kit.

What I would like though, is a guard on each side of the cogs to keep the ribbon as straight as possible. This could be accomplished by having an oversized washer attached on both sides of one of the cogs.

I wonder if the device would be gentle enough for when I use my ~ 1 micron aluminium leaf? Who knows?

I've been busy with other stuff recntly too, but recently managed to do a dissection of the B*eyer M*260 ribbon motor which can be found at the dissection thread. I'll try and get some other ribbon mics open soon. :razz:

PS. Variable speed would be nice for difficult ribbons. A potentiometer maybe?

 

[ToobieSnack]

hi rbod ...

this video camera lens motor is so perfect in many ways ..
i was actually in search of a single screw for my guitrar and while doing so i saw in the recesses .. these tiny perfect gears already on a mount unit!!!!!!!! i was giddy with joy... :grin:

like you... i have been searching for the parts on ebay www etc and wow it's hard to find stupid little gears! why? well anyway the motor is perfect while i admit a speed control would be nice ... i also thought that a momentary contact foot controller would be nice .. like a sustain pedal..

What I would like though, is a guard on each side of the cogs to keep the ribbon as straight as possible. This could be accomplished by having an oversized washer attached on both sides of one of the cogs.

yeah i tried to figure that out too ...
the output side is fine with nothing
the input side ... well ... i think i will go something more like they guys here are using for trafo winding .. that is:
running the ribbon between a precision adjustable tension bridge ...
ya know like a couple of felt covered bars .. perpendicular.. with tension adjust screws and a quick release ..
once adjusted just lay the ribbon in and close the clamp .. still guiding it somewhat .. like an extra pair of hands ... we'll see .. hehe

for now hand feeding it is not that difficult .. just keep your dominant hands fingers.. close to the machine ... this is less angle for error ...( like leverage examples)
i was suprised to find how strong the thin metal really is ...
NOW... that 1 micron stuff you are using ... dude i got some al leaf from dick blick ... and that stuff was like cotton candy!!!! i opened the package and it floated all over the place and you couldn't try to catch it without tearing it ... i managed to salvage a little but ... if you are using that ... prasies to you my friend .. i am impressed ... tell me how you handle it ..
gotta be some hydraulic influence there huh? like using alchohol to secure it to a surface so it doesn't fly away .. royster speaks of days where static electricity is bad and ribbons float away ... YIKES!! HAHAHA

i'd like to try it ... but ... isn't it a bitch to keep a corrugation in this thin al too?

tell us more oh ribbon master hehe ..lol :wink:

anyway good luck sourcing that motor and gear combo ... looking forward to seeing your contraption ... mine can be the flitstone model and yours can be the jetson model lololololol (cartoon references)

later
ts

 

[rodabod]

[quote author="ToobieSnack"]
NOW... that 1 micron stuff you are using ... dude i got some al leaf from dick blick ... and that stuff was like cotton candy!!!! i opened the package and it floated all over the place and you couldn't try to catch it without tearing it ... i managed to salvage a little but ... if you are using that ... prasies to you my friend .. i am impressed ... tell me how you handle it ..
gotta be some hydraulic influence there huh? like using alchohol to secure it to a surface so it doesn't fly away ...[/quote]

Yeah, that' what it's like. You have to close the doors and windows in the room you are in and sit it down on a sheet of glass which has been cleaned with meths (alcohol). It gets even more ridiculous though. You have to wash your fingers with meths to get rid of any oil or sweat and have to hold your breath when near the material.

Meths is used to affix the material to the corrugation cogs and also when positioning the ribbon on the assembly. You have to be very precise.

When I go to use 2.5 micron material it seems so easy!

i'd like to try it ... but ... isn't it a bitch to keep a corrugation in this thin al too?

I heard people complain about this, but I think they probably weren't corrugating it properly. Here, you aren't just letting the foil fold between the gears, but you are actually pressing the corrugations into the material. The two gears need to have pressure against each other in order to properly corrugate the foil. When it is properly corrugated, the foil acts like a spring and returns to shape when slightly stretched.

I believe that people used to use presses to make corrugations too - I wonder if Reslo did this with their "square wave" corrugations.

anyway good luck sourcing that motor and gear combo ... looking forward to seeing your contraption ... mine can be the flitstone model and yours can be the jetson model lololololol (cartoon references)

I'm sure mine will be suitably stone-age too. I think I'll need something to keep the ribbon straight though. Your tension bridge idea sounds good!

Time to look for gears.... Hmmm, I shouldn't have chucked out that old printer. Dang!