DIY Isolation Platform

Hi Barry
Thanks for your input.
I agree with everything you said and was aware of all your points.Today I experimented with one of the boxes that I made .I had it filled with No. 6 lead shot and then put the cover on with a full of water glass resting on top.I pounded hard on the floor and observed for any waves on the surface of the water.There were waves with the glass sitting on the plain floor AND when resting on the isolation box.BUT I believe that the glass of water is extremely light weight for that particular box.At this point I need to do my homework and find a suitable material to fill the boxes with.Perhaps fine silica sand,but I got to take the weight of my rack WITH the components on it into account.My rack alone is very heavy once the components are placed on top it becomes ONE VERY HEAVY rack.
I do believe that my assembly WILL help to at least a degree in eliminating floor-borne vibrations.Also I plan to further isolate every component individually.
Regards
George

Hi Yioryos,

Thank you for your question and your comment.

I don't consult on DIY projects but I will say that squash balls, racquet balls or tennis balls are not nearly compliant enough to achieve the low resonant frequency your project will require. They also contain a very small amount of air which significantly compromises their ability to decouple. Lead shot is massive and damped but is also not very compliant so it too is not going to achieve significant decoupling. I would suggest that you assess how much vibration is being transmitted into each component from the structure of the main rack itself due to BOTH floor-borne and air-borne vibration. It is probably more effective to have the vibration control device under each component individually. Decoupling the entire rack at only the bottom or the top still leaves the components subject to a number of forms and sources of vibration.

Properly controlling vibration requires that one address all three main sources of vibration: floor-borne, air-borne and internally-generated vibration.


Best Regards,

Barry Kohan

Hi to all.
On this subject I like to add a similar project I got on the go right now.I constructed my own Aluminum audio rack a little while ago.In fact I started a thread under "Misc Audio" describing the fabrication details.Currently I am working on a device that will isolate the entire rack components and everything on it from floor vibrations.Here is the details.First I have to say that I am an experienced commercial aluminum fabricator/installer (curtain wall type of windows in high-rise buildings),worked with glass and aluminum for years and I am a Union Glazier/Metal mechanic by trade.Making projects like this require skills ,tools,workshop and working with metal can be dangerous.Safety comes first as we all know.Basically I made four boxes(cases) out of 1/2" thick heavy gauge industrial grade aluminum .What they are really is two 4" by 6" by 1/2" "L" shaped aluminum angles that are fastened facing each other,so that they form a box of 4"x6"x 4" deep.I made a bottom piece and a top piece.The top piece is freely moving inside the box because it's cut a touch smaller (about 1/16" perimeter clearance)The bottom piece is tapped and secured on the underside with 8 screws.All connections are made with 1/4" x 20 Flat head medium thread stainless steel machine screws in order to keep the entire assembly non ferrous non magnetic.All four boxes are braced together with aluminum tubing of 1" by 2"@ 3/16" wall thickness size.The bracing looks like the letter "H" only with a double middle horizontal bars for additional strength and stability.All these four boxes connected together will be placed under my rack's four feet.Every foot corresponds with a box.The boxes will be filled with lead shot or double squash balls.The free moving undersized 1/2" aluminum cover will rest on top of the lead shot or double side by side squash balls,and the rack's feet will rest on top of these floating covers.As an extra safety precaution I will machine a "dimple" on the center of the floating cover that will accept the disk footing of the foot of the audio rack.Under the center of the disk footing I will fasten a 5/16"carriage bolt that comes with a smooth spherical head,that spherical head will protrude under the disk footing and will fit in the dimple that I will machine on the surface of the cover.It won't slide out of position!Will experiment with what works best for filling the boxes....As an option I will drill and tap the underside of the boxes with 1/2" hole to receive a brass 1/2" threaded cone.
Barry Kohan.You got an amazing line of products ,would you care to comment on my project and any critical estimates and recommendations are welcome.
Regards
George

Hi Jahaira and Psychicanimal,

Whenever a compliant mount is used under a component, the amount of compliance (how springy the mount is) must be optimized for load weight. A mount designed for a very heavy device like a large transformer or motor will be significantly less effective for a much lighter load weight such as a turntable or other audio component.

In physics it is called Mass Over Spring where the compliance of the spring must be optimized for the mass and weight placed on top of it. If the mass and weight of the load is significantly under or over the optimum range for the particular spring employed the ability to reject displacement (vibration) will be significantly reduced. The term Spring as it is used here does not mean just a coil of metal but refers to any compliant material that is placed under the mass.

Best Regards,

Barry Kohan

This is what I just did.Made a furniture grade box out of oak veneered 3/4" plywood.Mitre joints .Stained and laquered it by hand.Also made a cover(lid) out of same material and glued oak trims(mitred again) on the edge of all four sides.The cover is bigger than the box by 3/4" of an inch all around.On the underside of the cover piece I glued a second 3/4" plywood that is a little smaller than the inside dimensions of the box.Inside the box I laid a 14" bicycle inner tube and then placed the cover on top.So the cover is now resting on the 14'bicycle tube and my CD transport is placed on top.It's a homemade isolation platform.My box is deep so I might add a second horizontal chamber filled with about 1" of lead shot or fine sand ,plywood on top ,then 14"bicycle tube and cd transport
on top.It was a fun project with very good results.
Hope this helps and inspires you to put your tool belt on,this weekend.
Regards
George.

I use a Rubber/Cork/Rubber pad under my TT. This one is a 18" x 18" x 7/8" pad ( like the Isopads) and weights about 7 lbs. The Psychic knows the product because he got a pair the last time he visited our island. This pad is used under power transformers, heavy motors and other industrial equipment to isolate and/or reduce vibrations.

Jahaira.

That should work really good w/ big isolation transformers (plus some hardwood boards & cones). I've used foam/bubble wrap with my power delivery/noise control gear successfully.

A concrete paving slab on top of a 4-6" foam slab is a remarkable isolation setup. The CD player is coupled firmly to the massive concrete block, and the compressed foam is unable to transfer any ground based vibrations to the massive concrete slab.

Oh, and it costs $10-$20. Low WAF, though. I use it under my rega planar 3 turntable with excellent results.

What are SS couplers?

Drain and isolate are two different concepts. Drain removes internal vibrations and isolation prevents external vibrations from entering (as well as keeping internal vibrations trapped). I would not recommend using cork or rubber next to the component since that will trap (isolate) the vibrations internally. Symposium makes effective platforms that do both by using a metal to drain (remove) internal vibrations and foam to isolate and convert vibrations. Try using a piece of stainless steel (non-magnetic) on top of wood along with SS couplers. Or use aluminum if that's easier to get you hands on.

Hi Nick,

Any rigid mounting of your Rega (such as a spike or cone) will allow vibration to travel in BOTH directions - down out of the player and up from the floor INTO the player. The same is true when placing a piece of any rigid material under the player (such as a slab of stone or wood). In addition, any unwanted ringing or resonance the slab of material under the player exhibits will affect the signal flowing through the component.

Decoupling the component will restrict floor-borne vibration from making its way into the component. The key is to decouple it effectively. Cork or rubber are only moderately effective as decoupling materials.

It is also important that air-borne vibration (traveling directly through the air from the speaker towards the component's chassis) and internally generated vibration (from spinning motors, humming transformers and cooling fans) be addressed. A well designed and comprehensive vibration control system will address the multiple forms of floor-borne vibration as well as air-borne vibration and internally-generated vibration.

Best Regards,

Barry Kohan

Disclaimer: I am a manufacturer of vibration control products.