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DIY Planar/orthodynamic/isodynamic drivers

So I have been working on the replacement diaphragm for the T50rp headphone as that would allow me to get a full headphone out sooner, that way more people will be able to hear my sound.

I have done some work on the trace as you can see below:
Old: 16 Ohms
Fd7w5Qr.jpg

New: 36 Ohms
zsr5lOU.jpg


I also used my new tension jig this time to apply a really low tension which has fixed the issues I had with this driver before.

I have spent all of today trying different damping materials and I think I have it close to what I like but would need a bit more time to get the finer things correct. I also would like to design some decals for the headphone cups and a headstrap to improve comfort.
 
orangeart said:
Will these be able to fit in some of the cups on AliExpress without adapters now?
Click to expand...

This is to go inside an existing headphone people like modding (the T50rp MK3), I plan on potentially selling it as a completed headphone with this driver inside. Others sell modded versions of this headphone such as the modhouse argon.
 
Cool, so as they are popular, there is a likely hood of finding other cups the same size elsewhere like Ali express I guess?
 
orangeart said:
Cool, so as they are popular, there is a likely hood of finding other cups the same size elsewhere like Ali express I guess?
Click to expand...

Potentially, I mean they would be small enough to fit in almost any housing as long as an adaptor/faceplate was used. However my idea for this was that since there is a lot to explain and help with when selling just the drivers themselves, it would be nice to just sell a whole headphone so that there isn't any risk of damaging the product.
 
I forgot to mention, I would only be making the diaphragm in this driver as the original headphone already uses a planar driver, it's just that the diaphragm is much thicker and heavier than mine. This is also good as it means I don't have to make the magnet array.

I quite like the idea of doing this as its unique compared to other T50rp mods out there that you can currently buy.
 
Carbon fibre plates arrived! Now to have some fun and see what differences it makes compared with before. One thing for certain, they are a hell of a lot more rigid/strong, barely able to get them to flex at all.

6GLx7t4.jpg
 
Good and bad news. The good news is that the tension no longer changes when the driver is bolted together. The bad news is that I hadn't realised that carbon fibre is slightly conductive which messes with the resistance when glued to the trace.

Since this worked well for the tension I think I will just have to get it made again but out of Fr4 fibre glass which has very similar properties but isn't conductive and might even end up costing less.

It now makes sense why others in the industry use fibre glass over carbon fibre, it's a shame because carbon fibre is slightly more rigid, but you learn as you go I guess.
 
orangeart said:
Can you not just paid a layer of something not conductive over it? Another layer of epoxy?
Click to expand...

I thought about this, I just meant that long term I would rather use a material that isn't conductive by nature as I wouldn't want to risk not having fully coated it. I also wanted to experiment with making one of the spacers a PCB with via holes as this would allow me to make contact without directly touching it with a bolt.
 
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orangeart said:
Oddly enough, getting PCBs cut in China is probably the cheapest way of getting FR4 cut
Click to expand...

Yeah, you're probably right, was quoted £1.45 per spacer/PCB board (including shipping) if I ordered 50pcs total. Going to get a quote for some pure fr4 cut for the other spacer as I need that one to be thicker.
 
The first part of many has arrived!
ULd5wu6l.jpg

Sn5Jmh8l.jpg

Feels every bit as stiff as the carbon fibre when doing a bend test, with the added bonus that I don't have to make direct contact with the diaphragm anymore, they are also gold coated to prevent corrosion that would be caused if they were copper or nickel ect.
 
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