T/J (kinda) - Sound modules for sabers - design Q

[Jonitus]

I'm kind of off on a bit of a tangent, since the sound thread seems to be dealing primarily with the wiring of the module.

I recently acquired a sound module for a saber project. I checked against the Hasbro stuff, and this one is different, so at least I did not spend too much money on it.

I tested it last night, and it works, but the sound from the 1 3/8" mylar speaker is pretty bad. I checked the speaker, and it is 8 Ohm, 0.25W. I have a couple of questions about adding this setup to a saber:

1. I saw a miniature speaker at RadioShack that has a paper cone instead of Mylar. Is it worth replacing the speaker?

2. Fooling around with enclosures for the speaker, I came up with nothing. Could those of you who have done what I am trying to do show me how you did it (in terms of length of sonic chamber, how you fit all your electronics in the hilt, etc.)?

Thanks in advance.

...how will you know the light unless you have seen the dark? How will you know the good unless you have flirted with the evil?

[dbraxton9]

paper cones are old and busted, mylar cones are the new hotness.

[Jonitus]

Typically, I would agree with you, but not in this case. The saber sounds are not in the frequency range where a stiff cone material like Mylar can do a decent job. The wattage of the speakers is also so low that any benefits of a stiffer cone material are essentially a waste.

I checked the sounds from the module, and they range from 760Hz to 19000Hz. A paper cone speaker can easily handle that frequency range. The mylar cone speaker sounds brassy and harsh, even in an "enclosure". The tone will deppen noticeably in an "enclosure" and the volume does increase, but the sound is still brash.



...how will you know the light unless you have seen the dark? How will you know the good unless you have flirted with the evil?

[dbraxton9]

which do they use to make high-end headphones?

[Mystereon]

have you ever taken apart a watch and knicked the ceramic disc
speaker from the back plate?
it's about 0.5mmm thick and has two contacts!
try wiring that to your sound board, you'll get a very good response.
also try attaching a small disc magnet , like you get on the fridge.
and removing the cone from your existing speaker.
hold the ceramic, with the disc magnet on the back of it , close to the coil and magnet from the old speaker you have butchered.
Really ...no wires!! inducted (induced?) sound from about an inch away,
and through rubber and plastic too!!
REALLY !! NO WIRES!!
sorry to make myself clearer, no contacts attached to the ceramic
speaker, just to the old speaker, with the cone removed.
the ceramic has a tiny, strong magnet that i superglued to the back of it. so... no wires, i bring it close to the coil of the other and by electro magnetic induction ( i believe) it causes the metal disc to vibrate and produce sound, it sounds better with a sounding board of some kind admittidly.


lol
have fun

oh and by the way
http://www.chimerabespoke.com/myremote.wmv
http://www.chimerabespoke.com/remotewithsmoke.wmv

And Thanks and Deep Respect go out to Corbin Das
for his inspiration and assistance.

MR Ian




http://www.chimerabespoke.com/jedisig.jpg