Friday, March 15, 2019

Comprehensive Materials and Tools Guide to DIEM Making with helpful Resources

Hi Users of r/DIEMs

​

Many People don't want to share their Knowledge about their Craft, mostly because of monetary reasons. I respect that, but i firmly believe that if we want to advance as a Species we have to share what we know. We need to become a collective and work together.

​

"Unity is strength. . . when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved." --Mattie Stepanek

​

I will list all the Tools / Materials that i use to make DIEM's. I will add some helpful Links and list Prices that i've paid for said Tools / Materials. Feel free to comment with additional Links, Suggestions, Advice, Recommendations. If you have Questions don't hesitate and ask them, nobody will think bad of you for asking any questions.

​

I need to give u/lukepighetti a big thanks for creating this subreddit, without it and his sharing of knowledge, i wouldn't have been introduced to this amazing Craft.

Also i need to thank all Users on r/DIEMs for sharing their Knowledge and their Work with us. It's motivating to see what progress others make.

Let's all work together ;)

​

Info AliExpress: Delivery takes around one Month with free standard shipping.

Info Amazon: Use smile.amazon.com where you can. Amazon will give 0.5% of the total Amount paid to Charity. No Extra Charges or fees for you.

Info Silicon Impressions: I STRONGLY ADVICE AGAINST DOING YOUR OWN IMPRESSIONS AS YOU RUN THE RISK OF DAMAGING YOUR EARDRUM. Because of this i will not give any recommendations for Impression Materials and Techniques. As Music Lovers we need to protect our hearing, go to a Professional and get it done well (~30$ - 50$). Even then make sure that you go to someone well regarded. Link to Article, please read

​

​

Tools

​

​

  • Soldering Iron Stand or Helping Hand
  • I use a Stand that i bought from the same supplier as the T80 Soldering Iron. I recommend a Helping Hand for Soldering. It can hold the Armature and Connectors while you can use the magnifying glass to better see where you solder.
  • AliExpress T-Stand (13$)
  • AliExpress Helping Hand (14$)

​

​

  • Flux Fluid or Paste
  • Many people say to use Flux in addition to the Flux Core in Solder. I'm more than happy with the Flux already in the Solder. Flux Info

​

  • Desoldering Tools
  • I have not used any yet, Please share if you have Links or Info to good Tools Desoldering Info

​

  • Tweezers
  • I use them to hold the Armatures and the Litz Wire. You'll need them while soldering.
  • Amazon 11pc Tweezer Set (12$)
  • eBay Various Tweezer Sets
  • Bondic UV Glue
  • I use this to fixate the Drivers inside the Shell and glue on the Faceplate. It will be almost invisible because it is clear UV Acrylic and blends in with the Shell. You should be able to substitute this with the UV Acrylic for Shell making (Fotoplast or Nicefit), applying it will be more difficult tho.
  • Bondic Website / Shop (20$) (5 Refill 40$)

​

  • UV Nail Light 365nm
  • I use the one from the Link. The ones used for Nailart should all work. Make sure to get one with enough space in it and one that does reflect the light from all sides. It should have a removable bottom for easy cleaning and to install a rotating plate
  • eBay UV Nail Light (13$)

​

​

  • Dremel or Rotary Tool
  • I use a Dremel 3000 Set with an flexible small Attachement that makes it very easy to work with. Search AliExpress for Rotary Tools, 30$ upwards for Sets, use at your own Risk, as they are not made with the Safety Standards in mind that we do have here.
  • USE PROTECTIVE GEAR
  • Amazon Dremel 4000 Set (100$)
  • Amazon Rotary Tool Set (86$)
  • Rotary Tool Accessories Kit
  • It includes grinding tools needed to make an opening for an optional 2-Pin Socket.
  • AliExpress 295pc Kit (20$)
  • Precision Drill Bit
  • 3 mm - 4 mm Drill Bit for the MMCX Connectors
  • Amazon Drill Bit Set 1.5mm - 6.5mm

​

​

​

​

​

  • Sanding Paper
  • I use Paper with 120 grit to sand down the side where the Faceplate will be, then i follow up with 240, 600 and at last 2000 - 3000 Wet Sanding Paper. I sand down the whole Shell with 2000 - 3000 grit, so that the Lacquer will make a nice and even finish.
  • Amazon 36pc Set of Sanding Paper (8$)
  • AliExpress 42pc Set (8$)

​

  • Glas Nail File Set
  • I use a glas file to round off the edges of the faceplate. They work well with Acrylic and won't dull for a long time.
  • Amazon Glas File Set (14$)

​

  • Whetstone 1000/3000
  • I've bought this as i work with knives as well. I use it to fine grind down the Faceplates and the Shell where the Faceplates will be glued on.
  • AliExpress Whetstone 1000/3000 (32.30$)

​

  • Blu Tack
  • This will hold the Drivers in place for soldering. It will also hold the shell in upright position for the curing process of the Lacquer.
  • AliExpress Knockoff Blu Tack (3.50$)

​

​

​

  • Frequency Measurement Tool
  • Optional. If you want to go truly professional, you'll need to measure and balance your DIEMs Frequency response on both sides. For Home use your Ears will be enough measurement to discern differences on each side.
  • Those Measurement Tools are a great way to EQ your Headphones to The Harman Target Response Curve
  • diyearphones Veritas II (79$) - an external Soundcard and Software is required
  • Veritas II Guide
  • minidsp EARS (200$) - an external Soundcard and Software is required

​

​

Materials

​

​

  • Curing Times:
  • The more dark and opaque, the longer the curing time. Black opaque UV Acrylic will need around 30 minutes to an hour as it doesn't let much UV Light through.
  • Nicefit Clear and Fotoplast Clear; 1 Min 30 Sec
  • Fotoplast Black Transparent and Blue Transparent; 6 - 8 Min
  • Fotoplast Red Transparent; 6 Min
  • Fotoplast Purple (Blue and Red mixed); 6 - 8 Min
  • Nicefit mixed with Resin Obsession White Opaque; 20 Min
  • Example: You can mix Purple with clear UV acrylic to make it a lighter color or add black transparent acrylic to make it darker. Fell free to mix and match the UV Acrylic of a Brand to create different colors. (Mix different Brands at your own Risk, as there are different Chemicals used in different Brand's UV Acrylics)

​

  • Resin Obsession
  • They have opaque, neon and transparent colors for sale and the samples look awesome. I have used white opaque with good results, only use tiny drops and mix it into your UV Acrylic, then add more if necessary, too much and it will not cure in your UV Light. 1oz Bottle costs 13.50$ you'll need only a drop or two for a pair of Shells.
  • I ADVICE YOU TO SEAL THE SHELL WITH A LACQEUR SUCH AS DREVE LACK3 AS I DO NOT KNOW IF ACRYLIC OTHER THAN PURE DREVE FOTOPLAST WILL BE TOXIC ON PROLONGED SKIN CONTACT
  • eBay Resin Obsession (1oz 13.50$)
  • Small Cups
  • They are used to mix UV Acrylic and Resin Obsession. You can use anything you want. The flexibility makes them easy to pour into the mold.
  • eBay Resin Obsession Cups 1oz (20pc 7.20$)
  • Lightproof Bottles
  • If you want to store premixed UV acrylic, small ones will be enough for most.
  • SoundLink UV Proof Bottle (4.90$)

​

  • UV Lacquer / Varnish
  • I use Dreve Fotoplast Lack3 to get a nice, glossy-transparent finish on my DIEMs. I just sand down the Shell with 2000 - 3000 grit Sanding Paper, i clean them with isopropanol before I apply one layer of Lacquer (Ethanol or Lighter Fluid works too). You could use UV Nail Polish to lacquer the shell, but i do not know about the toxicity of it. Remember that it will sit in your Ear for a long time, it will get moist and warm too.
  • McEar.de Isopropanol 30ml (~3.50$)
  • McEar.de Dreve Lack3 4ml (~8$) - brush included in the lid but it leaves fine streaks.
  • McEar.de Pro3dure L1 Lacquer coloured and transparent (~9$) - Use clear UV Acrylic and colour it with Pro3dure Lacquer if you want, looks great too.

​

​

  • Glysol
  • This is used for Airless polymerization after curing the shells in UV light. You submerge the shell in a small cup of Glysol then cure it five to ten minutes. This will leave the Shell in a nicely cured, non sticky state. Alternatively you could use glycerine for this, then you'll need to cure it 8 to 10 minutes. Wash it with soapy water afterwards
  • McEar.de Glysol 30ml (~5$)
  • McEar.de Glysol 1L (~35$)
  • Balanced Armature Drivers
  • Soundlink on AliExpress sells Drivers a bit cheaper than McEar or Mouser Electronics. Bellsing Single Balanced Armature Drivers will sound the same as Knowles. Bellsing also manufactures unique 5-Way and 6-Way Drivers. I have bought the 5-Way Driver but have yet to use it in a DIEM.
  • There are Sonion Balanced Armatures as well, but they are rarely used in DIEM Projects. If any of you have any Experience with them please tell me and i'll add it here.
  • SoundLink Knowles Balanced Armatures
  • SoundLink Bellsing Armature Drivers

​

  • Most used Armatures for DIEMs:
  • Knowles Triple Driver GK-31732 (Neutral Frequency Response)
  • Knowles Quad Driver GV-32830 (Slighly boosted lower Frequency Response)

​

  • Dynamic Drivers:
  • Dynamic Drivers require a very specific Knowledge and lots of measurements, of the Air volume inside the Shell to sound balanced and well tuned. That's why you don't read much about them in DIEMs Forums. Dynamic Drivers are mostly used in Universal Shells. If any of you have any Experience with them please tell me and i'll add it here.

​

  • Silicone Sound Tubing
  • (2.0 mm ID, 3.0 mm OD) and (1.0 mm ID, 2.0 mm OD) ID = Inner Diameter, OD = Outer Diameter.
  • If you buy two of each, you'll have enough for many DIEMs, considering that you use the Method where you'll have a Tube for the Tweeter and one for the Woofer. There is a Method where you need to stretch a single Tube, so that it fits over both soundbores and then you'll only use one Damper for both. Users report that it works well with the Knowles GV. You'll probably need an Inner Diameter of at least 3.0 mm.
  • Use Silicone as it will not dry out like PVC or other plastics do.
  • SoundLink Tubing different sizes

​

  • Dampers
  • You should buy different coloured Dampers. It's nice to have enough different Dampers for experimentation.
  • An example for the Knowles GV Quad Driver: Knowles White 680Ω Damper on the Tweeter at 5mm and Knowles Brown 1000Ω Damper on the Woofer at 7mm, You'll need two of each, one for the left and one for the right side.
  • SoundLink Knowles various Dampers (2pc 2.90$)

​

​

  • Litz Wire
  • Pre tinned is expensive but comfortable to use.
  • You can buy Litz Wire on eBay / Amazon that you'll have to cut and pre tin yourself, between 0.03 - 0.05 diameter is good, it needs to be a coated wire.
  • Take small cutting pliers to strip the coating ~1 mm from the end of the wire, then melt some solder onto the soldering iron tip, then take the wire and pull it trough the molten solder that's sitting on the tip. Et voila! Now you've got yourself a pre tinned wire. The thicker it is, the less prone it is to breakage but max 0.1 mm or it will be hard to work with.
  • Amazon Small Cutting Pliers (5.70$)
  • SoundLink Litz Wire (10pc a 32mm 3.20$)
  • eBay Litz Wire 0.05mm (50m ! 10.50$)

​

​

  • Parrafin Wax
  • This is used to coat your Silicon impressions so that you'll get a smooth surface. I'm sure that you can take any Parrafin Wax for this. You can also fill any potential holes in your impression with a toothpick and the molten wax, before you dip the impressions into the wax. Only do one Dip or you risk that you have to grind off a lot of the shell to get a good fit.
  • Heat to 70°C/160°F
  • McEar.de Paraffin Wax 100g (~5$)
  • A clean Can to melt the Wax in
  • It needs to be put flat on the Cooktop. If you have an Induction Cooktop you'll need a magnetic can for it to work and only do it on low heat, it needs to melt not cook.
  • USE OVEN MITTS
  • TOO HOT AND IT CAN BECOME A NASTY FIRE, USE SAME PROCEDURE AS IF OIL WOULD BURN / DON'T USE WATER TO EXTINGUISH, PUT A NON FLAMMABLE LID ON TOP TO CUT OFF AIR SUPPLY AND TURN OFF THE STOVE

​

  • An IEM Cable
  • Use any MMXC Cable or Bluetooth Cable of your Choice or respectively an 2-Pin Cable, be aware that there are 0.75mm and 0.78mm 2-Pin Cables as well as some with notches and different connector lenght.
  • SoundLink IEM Cables (~20$ - 35$)
  • Null Audio Cables (~48$ - 1100$) - I have bought the Arete Series MKIII as there is no Cable like it (89$). I personally wouldn't pay more than 150$ for a Cable, as there isn't any noticeable difference in sound quality to a 30$ Cable. You pay mostly for the Material, feel and looks of the cables.

​

​

Helpful Links:

​

YouTube:

​

Websites:

​

​

This is intended as Work in Progress. I will update it with your Suggestions, Advice, Corrections and in general with things that i learn in the future.

​

I wish you much patience and fun perfecting your craft! :)

​

Version 1; March 14 2019



Submitted March 14, 2019 at 05:46PM by flonarak https://ift.tt/2TCGAWw
-
Labels: , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Does Long Distance Even Work? (Fucking My Dorm Mate)

​ I'm Hunter and I'm 18, just about to finish off my freshman year in college. So, to give some background on this story that happ...