I think the most commonly recommended adhesive in this thread -- and the one that I have used successfully -- is Contact Cement.  I use Dap Weldwood Contact Cement, seen here, but there may well be other brands selling a similar product depending on your location.  AFAIK, this (and more...

Slightly off topic but I am curious to head how people make the headphone bands.  So far, I've only used parts of old headphones, but would like to make my own.  I have access to a small sheet metal brake (a type meant for making the chassis of electronic devices), but nothing else in terms of...

Yes, I've made one pair of diaphragms with it.  It is VERY easy to use and seems to work relatively well.  I don't have a good way of comparing / measuring diaphragm tension, so can't speak to its effectiveness, but I can get the mylar drum tight (so that it has a clear note when tapped)...

Here is my new Mylar stretching rig, in case anyone is interested!     Some design details: -- Dowels run through the corners, with springs around the dowels pushing the frame apart.   -- Turnbuckles allow me to tension or loosen the frame evenly.   -- Each piece of frame that touches Mylar...

Well, from the looks of things, you seem to have figured it out!  But, for reference, I use the "Tiny G" post-processor.  Synthetos -- the company which made the Arduino G-Shield for GRBL -- also made Tiny G, and they support similar sets of G-Code.  ...

Thank you -JFK- !   I would also like to build a similar variable-bias power-supply soon, but need to spend a great deal more time learning about high voltage electronics first!     Also, I use Solidworks for CAD, and output .DXF files to Vectric Cut2D...

Hi -JFK-   Could you let us know a bit more about the amp you are building?  Or show us a schematic?     I have built several pairs of ES Headphones for my 'normal' (230V) bias Stax energizer, but would like to build headphones and speakers with a higher bias requirement.  I have very...

Yes, I made slots instead of drilling to reduce machining time (I am working on borrowed machine time), but there have been some issues of stator stability -- no resonance yet, but a certain amount of bending as they are fit into the (makeshift) case.     Wachara, on this pair of drivers, I...

Hey Folks,   Just thought I'd check back in with my latest ES headphone driver build.  No grand new ideas here, but I was able to get access to a CNC machine capable of cutting rather accurately, so am pleased with the build quality.  I am still having some difficulty finding the best way of...

There is also this book by Roger Sanders called the Electrostatic Loudspeaker Design Cookbook which seems quite expensive, but is probably floating around somewhere in a library or could be found cheaper than Amazon.

Thanks ChinsettaWong!  You're definitely right that I just need to start and make a few mistakes! OO

Hello again all,   I am glad as always that this thread continues to be as active and inspirational as it does.  My own headphone making studio has been somewhat dormant as other interests and jobs took over my time.  Fortunately, I've got some time now to reboot the machinery and see if I...

I figured as much.  The slotted stators should have an equal amount of open and conductive area as one with holes.   What type of paint do you use?  And do you cover them entirely or just the edges where they touch the spacer?   The stators are ~ 88 x 76 mm.  I would like to make larger ones...

Also, I would like to solicit criticism for this stator design.  It has slots rather than holes, and I made it simply to cut down on machining time.  On my CNC, it took over 20 mins to cut each stator with holes.  With this design, it took less than 10 mins.  How might it affect the sound...

jgazal, do you have a plan for how to coat a diaphram as such?  Perhaps a stencil held on top of diaphragm with your coating material sprayed or brushed on through?   A hopefully quick question with a long explanation: I put together another set of rectangular drivers yesterday.  These have...

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear.   I only hear distortion in the bass at higher volumes.  I *am* using a very crappy integrated power amp, but did not experience this problem on my first set of round drivers.  I added a pre-amp to try and take some strain of the power amp, which seems to have...

Sure.  I will attach a photo of their current test set-up (attached by rubber band to an old pair of earpads).  As with my previous pair, they are plagued with some build-quality issues that have more to do with my CNC than the design.  Fortunately, I think all build-quality issues on this pair...

So, I built a set of rectangular drivers today, sized around 75x90 mm.  I'm using .5 mm spacers with Stax normal (230V) bias, and a static-guard spray as coating.   The most obvious negative characteristic is that low-end distortion begins at higher volumes (a high, but not untoward listening...

Sure. It is large, but I only tend to use the first third to half of the table. Still fraught with issues -- mostly stemming from a mediocre stepper driver system, somewhat under powered steppers, and the use of threaded rod rather than proper acme screws.  Nevertheless, it does seem to make...

Just completed my first pair of ES drivers.  :)   Do they make noise?  Yes, they make noise which definitely resembles music.  In fact, they sound quite OK, considering everything that went wrong in the process:   --Most of my problems were due to slop and mis-calibration in my DIY CNC...

Wachara,   I'm only aiming at a 230v bias because I recently purchased an SRD-7 (sb) Stax Energizer to power my as-yet-unfinished 'stats.  This is probably not ideal.  It does, however, allow me to play around with DIY 'stats without a serious investment.  I will post back with results once...

Thanks.  This analogy definitely helps.   And thanks n3rdling for the explanation of the wiring / polarity / principle.   It seems most of your DIY ES headphones use a bias closer to Stax's "Pro Bias" of 580v.  Is there a reason that using a higher bias is easier for DIY construction?  I...

The first website mentions OS film being "Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP)" as opposed to mylar's "Biaxially Oriented Polyethylene Terephthalate (BoPET)" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BoPET)  Not sure what that means in terms of performance, but it does seem to mean that OS film is not...

Unlikely, Wachara!     Could you just confirm that by more 'open area' on the stator, you mean fewer holes, and therefore greater stator-area?  Or do you mean more open as in more openings (holes)?     Thanks, dude_500, for the reply as well.  I think I will start with 1 or 2 mm straight...

Hello Chinsetta and all DIY ES headphone folks,   Apologies if you had mentioned this earlier in the thread, but I was curious about one aspect in particular of ES headphone construction.   I have just begun reading Sanders' "Electrostatic Loudspeaker Design Cookbook" as one of the steps...