[kdb650]

Hi all,
 
A few years ago I had disillusions of creating a modern interpretation of the Grado 225. I thought maybe when I was done I'd share how it went but considering that hasn't happened yet, maybe if share what I have now it'll encourage me to finish up 

 

 
I started out with a rough design in CAD that replaced all of the original Grado components to have a base platform to test. The new design replaced the original plastic parts with aluminum and used carbon fibre for the headband (I'm kind of obsessed with CF).
 


 
After printing out a few plastic prototypes I found out they didn't even come close to fitting nor did they articulate enough to adapt to various people - whoops 

 The switch from spring steel to a carbon headband meant I had to spend a lot more time dialing in the exact shape and thickness of the headband to get a comfortable fit.
 



 
So I made CF headband to get a better understanding of how it differed from straight up printed headbands
 


 
...and kept on trying to get it right.
 




 
And I'm slowly getting closer in the design refinement
 


 
and here's where I'm stuck at the moment - working on figuring out how to make the headphone stand 

 

[Danthrax]

WOW that is amazing.

 

[dsavitsk]

WOW that is amazing.

Indeed!

 

[Alcaudon]

 
WOW! Those look amazing!! Grado should take note for for future versions. I've tryied to improve my SR-60 in the same way (more or less): http://www.head-fi.org/t/119314/post-your-grado-mods/1740#post_7716956, but they don't even come close to your design. Don't give up, I want to see those headphones fished

.
 
 
And the stand is also great. I was thinking of building a CF stand myself, but I'm a noob and it seems complicated to get a nice finish with CF.

 

[kdb650]

Thanks all! I do want to finish, I was recently motivated this weekend to get back to work on the headphone stand since I *think* it'll be the easiest to complete; I just need some instant gratification at this point.
 
Alcaudon: Wow your headphones are pretty sweet, are you a design or engineering student? I plan on doing wooden inner cups as well, were they hard to turn? They seem like they're going to be very fragile with such a thin wall thickness.
 
CF is definitely a huge pain, if you even touch it the wrong way the weave gets all messed up There are two ways you can work with CF to get a nice finish that I'm aware of. You can either have an absolutely flawless mold, something thats glass smooth so you can see a clear reflection of yourself on it (lots and lots of polishing, just like with your headphones ) or you can make your CF part and build up thin coats of epoxy on top and then fair the rough surface down and polish it. The first way is better if you plan on making multiples and the second way works if you only need a one off. With molds just know the CF is going to copy the exact finish of the mold, so if it doesn't look like the back of a brand new ipod it's not going to look so hot. It's also absolutely evil and toxic - if you do any sanding work on it you'll definitely want a full jumpsuit and ventillation systems/masks. I have a few pictures of the epoxy build up process on my blog here: http://spac3monkey.tumblr.com. Let me know if you have any more questions, I could always try and dig up some old photos for you.

 

[thelostMIDrange]

Now that's the DIY spirit ! awesome idea on the carbon fiber band. Hope you can perfect the process. Very clean minimalist and classic.modern look.

 

[slaw slaw]

It looks awesome.  

 

[jdkJake]

While the innovation and technique on the headband is impressive, in my opinion the overall look of the final results are what really makes this project shine. The cups are some of the most elegant and refined realizations I have ever seen on a headphone. Truly, a high-end look that just exudes class. Very well done indeed. 

 

[kdb650]

Thanks for the kind words all - I'm definitely itching to get things moving again! I tried contacting a few places this week to get quotes for making some molds but oddly enough nobody has written back so I'll just have to continue poking around. In the mean time I ordered a pair of SR60s for parts to have sent to the machine shop so I can make sure my parts fit snugly with the Grado parts (this way they can test the fit and make adjustments vs sending them back and forth across the country). Hopefully I'll make some progress this coming week to share

 

[SaxonFSU]

I'm very intrigued by the work you have done with the carbon fiber. I am studying materials engineering with a specialization in metallurgy and composite materials, and small scale forming and shaping of CF is very interesting to me. I've worked with fiberglass on a much larger scale (I built a boat), but I am always amazed with what can be done using small molds and shaping. Do you have any information or websites you would recommend I take a look at?

 

[Tribbs]

Quote:

Thanks for the kind words all - I'm definitely itching to get things moving again! I tried contacting a few places this week to get quotes for making some molds but oddly enough nobody has written back so I'll just have to continue poking around.

I wonder if John Grado himself should have a look.
Indeed, this is smart looking work.  Another class altogether.
 

 

[kdb650]

Quote:

I'm very intrigued by the work you have done with the carbon fiber. I am studying materials engineering with a specialization in metallurgy and composite materials, and small scale forming and shaping of CF is very interesting to me. I've worked with fiberglass on a much larger scale (I built a boat), but I am always amazed with what can be done using small molds and shaping. Do you have any information or websites you would recommend I take a look at?

 

That's awesome, I wish I would've known someone like you when doing FSAE work!
Unfortunately I can't really point you to anything  because my experience has come from a combination of trial and error and a bit of guidance from those more familiar with composite layups. I've built a race car with the smallest part being a steering wheel so the headband size is a new process to me as well. I'd suggest perhaps taking a peak at youtube; it has a surprising number of videos (still amazed that it's actually becoming a pseudo-legitimate resource). If you have any specific questions or an object in mind I'd be happy to share whatever I do know, just send me a PM.

 
Quote:

I wonder if John Grado himself should have a look.
Indeed, this is smart looking work.  Another class altogether.
 

Then it'd be mission accomplished if I can ever finish building them 

 

 

[nikongod]

This is seriously awesome! 

 

[KimChee]

Wow, those designs and design ideas look crazy.

 

[kdb650]

This weekend I worked on some small refinements of the design and an alternate simplified version that uses a mesh insert like the stock SR225s in place of the perforation pattern (which will be considerably harder to make). I figured I might as well start with something easier/cheaper to make first and once I get that down I'll try the other design. Tonight I'm sending the files out for quotes so hopefully that's reasonable and they're actually reasonably (have some complex stuff going on with the perforated one). Here's a few screen caps showing a few different combinations with the existing Grado parts.