[David Perkins]

A while ago I said I would put together a tutorial on how I make the rotator I use with my IEM's.

Well, the time has come............ I am going to show everyone how I made the rotator below.





I made my own sleeve that goes over the tip for an alagotor clip to slide in.

Awesome! I really need this for the UV lacquer...

 

[Shilohsjustice]

Ok, first things first! Materials list;

Synchronous Motor (from Amazon.com)
SPST snap switch
iPhone 4 Box
(2) 8/32 x 1/4 screw
(2) 8/32 nuts
Old lamp cord
Alagator Clip for the end

First I marked the center of the box 1inch down from the top.

I drilled a hole 3/8 inch hole and then using the the motor as a guide I marked where the screws would go, and then drilled the holes for the (2) screws. I used 3/16 drill bit for the left and right screws, then secure the motor in place with the nuts.

I dressed up around the motor with a cut piece of vinyl, this is not necessary just for appearance. (You will see in the last photo I decided to change the vinyl to black)

Now the motor is in place I marked the side for the switch. Then I used an exacto knife to cut it out. With some fine trimming I pushed the switch into place.

In order for everything to fit correctly I had to modify the back part of the box. I notched it out so it would clear the switch, I love the iPhone boxes because they are very sturdy. I then used white electrical tape to clean the edges up.

From here I put the back piece of the box aside and started wiring the motor to the switch.

Now I modified the lamp cable by putting heat shrink on the end. I drilled the hole in the back left corner of the back of the box so the cord was nice and snug pulled through.

From here I just finished wiring it up.

I pushed the back of the box into the front, and while firmly pushing I super glued it together.

Here is the finished rotator!! All you need to do now is put the alagator clip on the end and your in business. I hope this helps you take you IEM building to the next level!!

Again this little tool helped me overcome several finishing issues, I hope it helps you as well!!

 

[ForceMajeure]

Awesome work!

Now I need to buy an Iphone for the box...

Do you cover the all iem with lacquer prior placing it for the cure?
How long do you let it turn under the UV?

 

[Shilohsjustice]

Awesome work!

Now I need to buy an Iphone for the box...

Do you cover the all iem with lacquer prior placing it for the cure?
How long do you let it turn under the UV?

I don't cover all of them, but when I do I coat the IEM and place under UV for about 1min 20sec, any longer can over cure the Lak and turn it yellow. Lak3 instructions say to expose for 1 min under 365nm.

 

[Spinnerauto]

I don't cover all of them, but when I do I coat the IEM and place under UV for about 1min 20sec, any longer can over cure the Lak and turn it yellow. Lak3 instructions say to expose for 1 min under 365nm.

what is your lacquer that you use for your iem ??

 

[tomekk]

what is your lacquer that you use for your iem ??

Shiloh probably uses Fotoplast Laquer 3. Egger offers Lack L.

 

[Shilohsjustice]

Shiloh probably uses Fotoplast Laquer 3. Egger offers Lack L.

Yes, I use Dreve Lak 3. I have had such great results with Dreve I have not tried Egger though I am very curious whether it is better or not.

 

[tomekk]

One more info, if anyone will be looking for something about a Fotoplast:

“ What is the main difference between Fotoplast Hard and Fotoplast S IO?”

Fotoplast hard can be used for massive earmolds and Fotoplast S IO is for the production of thin-walled shells for ITE-hearing aids.

It's good to have Dreve close to a home country.

Edit:

Oh man, I must say I am digging the epoxy resin pigment much much better than the acrylic ink for colored shells!!!!!



Renders perfect transparency, this color is magenta. Below is a test shell with lion art work. Double test, one for the color and the other for the lion.

My experiments with Epoxy resin pigments are not good. A mixture of Fotoplast with dye looks like a mixture of water and oil. Is split. This is a bad dye?



My epoxy resin dye:

 

[Shilohsjustice]

One more info, if anyone will be looking for something about a Fotoplast:

“ What is the main difference between Fotoplast Hard and Fotoplast S IO?”

Fotoplast hard can be used for massive earmolds and Fotoplast S IO is for the production of thin-walled shells for ITE-hearing aids.

It's good to have Dreve close to a home country.

Edit:



My experiments with Epoxy resin pigments are not good. A mixture of Fotoplast with dye looks like a mixture of water and oil. Is split. This is a bad dye?



My epoxy resin dye:

That is pacular, when I mix my epoxy resin it blends very easy. Try mixing the epoxy resin first as my label says if it sit too long the pigment can settle and it will need to be mixed prior to use.

 

[ForceMajeure]

I don't cover all of them, but when I do I coat the IEM and place under UV for about 1min 20sec, any longer can over cure the Lak and turn it yellow. Lak3 instructions say to expose for 1 min under 365nm.

My question was do you coat completely the ciem with lacquer for the cure or do you coat a certain area, cure and coat another one then cure again...etc?

I guess you do the complete coat.

 

[Shilohsjustice]

My question was do you coat completely the ciem with lacquer for the cure or do you coat a certain area, cure and coat another one then cure again...etc?

I guess you do the complete coat.

Coat the entire IEM, if you only do small sections at a time you will continually expose the laquer to UV which would cause yellowing. Coat the entire IEM and do 1 cure, if I need to build up anything I will coat that area only and use a hand held spot cure flashlight so I don't over expose other areas.

 

[ForceMajeure]

Coat the entire IEM, if you only do small sections at a time you will continually expose the laquer to UV which would cause yellowing. Coat the entire IEM and do 1 cure, if I need to build up anything I will coat that area only and use a hand held spot cure flashlight so I don't over expose other areas.

You really turned into a pro

 

[Xymordos]

And also if you coat certain areas first you'll be able to see the overlapping parts

 

[ziixtreme]

My question was do you coat completely the ciem with lacquer for the cure or do you coat a certain area, cure and coat another one then cure again...etc?

I guess you do the complete coat.

Don't be stingy on the laquer. Dip more but don't dip too much because it will have tearing effect. One tip, after the coat put it in place for 5 minutes before the curing to let the laquer even up. And one more, laquer is not the way to go, just my 2 cents.

 

[Deezel177]

Hey guys!

I've been interested in making my own pair of CIEMs lately and I've spent the past few days diving head first into this massive thread, and I'd like to thank each and every one of you for contributing to this compendium of information!

Now, I have a few questions to ask before committing to buying gear and materials. These questions are mainly aimed towards the shell-making process, as I don't even want to think about the electronics until I can get a decent shell process down.

1) What's currently the go-to material for making investments? From an availability and ease-of-use perspective, it seems @Shilohsjustice's gelatin + glycerine technique is currently the most optimal. However, are there any other techniques that trade-off the ease-of-use and availability of gelatin for a better result? I've seen hydrocolloid, among other materials, mentioned a few times here and I'd like to know its advantages against gelatin. I'd honestly rather work with gelatin so I won't have to wait for stuff to ship over, but if other materials like hydrocolloid offer significant gains, then I'll be open to options.

2) Is there a resource from which I can buy the majority of my gear and materials? I'd like to keep shipping to a minimum, as I live in Indonesia and it isn't the most resourceful or easy-to-ship-to place. So, are there any one or two sites where I can get enough gear and materials to get started? So far, I've checked out lightningenterprises.com. Please let me know if there are other sites I should visit.

3) Is there a more common alternative for Dreve Fotoplast S/IO? This is a question I ask mainly because I want to spend time prototyping, creating solid acrylic copies of my impressions, and getting a feel for things before using Dreve material for actual shells. Can I use something like UV gel for nails as a temporary substitute? I'm aware that Fotoplast will yield different results, but I'd like to make it easier on myself first before I do anything super serious.

Again, incredibly grateful to everyone here for the knowledge you've built up for newbies such as myself to get started, and anyone who'll take the time to answer the myriad of questions I will undoubtedly have in the future. Otherwise, I can't wait to get started and join you guys on this ridiculous hobby we call DIY audio!