[MuZo2]

  So....When you use lots of drivers inside a shell do you just not use any individual tubing and let the drivers play into the shell? Those Roxanne IEMs are 12 driver. How does all the sound get to the ear hole?

12driver can be 6 dual drivers.Some dual drivers are combined on one tube.

 

[CMOS1138]

6 tubes is still a lot to fit into an ear canal. If I was going to try and build something like that I would use 3 sound ports in the canal section and combine the tubes inside the shell before they get to the ear canal. I have no plans to attempt this.

 

[CMOS1138]

  How do you color the shells; which type of dye used?

 
My method is a bid different than most I think. I was not able to track down an acceptable dye source and so I make clear shells first, and sand them down to remove any rough edges and get a reasonable smooth surface. Next I paint the shells with a thin coat of nail polish, I picked nail polish because there is an infinite selection of colors, it dries reasonably fast, and it comes with a handy little brush. After the nail polish is dry I apply a topcoat layer of acrylic and cure with UV. the final topcoat layer gives me a nice smooth and shiny finish that is very durable. 

 

[SilverEars]

What are the benefits to multiple bore outlets?  What is the benefits to 3 outlets over 2 for example?  TF10 had 2 outlets for 2-way, and were 3 outlets started for 3-ways for any particular reason?

 

[shakur1996]

Roxanne has three quad proprietary Sonion and Knowles drivers, this is a 3 design with 3 soundtubes.

 

[Negataros]

   
My method is a bid different than most I think. I was not able to track down an acceptable dye source and so I make clear shells first, and sand them down to remove any rough edges and get a reasonable smooth surface. Next I paint the shells with a thin coat of nail polish, I picked nail polish because there is an infinite selection of colors, it dries reasonably fast, and it comes with a handy little brush. After the nail polish is dry I apply a topcoat layer of acrylic and cure with UV. the final topcoat layer gives me a nice smooth and shiny finish that is very durable. 

Hey there, was wondering if you have any pictures of your finished product with the method you just explained? seems pretty interesting

 

[CMOS1138]

 
These are 2 of the sets that I have built using GK series drivers.

 

[Dan Jarros]

Nice job CMOS. That looks exactly like what I hoped to be able to do when I started my designs.So these are your UV shells? Really shiny work. Now that I see them, just some basic questions:
 
UV gel cured in a clear negative? Knox gelatin or other?
 
Dremel cut the top ring off for the back plate?
 
Sanded with fine (400-600 grit) sandpaper?
 
Clear style acrylic nail polish then UV gel over that?
 
 
Thanks for raising the bar.
DJ

 

[CMOS1138]

 
 
"UV gel cured in a clear negative? Knox gelatin or other? "
 
  I use Knox gelatin since it is easy to obtain and cheep. I like your idea of using ballistic gelatin since it would be clearer, has that worked out well with repeated usage? any degradation of the clarity over time?
 
"Dremel cut the top ring off for the back plate?"
 
 Yes, that is exactly how I make the back plate. for my back plates I have switched from UV gel over to powder dental acrylic with liquid monomer, The reason I use the dental acrylic for the back plate is that it is not formulated as an adhesive and so it is easy to remove from the smooth surface after it is cured. I find that UV nail gel bonds so strongly to glass or stone (I use a polished marble tile since I broke the hand mirror I was using) that it is difficult to remove without destroying either the back plate or the smooth surface that you are using to cure on.
 
"Sanded with fine (400-600 grit) sandpaper?"
 
I start by rough shaping the back plate after it is attached with a stone dremel wheel in order to remove any trace of the joint between the back plate and the shell. Then  I use 180 grit sanding sponges that I found at home depot, they are perfect for this application because of the flexibility, you can bend them around any corner or into any shape you need, I find that sandpaper doesn't like to bend into smooth shapes without creating a sharp crease. I picked 180 grit only because that was the finest grain available for the sanding sponge. The resulting surface is smooth to the touch but hazy in appearance, the hazynes is resolved the next 2 steps.
 
Clear style acrylic nail polish then UV gel over that?
 
Yes, that is it exactly. It is important to use a translucent nail polish because I have found that they do a good job of hiding any imperfections in the shell and not showing brush strokes after the final UV gel coating is applied. Opaque / solid colors show brush strokes and imperfections to easily after the UV top coat is applied. 
 
 
 

 

[Shiikamaru]

Hi guys, 
 
running into some problems making the shell. i just made the shell using uv acrylic but once it cures, the outer layer of it is sticky all over. i have lp cleaner from egger which i believe is used to clear the greasy/sticky layer. how do i use the lp cleaner? do i dip the whole shell in it and put it back to cure? also i dipped my  impression in wax and while taking it out of the mould, the wax flakes inside the mould. how do i go about clearing it? below is the shell. its in very bad shape at the moment. i tried putting it into my ear and its quite uncomfortable. anybody got any tutorials on cutting and shaping the impression?
 
 
 


 
another thing, i just tested my ci 22955 with 1.5mm id tubings and its loose. how do you guys fix the tubing to the ba? 
 
help much appreciated. 

 

[CMOS1138]

Many of the issues you are having have been talked about recently on this forum. I know there are a lot of posts to read through but It is a great education for anyone wanting to make DIY IEM's
 
The sticky residue is caused by uncured acrylic, you can either wipe it off with alcohol (or the cleansing product you mentioned) and a lint free cloth, or you can put the shell back under the UV light until it is fully cured. I let my shells sit for 20 to 30 minutes under a strong UV light to fully cure and it may take even longer depending on the light and the acrylic.
 
It is difficult for someone else to tell you why the shell is uncomfortable, you need to think about it and identify for yourself exactly what part is not fitting correctly. You will probably have to do some sanding or grinding with a dremel once you identify what is causing the pain. For me, if the ear canal section is to long, I get extreme headaches and feel sick but you may have some other issue. Just looking at the pictures I can see some sharp edges that you need to grind down and sand smooth.
 
For tube attachment, please see the last few pages of this thread.

 

[MuZo2]

What DTEC are you guys using?
Also is HODTEC similar to Sonion 3700 or 3300?

 

[Negataros]

Does anyone have methods to getting custom art onto the face plates?

My idea is to print out the design on photo paper cut it out to the face plate and apply clear acrylic over and leave it to cure

 

[kaixax555]

Does anyone have methods to getting custom art onto the face plates?

My idea is to print out the design on photo paper cut it out to the face plate and apply clear acrylic over and leave it to cure

If I am not wrong Lear printed on cellophane paper and sandwiched it between the body and the faceplates

 

[CMOS1138]

  What DTEC are you guys using?
Also is HODTEC similar to Sonion 3700 or 3300?

I used DTEC-30008-000 for my quad but that was because it was the only one in stock at Mouser.