[Pointy]

Hi everyone,
 
Recently I bought a Grado SR60i and not short after a second pair, which I intend to use as a test-subject for mods (and on the road where the cans might get damaged).
 
One of the more easy MODS I should be able to do is a new housing, since I own a small CNC machine.
Seeing all this great inspiration here is really helpful. However, they're a lot of pages..
Currently I'm designing the whole thing in Solidworks. From there I should be able to concoct a nice housing.
Can someone help me out with some pictures of the innards? The outside measurements are pretty easy, but I don't want to open up my cans yet.
 
In exchange a picture what I've got so far.
 

 

[GREQ]

Quote:

In exchange a picture what I've got so far.
 

I like it, but I think the 'pointy' text should be the same way round, otherwise it's too difficult to read. 
Also the letter spacing is too wide. The font choice is OK if you want to give it a more 'expensive/executive' feel. 

 

[fleasbaby]

A lot of the cups I have looked at and some of Grados are actually "unibody" designs, so don't panic about the sleeves, etc. As I understand it you simply need a lip within the chamber to rest the driver in, and a lip on the outside to hold the earpads....
 
That said, I am still watching the mailman like a hawk for my pair of cups . What do I know?

 

[Pointy]

I'm not trying to make too much plans as of yet, since I am still on the learning curve in 3d design. First goal is to get an accurate model designed. The Grado models are pretty basic, which makes them ideal candidates to further learn Solidworks.
 
From what I can see the design is pretty much straightforward, I figured as much that there would be a lip inside for the driver. Unibody design on a portal CNC is possible, but there would be a couple of trade-offs made. I'd prefer for my first cup design to be as close to the original as possible. This way I won't need to worry about the acoustic properties and focus on developing a feel for making the cups. There will be quite a number of small tricks, which you can only discover while making a pair.
 
As far as the lettering goes: It server no purpose other than marking my territory
This is not the design to be made, just a case study.

 

[dwatanabe]

What kind of new cups did you get? I've been trying to hunt down wooden cups and they are always either more expensive than the headphones i want them for(sr225, not i) or sold out. Is there any alternative cups? I kinda mangled mine when trying to install one of those tiny inputs so I could detach the cable(bad idea to begin with but they were my first headphone worth trying to mod) so I'm trying to get new cups and recable them with something decent.

 

[fleasbaby]

Good call on trying to mimic the original as much as possible. A word of warning though, I asked a few folks who make custom cups about making just the sleeves for me, and the only one who currently offers them said they were a little tricky...not sure if this was because of a lack of tools, or simply the thinness of the walls...
 
Another cup maker very kindly offered to prototype a pair.
 
From what I have gathered the unibody route is easier, and just as good sonically.
 

 

[Pointy]

Quote:

Good call on trying to mimic the original as much as possible. A word of warning though, I asked a few folks who make custom cups about making just the sleeves for me, and the only one who currently offers them said they were a little tricky...not sure if this was because of a lack of tools, or simply the thinness of the walls...
 
Another cup maker very kindly offered to prototype a pair.
 
From what I have gathered the unibody route is easier, and just as good sonically.
 

 
Good to know that the acoustics are not affected by a unibody. Thruth be told, unibody would be easier to design, since the innards would be just straight with a lip. But where is the challenge in that. Plastic vs. wood will always be a trade-off in wall size, since plastic is more rigid.
 
Lip added, thanks for the confirmation.
 
 

 

[Pointy]

Little update.
 
Being the impatient one I decided to make a styrofoam try, to see if I got all my settings in solidcam right. Which I don't, seeing that the text falls over the chamfer.
Chamfer has to be set smaller, I think it's an error in the diameter setting of my chamfer drill.
 
I do kind of like the look of the lettering and the larger chamfer, but am afraid of breaking the small faces inside the letters.
Also final version text won't be so deep, but otherwise it won't show up in the styrofoam.

 

[scootsit]

Quote:

Little update.
 
Being the impatient one I decided to make a styrofoam try, to see if I got all my settings in solidcam right. Which I don't, seeing that the text falls over the chamfer.
Chamfer has to be set smaller, I think it's an error in the diameter setting of my chamfer drill.
 
I do kind of like the look of the lettering and the larger chamfer, but am afraid of breaking the small faces inside the letters.
Also final version text won't be so deep, but otherwise it won't show up in the styrofoam.

Could you make one out of just about anything? I had some thoughts some time ago about what cup materials might sound the best. I know people love Limba wood, and with good reason, I can presume, given that it is a tone wood. But, there are likely some very interesting synthetic products that would sound interesting. I've always wanted to try making cups out of thick cardboard sandwiched, or maybe with chipboard, glued en mass. I also think MDF would probably have great sonic properties, but it would be interesting to fit the drivers into a styrofoam cup and see how they sound. Another thing, the internal geometry does matter. Grado keeps it pretty simple, but you may be able to even improve upon it internally. I also was curious about using something like copper pipe, supposedly different metals have different sounds. I'm guessing you want as hard as possible, maybe iron, or if you don't want to break your neck when you put them on, Ti? I mean, this is all very expensive playing, but I'd bet there's some potential there. Also, blocks of glass or acryllic would look amazing if you could maintain the clarity. Lexan is supposed to be pretty damn hard, it would probably work well.

 

[crepuscular457]

Glass grado cups? why has nobody tried this?
 

 

[fleasbaby]

...you'd probably have to blow then, I doubt you could cut them out with a CNC...or could you?
 
It would be interesting to see the effects of perspex, mdf, etc, etc...
 

 

[backtofront001]

Hey guys, just wanted to stop in here and make a quick post/plea for help before I put this in the Headphones forum - So, the other day I picked up my RS1s only to realize that the right channel is completely gone. I have no idea why or how but it is not working. Does anyone have any troubleshooting tips or have experienced the same phenomenon?
 
Thanks.

 

[GREQ]

Quote:

Hey guys, just wanted to stop in here and make a quick post/plea for help before I put this in the Headphones forum - So, the other day I picked up my RS1s only to realize that the right channel is completely gone. I have no idea why or how but it is not working. Does anyone have any troubleshooting tips or have experienced the same phenomenon?
 
Thanks.

It hasn't happened to me but probably wear and tear over the years has cut the connection to the right channel - most likely very close to the plug or very close to the right side phone. 
These wooden Grados are the most difficult to open and perform DIY repairs on, due to the glue between the wood and driver enclosure - you probably need to send it directly to Grado for a repair.

 

[Pointy]

Quote:

Could you make one out of just about anything? I had some thoughts some time ago about what cup materials might sound the best. I know people love Limba wood, and with good reason, I can presume, given that it is a tone wood. But, there are likely some very interesting synthetic products that would sound interesting. I've always wanted to try making cups out of thick cardboard sandwiched, or maybe with chipboard, glued en mass. I also think MDF would probably have great sonic properties, but it would be interesting to fit the drivers into a styrofoam cup and see how they sound. Another thing, the internal geometry does matter. Grado keeps it pretty simple, but you may be able to even improve upon it internally. I also was curious about using something like copper pipe, supposedly different metals have different sounds. I'm guessing you want as hard as possible, maybe iron, or if you don't want to break your neck when you put them on, Ti? I mean, this is all very expensive playing, but I'd bet there's some potential there. Also, blocks of glass or acryllic would look amazing if you could maintain the clarity. Lexan is supposed to be pretty damn hard, it would probably work well.

CNC potentially can cut all materials, you're just very dependent on cooling and so on. And the router size is very important. I have a small cutting bed, made out of MDF.
This limits my options in what I can cut. Besides, glass is just too damn heavy and would be prone to chipping.
 
MDF would be a simple option, I might contemplate making a try-out set in MDF. However, I have to rebuild the cutting file every time. Different types of material require different cutting speeds and RPM's.
 
My main work on the CNC has been with Plexiglass so far. Maintaining clarity in plexiglass is damn simple too, just heat the cut edges ever so slightly. When it hits the right temperature it'll regain the clear-look. The only real downside is that the stuff is mighty expensive and it usually comes in plates. Every once in a while I visit the supplier to scavenge their leftover bin. I'll keep an eye out for a block of plexiglass. See if I can make at least one cup.
 
But like I said, all is in the designing-phase. The styrofoam cups were just me being impatient again. Main focus is adding functionality to the design. I've got some nifty ideas that I want to work out, but they all depend on the cups accommodating them. Then again, I might give the exterior design a make-over. I never quite know when inspiration hits.

 

[fleasbaby]

Quote:

It hasn't happened to me but probably wear and tear over the years has cut the connection to the right channel - most likely very close to the plug or very close to the right side phone. 
These wooden Grados are the most difficult to open and perform DIY repairs on, due to the glue between the wood and driver enclosure - you probably need to send it directly to Grado for a repair.

On the plus side, the Grado team is super-nice about repairs, and it is unbelievably cheap. I can't vouch for pricing, but they rushed me $40 to put new drivers and sleeves in my 225i. And they turned them around in about 4 working days.