Anatomy of a Ribbon Driver

As cultured, learned, and debonairre as I am, ahem... I still do not fully understand ribbon drivers. So I wonder of someone with a deeper knowledge of how they work would mind posting a tutorial of some kind. Graphics or photos would be great! Could you explain the materials in a (Carver) ribbon? How is it assembled? My sense is unless I try to take one apart (which I don't have) it might be tough to tell. I'm pretty sure there will be others who would benefit from knowing this, too.

Thanks!

-i believe the best answers, would be at wikipedia [key phrase ribbon transducer or ribbon speaker or ribbon kapton]]

-the materials are 2 outside vents/ particle board for spacing/ 1/4" x 1/4" x 3" rectangular magnets/ and the actual ribbon material [nuts/ bolts/ screws]

-the dupont ribbon iz like mylar w/ 2 or 4 trace wires running vertically...the trace wires are manufactured into the mylar

-the ribbon iz sandwiched between 3 rows of magnets...spaced by part. board then clamped w/ the vented covers and bolted together

-the reason i mentioned wikipedia, iz that i can not explain a convention driver very well...let alone a ribbon


-go slo

Imagine a row of magnets, representing approximately 36 lbs of total weight, attached in front & behind the ribbon, with about 1/4" space between them. The ribbon is then suspended between them, and attached/pulled from each side, top to bottom. The ribbon itself is a mylar type film with aluminum material glued to it in a top to bottom pattern up & down 4 times (like this but inverted like a long "M"):

! !-! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
!-! !-!

The ends are connected to the positive & negative speaker wires and the current run through the ribbon moves it in relation to the magnets (very similarly to a cone speaker, but with the "coil" material spread out over the area of the ribbon). This makes it very inefficient, but gives an incredibly seamless top to bottom, natural sound.

The new Sunfire Cinema Ribbons utilized a stamped circuit like circuit boards on the ribbon material, but are otherwise similar in structure.

-the g man wrote; The ribbon itself is a mylar type film with aluminum material glued to it in a top to bottom pattern up & down 4 times (like this but inverted like a long "M"):



-just 2x, [for ALS originals]

-theres a 'H' pc board [no-moe stock]...for to connect the traces to the drivers lead wires [red/ black]...bottom

-dunno about the top traces connection

I looked at Wikipedia, but nothing turns up.

-1st hit w/ this crapola vista device...didnt try the above phrases tho ...looks pretty ok


http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.c ... le+speaker

-a very decent post;

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=7145

Imagine a row of magnets, representing approximately 36 lbs of total weight, attached in front & behind the ribbon, with about 1/4" space between them. The ribbon is then suspended between them, and attached/pulled from each side, top to bottom. The ribbon itself is a mylar type film with aluminum material glued to it in a top to bottom pattern up & down 4 times (like this but inverted like a long "M"):

! !-! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
! ! ! !
!-! !-!

The ends are connected to the positive & negative speaker wires and the current run through the ribbon moves it in relation to the magnets (very similarly to a cone speaker, but with the "coil" material spread out over the area of the ribbon). This makes it very inefficient, but gives an incredibly seamless top to bottom, natural sound.

The new Sunfire Cinema Ribbons utilized a stamped circuit like circuit boards on the ribbon material, but are otherwise similar in structure.

I wanted to give a better representation than the previous one:

Ribbon Cross Section.JPG (24.39 KiB) Viewed 678 times

Good information shared in all these posts, thanks. I'm seeing the differentiation between the ribbon design and the electrostatic design. "Kapton," I assume, is a particular brand name for the film. What is it's thickness? Are there any commonly available materials that are relatively similar? What metal is the conductor in the ribbon made? Copper?

Rodney, I don't know if "kapton" is the brand or if that's the terminology for the particular process of attaching it. In the Amazings, it's made of aluminum. In the new Sunfire CRM ribbons it's a stamped circuit, don't know from what material. It's pretty thin. James' "Super Ribbons" were made from approximately double thickness kapton. The problem with that is it almost doubles the resistance of the ribbon, making a 48" ribbon approximately 1.7 ohms. Perhaps James will chime in here.

Kapton® is a registered trademark of 3M as shown here. As far as I know it's the carrier. Jame's ribbons must have a higher conductivity trace.

[DaveS]

Don`t you mean DuPont?

Yes, of course. What was I thinking.

Yes, of course. What was I thinking.

-pretty funny...in a way only , mr billd can provide


-i thankya, see

Rabbit was very close....

My Kapton is the same as the Kapton used in the Carver ribbons... the change I made, was making the aluminum traces thicker, allowing the ribbon to produce higher volume, and also allowing it more material to dissipate the heat.
A Carver ribbon is rated around 300-400 watts at 4-ohms after that, you are looking at a good chance of damaging it.

My ribbons runs effortlessly between 1000 watts at 2-ohms and down to 2400 watts into 1-ohm.
They are TRUE amp killers... I fried a TFM-45 that was bi-amped running just the ribbons.

Anyone from Carverfest can attest to the fact that the system has WAY more headroom, than your ears do.