Someone else had the furniture caster cup idea way before I did. Just found this... https://www.stereophile.com/content/make-your-own-roller-bearing-isolation-system-1650-1 Maybe not DH cones under the Taranis, Geoff. Does look like 'em though. |
Yup ghosthouse, Geoff already stated the case---it’s a matter of friction. The plastic of the caster cups isn’t smooth (on the microscopic level of the vibrations we are talking about) or hard enough to provide a friction-free surface for the ball bearing to be free to move across. But I agree with you, Diament’s wooden Easter egg cup suggestion is worse than your plastic caster cup one, wood being way too soft and textured to work well as a bearing cup. Barry proposed it to anyone wanting to try the roller bearing idea on the cheap, before spending any money on real ones. A poster on his site is the one who suggested concave drawer handles/pulls, the best idea for ultra-cheap bowls. The good news is that Ingress offers a set of three top/bottom cups for so cheap that the even cheaper alternatives aren’t necessary. IMO, what Geoff has long suggested for isolation---the combination of roller bearings for lateral/rotational, and springs for vertical, provides a whole lot of isolation for not that much dough. To get more, one has to move up to the Townshend Seismic products (around $350 and up), and then up to the microscope isolation platforms by MinusK, Newport, and others. That’s some serious money, over $2k! |
Hello bdp - I appreciate the discussion. As a sometime microscopist in the past (optical and SEM) I certainly appreciate how surfaces appear under magnification. Given the apparent quality of the Ingress roller block products (it IS pretty looking stuff) C$85 for a Level 1 set does not seem unreasonable. One thing that does have me wondering about the practical value of a more highly polished surface (not to mention added cost) is realizing this evening how cabling hanging off the back of a component likely interferes with free movement in both horizontal and vertical planes. I wonder if this sort of cable "inertia" overrides the benefit of a surface that is smoother at a microscopic level. In the short term, I'll experiment with the plastic housings and stainless bearings. Thinking the addition of a bit of silicone (or even lightweight spindle oil) will help "smooth out" some of the bumps. We'll keep the Ingress products in mind, however - as well as the DH Cones. |
