Vibraplane: Should it be loaded close to limit?

Great info thanks

I've been poking around the web trying to come up with a BOM list for building something like this. As it turns out, even though I already have a compressor it would cost me at least $1200 just in parts to get the features of the 2210.

Here is a spec sheet for an air spring similar to what is used in the Vibraplanes. The graph at the bottom shows the information Peter was looking for, just not specific to that exact product. Still, we can see how adding mass moves the frequency at which damping is the least farther down the graph. Neat stuff.

Air Spring

Thanks for digging this up Pete, much obliged.

It certainly is an interesting unit. Since my table weighs around 120 lbs, I've also simply placed it on top of the Vibraplane. The active system makes leveling a whole lot easier than the passive version I'd guess - mine maintains level perfectly once you set the three thumbwheels to the correct height (I'm at 3.75 inches for now). The compressor kicks on once every six hours or so, so I either have a very very slow leak, or that's just how it functions...comments on the interval of compressor cycles would be welcome. The compressor is a Jun-Air, and is the most silent air compressor I've ever experienced - you only hear it click on and off; I think they were designed for dental offices.

My initial impressions are of a drop in background noise by several orders of magnitude, not a softening of the sound, but rather a very black background. Low frequencies certainly have better control and articulation, especially way down low. My concern at the moment is the nature of the top plate itself - given that it's non-magnetic stainless steel, the same material as the cones on the bottom of my deck, I notice a bit of stridency introduced into the upper midrange, a quality that was absent with my aluminum top-plate sandbox. I'm guessing I'm getting a bit of 'chatter' due to the two equally hard materials interfacing with slight surface imperfections exacerbating the situation. I'm going to experiment carefully with intermediary materials between the deck and the Vibraplane, either substituting cone material or introducing another shelving layer between the two.

At 180 lbs, the Vibraplane is a two man lift to be sure, so haphazard swapping in and out is not on the agenda. It will be a while before I solidify my thoughts on what, exactly, it brings to the table over alternative isolation methods, such as my beloved sandbox.

Palasr, doesn't the top plate have three mounting bolts? I wonder if a different material could be used.

Dan,

The surface has no holes; it's an option. I did think of putting my sandbox directly on the VP, but it was too heavy (around 190 lbs (!)) - we each stood on a separate bathroom scale, and aggregated the results, minus our respective weights. A funny sight to be sure.