stacking blocks x-cite

[nando]

Is there a way to get more x-cite stacking blocks for the MF x series?

I have 9 small case cans but not enough blocks to stack them.
I often search ebay and other sites for them but haven't found them. Maybe 3D printing and/or using the original at the front?

[nando]

Nobody interested? I'll talk to myself then.

I found an auction of two x-cite stacking blocks... The bidding is allready at GBP 25 + GBP 18 postal. Thats GBP 43 -> 47,5 euro for two pieces of aluminium and a splash of black paint... insane!

I do want them but not for that price...

[nando]

The x-cite blocks finally went for GBP 49,88 + GBP 18 = GBP 67,88 (EUR 74,42 / $89,58). Crazy!

But I might have found something. At my new workplace there is a 3d printer which does a decent job with details. So I will make friends with the people who know how to operate this thing.

[nando]

The first version of the 3d printed x-cite is ready. Isn’t perfect but does it’s job already. Will be refining the design and the second version will come in the near future.

[pingu]

Nov 19, 2017 22:39:33 GMT nando said:

The first version of the 3d printed x-cite is ready. Isn’t perfect but does it’s job already. Will be refining the design and the second version will come in the near future.

Hi,

If you have a pattern then why not cut a set out of aluminium or plastic / wood. However at the prices you quote it may be worth getting a load cut commercially and selling them off on fleebay.

All the best
Martin

[pingu]

Ps Nando,

been thinking on the above;
Now I am not it savy so bear with me pls.
If you have one block is it possible to scan it into a computer and then convert the image into a file for a 3D printer?
May not be able to do this I don't know

Martin

[PinkFloyd]

Draw around it on a sheet of 18mm MDF, cut it out with a jigsaw, sand it, prime it and give it three coats of satin black

[nando]

Nov 20, 2017 12:29:00 GMT PinkFloyd said:

Draw around it on a sheet of 18mm MDF, cut it out with a jigsaw, sand it, prime it and give it three coats of satin black

What's the fun of that when a student made the measurements and printing for me?

I don't think I could make the tiny ridge on these things very accurately with wood. I would probably break them clean off...

[PinkFloyd]

Nov 20, 2017 21:58:49 GMT nando said:

Nov 20, 2017 12:29:00 GMT PinkFloyd said:

Draw around it on a sheet of 18mm MDF, cut it out with a jigsaw, sand it, prime it and give it three coats of satin black

What's the fun of that when a student made the measurements and printing for me?

I don't think I could make the tiny ridge on these things very accurately with wood. I would probably break them clean off...

Send me one over mate and I'll saw you out an MDF "beauty"

[nando]

This is the first version.



Here is where something went wrong.


The 3d machine is quite precise with this ridge and the material is hard so it is durable.

[nando]

Nov 20, 2017 9:24:15 GMT pingu said:

Nov 19, 2017 22:39:33 GMT nando said:

The first version of the 3d printed x-cite is ready. Isn’t perfect but does it’s job already. Will be refining the design and the second version will come in the near future.

Hi,

If you have a pattern then why not cut a set out of aluminium or plastic / wood. However at the prices you quote it may be worth getting a load cut commercially and selling them off on fleebay.

All the best
Martin

I think a 3d printer is cheaper than machining it out of metal. A cartridge for the 3d printer (we have) is about 20 euro and you can make several blocks out of it. Of course is isn't black painted but wood or metal isn't either.

If the quality of our blocks goes up I might try selling them on ebay. The price is very high because they are rare. If I flood the market with cheap knock-offs the high price might be gone as fast as a fart in the wind.

[PinkFloyd]

I don't think you want "metal" as a block Nando..... MDF or plastic is a lot better. X-Cite is a good name for them because metal will certainly resonate and excite..... a stacking block should ideally "damp" and not "resonate". What you want is an X-Damp (or X-Dump) stacking block which will isolate the components from vibration. The X-Cite looks good but that's all it has going for it..... it would have been a much better idea to have made them out of MDF with a 5mm sorbothane lining on the contact surfaces or even a water based "inflatable" X-Damp damping system.

Aluminium is probably the worst possible material to use, can you imagine what an aluminium speaker enclosure would sound like without damping? Yes, horrendous!

Let's go Zany...... bicycle inner tubes..... the ultimate damper........ X-Float!

We know a song about that:

[PinkFloyd]

Can you create a honeycomb effect with the 3D printer? That would work wonders in the damping department.

[PinkFloyd]

This type of thing:

[PinkFloyd]

The last thing you want to do is to replicate an "X-Cite"...... you want it to do the same job BUT "Damp" instead of "excite" resonance

Mike.

[pingu]

Looks good Nando and if you only release a few on fleebay at a time the price will remain high,
However you may have a captive market on here for a discount line. (No sorry I don't need any lol loll. I only have a V2)

[pingu]

Let's go Zany...... bicycle inner tubes..... the ultimate damper........ X-Float!


Ha ha ha Mike the old HiFi World DIY record deck damping shelf.
Water bed for the Garrard SP 25

[PinkFloyd]

What about.............

The X-Hover?

A hovering Stacking block?

A great British invention, Hovercraft + Stacking block combo.

Think "floating"..... think "air bubbles"...... it's a win win combo!

The X-Hover-Float

Sean Williams (NOT Shaun Williams), a self professed "expert" on damping once told me that "FOAM" was your friend...... he sat all of his gear (amps, CD players, you name it) on a 4 inch block of foam and claimed it worked miracles. It actually did, especially with valve amps BUT it looked like shite. He had a £7,000 valve amp sitting on a lump of foam poached out of an old armchair, it looked silly but it sounded good. He was a great one for "NOS" foam and claimed that "New" foam didn't have the same damping qualities. The finest foam for audio (in his opinion) was from "used chairs"..... that foam was "bedded in" (according to him / plenty on / off arse revolutions) he was quite a character and there was no doubt that a foam platform made an audible improvement to valve gear but I never went into it that deeply where I could differentiate between new foam / NOS foam and arse relaxed Vintage foam

I must pop him an e-mail (I hope he's still alive) the last time Sean and I spoke was back in the late nineties..... actually, I don't have his e-mail address We communicated by snail mail back then...... bummer.

[nando]

First thing I can think of is that the foam went somewhere else than under audioequipment.

[PinkFloyd]

Nov 23, 2017 10:09:44 GMT nando said:

First thing I can think of is that the foam went somewhere else than under audioequipment.

Could be "NOS" foam from a nursing home..... nice

[nando]

This is version 2 of the 3d printed x-cite.
This time it fits better but it still wobbles a little which should be solved easily. I am trying to let the student at my school make 10 of these.

[mochi]

Another option for stacking is to use something of a mouse pad's size, for example :

www.amazon.co.uk/CoJoie-Aluminium-Frosted-Surface-Accurate/dp/B0109V3376/ref=pd_day0_107_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JKXQRK7Z15DRBEGFSPCG

It has 6mm thickness so it shouldn't bend easily, or just measure the right size and go to a glass shop, you can choose the type and thickness of glass that you want and they will cut it and polish the edges, you'll need some adhesive rubber strip so it doesn't slide and scratch the paint.

This way you can stack 4 components, not just three, and save space.

[nando]

Jan 21, 2018 19:40:25 GMT mochi said:

Another option for stacking is to use something of a mouse pad's size, for example :

www.amazon.co.uk/CoJoie-Aluminium-Frosted-Surface-Accurate/dp/B0109V3376/ref=pd_day0_107_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=JKXQRK7Z15DRBEGFSPCG

It has 6mm thickness so it shouldn't bend easily, or just measure the right size and go to a glass shop, you can choose the type and thickness of glass that you want and they will cut it and polish the edges, you'll need some adhesive rubber strip so it doesn't slide and scratch the paint.

This way you can stack 4 components, not just three, and save space.

Good options if you don't care about the way MF intended it to be stacked. I want to use these new stacking blocks at the back and an original at the front so it looks like the original.

I bother this much because I really like the aesthetics of this stuff.
I don't want to part with these machines. So much even that I'm wondering if it is possible to replace the guts of the x-plora tuner and place a dab+/streamer electronics inside.

[jefudesu]

Jan 21, 2018 14:11:58 GMT nando said:

This is version 2 of the 3d printed x-cite.
This time it fits better but it still wobbles a little which should be solved easily. I am trying to let the student at my school make 10 of these.

[jefudesu]

Hi nando, what is the x- at the top of the stack? I saw your post back when you thought you were talking to yourself and went & found the pair of X-Cites I have. They are cable tied together because I don't have room to stack any of the 8 or 9 X-s I have. At the time I thought about low tech, low cost, diy solutions & came up empty handed due to the intricacies of the profile. I think your 3D solution is the best compromise. I know of of a precision engineering works but speculate that most of the cost would be setup & the minimum output being several 6 metre lengths of aluminium bar.
Anyway, what's at the top of the stack?
Jeff