The song ‘Good Vibrations’ by the Beach Boys is a hit. The opposite of this are shocks, oscillations and vibrations that ruin the listening experience. The engineers at the electronics company BaiRuiKe Technology Co., Ltd. know how critical hi-fi purists are. In Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, they develop and manufacture high-quality tube amplifiers and the corresponding components. In order to demonstrate the performance of the audio products to visitors from all over the world, they are received in a specially designed demonstration room. When the noise from an adjacent workshop where punching labor was carried out proved to be too loud, action had to be taken. Worse than the pure audible volume from next door was the low-frequency interference coming from there, which was transmitted to the audio-system. The engineers at BaiRuiKe Technology wanted to eliminate this interference under all circumstances. They were in a critical development and test phase for a new high-end device, which they wanted to present to the audiophile public at trade fairs under the brand name EIZZ. Since the company has advanced production facilities and a strong research and development department, the right specialists could be contacted within a very short period of time in order to approach the solution to the problem.

Low Frequency Pneumatic Leveling Mounts eliminate unwanted vibrations

The engineers from BaiRuiKe Technology chose a distributor of ACE Stoßdämpfer GmbH as their specialist in the field of vibration control. ACE operates in China from their branch in Changzhou, near Shanghai. There it was quickly agreed: "We want to provide the best possible solution to protect our customer’s equipment from unwanted vibrations," says Ligen Zhang, regional sales manager at ACE, describing the task. In the course of this, the first duty was to filter out the oscillation frequency of 20 Hz, the lowest frequency that the human ear can perceive. For this purpose, four PLM-1 low frequency pneumatic leveling mounts were provided from the vibration control division. Usually they protect high performance and precision machines from unwanted vibrations. A ratio of 1: 1 between horizontal and vertical natural frequency ensures high stability and also a very long service life. With their extremely low natural frequency of 3 Hz, they are used as low-frequency vibration isolators in industrial environments, especially on measuring tables, highly sensitive test benches, high-speed presses and production systems.

With eight different types immediately available from stock and a performance that can carry both small loads from 45 kg to large ones of 8,800 kg, the small components provided by ACE isolate both individual devices as well as entire constructions from unwanted vibrations. They can easily be fitted and mounted in post constructions or engineers embed them right from the CAD-planning phase. Whichever way, these components can be ideally leveled with the help of an integrated valve. Used as a vibration damper, the internal air chamber provides a significant insulating effect from 5 Hz upwards. The PLM-1 are at the lower end of the load range of 45 kg. For this reason, in this particular case four of these little helpers were used for the upcoming hifi brand EIZZ in an initial test setup.

VibroChecker PRO turns smartphones into professional measuring devices

The first impression of the device, which was successfully isolated from the interferences this way, was consistently positive. The experts at BaiRuiKe Technology, however, not only wanted to hear the effects of the rubber air springs, but also wanted to make their personal impression objectified. At this point, Ligen Zhang recommended ordering the VibroChecker PRO app together with the external USB sensor Digiducer 333D01:

https://apps.apple.com/au/app/vibrochecker/id819293915?ign-mpt=uo%3D2

This is the follow-up development of ACE’s renowned and proven VibroChecker app, which has been successfully established on the market since its launch in 2014

https://www.acecontrols.com/us/company/mobile-apps.html

While vibrations on machines and components in the frequency range up to 50 Hz can be measured quickly and easily with the free basic version, VibroChecker PRO extends this many times over and is predestined for the special requirements in the present case. This is due to the fact that the combination of app and USB sensor turns iPhones or iPads into a professional measuring device with which vibrations of up to 8,000 Hz, and down to 1 Hz can be measured and evaluated quickly and easily. To do this, the sensor is just connected via the Lightning or USB interface and activated by the app. Compared to heavier measuring systems that have been customary to date, this solution provides users with truly smart powerful and inexpensive measuring equipment with a total weight of less than 1 kg.

Since ACE relies on a high degree of visualization not only in the presentation of the results, but also in the operation, the tests in China were carried out intuitively and quickly. After successful measurement, the results could be saved and easily sent to the desktop computers of the specialist departments and also to the distributor just by using the e-mail function. Encouraged by the positive measurement results, BaiRuiKe Technology uses their PLM-1 low frequency pneumatic leveling mounts not only for the EIZZ tube amplifiers in the demo room and at trade fairs as a visual signal of the highest acoustic art. On top of that, the components provided by ACE are now also offered to potential customers as accessories for customized hi-fi systems together with the VibroChecker PRO app. This ensures that the sounds of pop classics like 'Good Vibrations' are transmitted as faithfully and vibration-free as thundering orchestral pieces with the tonal impact of Richard Wagner's 'Ride of the Valkyries’.