Building a Haptic Dimension: The Science Behind the Taction Transporter

Haptic motors are finding applications in gaming, music, VR/AR, and therapeutic/wellness. The Transporter is a patented transducer that delivers faster more accurate bass and is designed to work with the main audio driver in headphones. It subtly vibrates against the user’s skin to produce an extra dimension that can be described as a high-fidelity extension. Silmon J. Biggs and John Steinberg, the two masterminds behind Taction Technology share the story of this development. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2023.

Vance Dickason received two of the latest products to come out of the R&D labs of Acustica Beyma, the Spanish pro sound OEM transducer manufacturer, which celebrated 50 years in 2019. This review focuses on the T-25M NFM 1" aluminum/magnesium alloy metal dome tweeter. Specifications detail a 20W AES power handling, recommended crossover frequency of 2.5kHz (with a 12dB/octave high-pass filter), and 88dB at 2.83V/1m sensitivity. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, December 2022.

This Test Bench characterizes the 6CXN36 6.5" coincident coax transducer, a professional audio driver from Italian manufacturer B&C Speakers and fairly similar to the company's 5.25” 5CXN44 reviewed in Voice Coil, August 2021, which uses a nearly identical compression driver. The cooling for the 6CXN36 is exclusively provided by the motor mass, which is substantial, and no vents are required for the impressive 200W continuous power handling rating in a small diameter driver such as this.

In this article, Vance Dickason characterizes the E180HE-44 woofer, from the Dayton Audio Epique lineup. As with the E150HE from the same range, the E180HE-44 uses the patented Multiple Magnet Air Gap (MMAG) technology, invented by Enrique Stiles and patented by Step Technologies. The E180HE is a scaled up (7") version of the E150HE, and has a similar feature set but with a secondary magnet system comprised of six ferrite disks, which act as magnetic “diodes” pulling the flux from the main magnet into the top 7mm gap. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, May 2022.

Expanding on previous articles about bass shakers and motion platforms, this article from Mike Klasco (Menlo Scientific) looks at exciting evolutions in haptic transducers and actuators that are being used in a growing number of applications - all of which depend upon audio sources for input. The ability to interact with the world through vibration and touch is central to all of our lives, and now increasingly so. This article was originally published in audioXpress, February 2022.

In this article, James Croft looks at a patent awarded to David Russell (Toronto, CA); and John French (Caledon, East, CA) on behalf of Audera Acoustics, Inc., Schomberg CA. The patent describes a generic acoustic high displacement transducer system, containing a diaphragm position sensing module, a controller with a transmitter, so that the voice coil moves at least partially in response to the control signal.

This article reviews a patent originally granted to inventors Philip R. Clements; (Tempe, AZ), Boaz Shalev; (Needham, MA), and James Joseph Croft, III; (Bellevue, WA), which has now expired. The patent describes a low-frequency transducer system with a multi-compression chamber, where an inverse horn structure is employed in combination with a resonance-distortion filter chamber. This was the third patent granted on Atlantic Technology’s low frequency system known by the trademark name H-PAS (High Pressure Acceleration System). This article was originally published in Voice Coil, September 2016.

It's an historical moment for Resonado Labs, which announced a strategic partnership to develop a new line of Klipsch home audio solutions integrating its technologies. Together, the companies aim to develop a line of products engineered to deliver the highest output possible in sleek and compact form factors. A major accomplishment for the speaker technology startup, which has not stopped to surprise the market with its innovative transducers.

An overview of Loudsoft's latest FINE Suspension Nonlinear FEA Spider and Surround Design software. This new transducer engineering tool, specific to the development of speaker surrounds and spiders (dampers), allows for the simulation of different types of surrounds and spiders from imported DFX files or created from templates with parameters selected by the user, and then outputs the compliance curves similar to the Kms and Cms curves measured by Klippel DA2 or KA3 analyzers.

This Test Bench article characterizes Eighteen Sound’s AMT200P Air Motion Transformer and accompanying XMT200 6.5” waveguide. This driver is the brand's latest entry into the high-frequency transducer category, specifically designed for the pro sound community. The Eighteen Sound AMT200P includes a rectangular throat with a Kapton diaphragm with a neodymium magnet structure, and is rated for a power handling of 90W AES above 1.2kHz, with a sensitivity of 105dB, and a recommended crossover frequency of 1.2kHz at 48dB/octave. While the AMT200P can be used as a standard planar device it can be also coupled with a dedicated constant directivity horn, the 90°x 20° XMT200, featured in the characterization.