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Technology
The Black Ravioli system considers the problem of vibration for the whole process of reproducing an audio or visual performance, with the aim of so far as reasonably practicable to eliminate the vibration or mitigate the consequence of it to deliver an engaging performance.
The fundamental principles for the Black Ravioli system were set some time ago when we effectively took a clean sheet of paper and set the design basis of the original Black Ravioli pad. It was soon apparent that what we had concluded were the key requirements for a comprehensive vibration control scenario, were not necessarily what was already embodied in many of the existing products.
We attributed this to the fact that as far as we could see many of the existing solutions had their design basis pre-defined by industrial or defense applications. Whereas we had looked at it differently and considered our solution in the context of a musical performance before setting the design basis.
We concluded that the equipment interface, i.e. pad to box, is the most effective position to eliminate, or mitigate the combined set of vibration threats for most types of equipment. Additionally, it allowed a whole range of choices of how to accommodate and support the equipment and still control the vibration threat.
In going this route we limit the design basis and importantly, any assumptions about the user system domain and position. We see no mileage in engineering the equipment stand if it can be avoided. We have also discounted specific targeting of sub-components inside the equipment case as it just does not stack up on the basis of cost and completeness when assessed against the Black Ravioli external interface system on an individual piece of equipment, let alone in the context of a whole system.
One fact is obvious, if you get the assessment wrong or limit it, then you will only ever address part of the problem, and although you may well resolve individual aspects that give an impressive subjective result when demonstrating components, it is the sum of the parts that determines the way a performance is ultimately judged just like the live version.
In our assessment we considered the direct and indirect threats from vibration in:
-The environment such as the noise from many sources in and around buildings
-The electrical supplies
-The structures that are part of the system, such as the supports
-The airborne energy during operation of the system
-The equipment generated energy during operation
-The interaction of the equipment, the support structures, the cables and the vibration control solution
It is a very complex set of issues, and becomes even more so when you consider the relationships and interactions in the dynamic mode.
Our research and development program has allowed us to much better understand the way vibration interacts and affects a whole system, not just the individual components. Analysis of results has confirmed our assumption that the most effective position to eliminate or mitigate the combined set of vibration threats for the whole system in both dynamic and quiescent mode, is by solution at the pad to component interface on not beyond it.
The key feature where the Black Ravioli system stands out from the norm is that it deals with both the cause and the consequence of vibration at the same time, in the same package. It does this by conditioning the replay system during both dynamic and quiescent states. By direct, we mean removing the vibration at the pad interface in response to system operations in the dynamic mode and indirect by conditioning the system components during both system dynamic and quiescent states. To achieve the dynamic mode the Black Ravioli system is designed to:
-Provide a linear response across a wide frequency range
-The speed and capacity to deal with the frequency extremes and dynamic demand of all types of performance
The system is designed to respond in a linear way and embodies speed and capacity to ensure the full range of an audio or visual performance can be catered for. Put simply, it avoids compression issues by providing millions of independent energy transfer paths and has no return point in its operation to influence the reproduction when the extremes of the musical performance are experienced. In use it purports to function without emphasizing any aspect of the performance by breaking down at the extremes. Mechanical systems such as displacing balls horizontally or vertically will by definition have a return point, and become limited at the extremes of performance.
-To achieve the quiescent state it is additionally designed to:
be sufficiently sensitive to provide its function for each of the identified threat categories in quiescent states
The system will provide full function during shutdown to continually account for the vibration threat from the external environment that is always present 24/7. This includes, the building, electrical supply lines, other local electrical equipment, and the system structures and supports all of which continually impart vibration to the equipment components, albeit at a low level. Research has shown this aspect is a significant factor in the context of whole system performance.
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