[J.V. Gomez]

Hi there fellows.


In order to improve my home theater, I recently purchased two Guitammer ButtKicker shakers as well as their respective Carvin DCM1000 driving amps.


I am planning to construct a raising wooden platform a couple of inches high (and along the guidelines recommended in the shaker's User Guide) to install my three(3) Berkline model 729 recliners on it. The two shakers will be symetrically placed on the rear of the platform, behind the recliners. The platform will be isolated from the carpeted floor by means of Mason Industries type "ND" neoprene mountings ( www.mason-ind.com/MasNeoMP.htm , www.mason-ind.com/masonanaheim/n/n102.htm , www.mason-ind.com/masonanaheim/n/n101.htm ).


Now, instead of four individual legs at their bottoms, each of the recliners have a circular base (28" in diameter) which provide the support surface for the recliner against the floor(or against the top of the raising platform

when it is ready). I am concerned that, because of the circular shape of the recliner's base, some "slippage" might occur between the recliner and the platform as the shakers vibrate the platform....particularly if one or two of the recliners remain unoccupied (ie. nobody seating on them) at a given moment.


I am thinking about applying a layer/coat of some sort of "sticky" or "coarse" material both on the surface of the platform and on the underside of the recliner's circular base, so that friction between these surfaces is maximized and slippage avoided.


...MY QUESTION IS: Can you help me with ideas on both approaches and/or materials to be applied in order to avoid recliner slippage on a platform hot-rodded with built-in shakers???


NOTE 1: In principle, I feel like not to impact the integrity of the recliner's circular base; so I am not considering drilling holes through it in order to get the base bolted to the platform as a first approach. Instead, I feel like exploring first the options for maximizing friction between the platform and recliner contact surfaces.


NOTE 2: The Berkline model 729 recliner has been apparently discontinued from the Berkline catalog. However, it looks very similar to the model 668 recliner, which is currently shown under the "Leather Recliner" category at the web site ( http://www.berkline.com/ ).


Hey, thanks a lot, fellows, for all the ideas you can come up with!


J.V.

 

[E. Martin]

J.V.


I have a solution to your dilemma.... When constructing the platform (riser) install a few U-bolts fro the bottom of the platform up. Make sure to use bolts with enough of a separation between the threaded ends to sit the round base of your recliner between. IF you place them properly you will have the ability to secure the chairs by tightening a cross bar with two nuts per U-bolt. You have a secured non modified chair that can easily be removed with a wrench.


Just a suggestion. I am sure others will come up with other approached as well. This one just seemed to fit the need very cost effectively.

 

[Thumper]

Gomez,


I'm using a pair of BK IIs in my platform with two levels: 3" and 11". Size of platform is approximately 13' wide by 14' deep. Sitting on top of this carpeted and padded platform are 7 Berkline 099 series leather recliners arranged with one row per level. The BKs are powered by a 2kw Tsunami amplifier. The entire platform is floating on 8 load balanced neoprene machine isolation pads and the BKs are physically coupled to a main transfer beam located in the middle of the platform.


At any "reasonable" level the recliners simply don't move. Carpeting + padding keeps them from moving around and the BKs generate an up/down motion, not a side-to-side motion anyway.


At "unreasonable" levels one cannot watch a movie due to the shaking horribly blurring ones vision.


Thumper

 

[LarryChanin]

Hi J.V.:


I'm inclined to agree with Thumper (and with a name like that he should know ) that you are not likely to experience a problem with lateral movement due to the Buttkickers. I would guess that the most amount of lateral movement will occur when someone "flops" into the seating.


I've use the technique suggested in the ButtKicker information and I haven't noticed a problem with lateral movement even with violent shaking, just occasionally when people get in and out of my loveseats. Here's a picture:

ButtKicker Tactile Transducers


As Thumper suggests carpeting the platform should work. However, if you fear that the carpet might reduce the coupling between the platform and seating, then my advice would be to go ahead and try the arrangement without any particular treatment and see what happens. In the unlikely event you experience some lateral movement you can paint the platform with that paint you get in home improvement stores that increasing friction (I think it has sand it the mix.) An other similar approach is to buy those adhesive friction strips that they use on stair treads. Finally, you could do what I did, attach several wood screws along the perimeter of the base, anchoring the base in all directions.


Larry

 

[J.V. Gomez]

Hey, Larry, E.Martin, and Thumper:


Thanks a lot from the bottom of my heart!!! Your comments, ideas and pictures, are extremely useful to me. Initially, I was worried about not having many options on how to address the situation, but now I am pretty confident that there are several good ones!


Thumper: are the neoprene pads used by you physically similar to the Mason Industries "ND" neoprene mountings I am planning to use? ( http://www.mason-ind.com/MasNeoMP.htm ).


Additional from other fellows out there will be highly welcomed!


Thanks, fellows!!!


J.V.

 

[where1]

How about some clamps. Take a block of wood the same height as the round base of the chair and place it about an inch away from the base. Place a short bar across the gap from the base to the block of wood. Bolt the bar to the platform with the bolt passing through the gap between the chair base and the block of wood. Put 3 or four on each chair.

 

[RossVTaylor]

Or, for a quick and easy test, try out some of that grippy shelf-liner/carpet underlayment. It looks like open weave netting that's been dipped in foam. It's sold in stores (in rolls) for use in kitchen cabinets underneath glassware, it's also sold in hardware stores in larger pieces for use underneath area rugs so they don't slide on tile or wood floors.


Buena suerte!

 

[Thumper]

J.V.,


I used Karman Rubber Co. products vibration isolators, locally available from Graingers. The two particular sizes I used were part #K175 (3CC19) and #K136 (3CC18).


Load "balanced" (my term) is the key to the most efficent isolation and the best platform excitation. Too high a load rating and the pads are too stiff. Too low and they will deform and compress from the weight. I simply added up the weight of the platform + chairs + occupants and divided total weight by the number of isolators plus a +- % factor for uneven weight distribution on the 13' x 14 'platform. This is how I derived the proper isolator load ratings. Also IMHO I think it is best to treat a platform with any excitor installed as a highly damped sounding board (at least to some degree). Physical location of the BKs should be centerish on the platform and when more than one is employed spread out. Also a good coupling "beam" spreading the energy across as many platform floor joists as possible is preferred.


The end result is a strong, even, response all the way out to the platform corners.


Thumpers 2c