Arta_Tic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

3D acoustic measurements using Arta_Tic and your own measurement platform.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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About Arta_Tic<\/a>
Why 3D Measurements?<\/a>
Configuration<\/a>
Building Your Platform<\/a>
Assembly Diagram<\/a>
Rough Dimensions<\/a>
Quasi-Anechoic Measurement<\/a>
Gating Measurements<\/a>
Frequently asked Questions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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#<\/a> About Arta_Tic <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Arta_Tic is a simple Windows program I have written that allows DIYers to build am inexpensive automated platform for conducting 3D acoustic measurements using ARTA<\/a>. Arta_Tic acts as an interface between ARTA and a stepper motor controller called a Tic<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arta_Tic takes commands from ARTA (move to n<\/em> degrees, go home), computes the proper number of steps according to your set-up, and then outputs the proper commands to your Tic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arta_Tic was written in Python.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/a> Why 3D Measurements?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In the past, figuring out what made a speaker sound good was difficult. Many manufacturers only measured their speakers from in front of the speaker, but found that two speakers that measured similarly sounded very different.

What was gradually discovered was that the total radiation of a loudspeaker (not just the radiation immediately in front) impacted sound quality. Peer reviewed research<\/a> has determined the radiation pattern required for the best sound.

Capturing this radiation requires a series of measurements taken all the way around the speaker. This is extremely time consuming to do manually. Arta_Tic helps automate the process of making dozens or hundreds of measurements. Before, to measure a symmetrical speaker with 2 drivers at 15\u00b0 resolution, with one measurement every 2 minutes, you would spend around 2.5 hours. By automating this process, you can do the same work in around half an hour, and make fewer mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/a> Configuration<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Configuration is simple enough. First, install the Tic Software<\/a>. This will install two programs: ticcmd<\/em>, the command line interface for controlling the Tic, and Tic Control Center<\/em>, which is a handy GUI for testing the functionality of your Tic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, in the Arta_Tic folder, open ‘motor.config’ in a text editor. You should see something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

gear_ratio = 9
motor_degrees = 1.8
microstep = 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These constants will be particular to your setup and will be used to calculate the number of motor steps for each degree of rotation called for by ARTA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

gear_ratio<\/strong> is the mechanical advantage between the motor gear and the drive gear you’re using. If you have a pulley gear of 20T and a drive gear of 180t, this value will be 9<\/strong>.

motor_degrees<\/strong> is the number of degrees that your rotates per step. The vast majority of stepper motors have 360\u00b0\/200 steps = 1.8 <\/strong>degrees.

microstep<\/strong> corresponds to the microstep setting you are using. Enter .25 for quarter steps, .5 for half steps, and so on. If you are not using microstepping (which I recommend), enter 1<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, open ARTA and go to the Setup \u2192 Rotating Turntable<\/em> menu. From there, enter the path for Arta_Tic.exe in the space indicated. Use the test buttons at the bottom of this window to test the functionality of your platform. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If everything works, you should be ready to make some measurements! Arta_Tic was designed with the acoustic simulation software VituixCAD<\/a> in mind. VituixCAD can help you design speakers with great accuracy, so long the measurements you take are accurate. See this paper<\/a> from the VituixCAD documentation to learn how to process the ARTA impulse responses properly for simulation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

#<\/a> Building an Acoustic Measurement Platform<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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