The Vinyl Passion Music Room
© The Missing Link 2016
Over the coming year we will be filling this page with limited information on the background of research carried out by Mark Sears, our Designer over the last 25 years, that has lead us to the formula used to create Missing Link Audio Cables. Cables simply based on science and not mythology, All of our cables are hand made by Mark Sears and based on over 25 years of research into this specific area of audio power and digital cable for use at their given frequency within audio systems in a domestic environment. With a 35 year background in electrical engineering and material science, we hope you find this page both interesting and enlightening. We are far more than just a sales company, we design everything with a passion to create the best product possible.
The Missing Link Ultrapure ™ System © 2016
Ultrapure™ Silver Plating system. Developed by The Missing Link from our own Ultrapure™ Silver Ingots that have a special chemical finger print, this can only be found in a certain part of the world. It is extremely important as undesirable trace elements in most silver can affect the quality of the signals passed through it, also our plating methods are different to standard silver plating techniques. This plating uses our Ultrapure™ Pure silver as a base metal used in our pure silver cable to create the highest quality silver plating possible for our wire to create our cables and our connectors. This shows just how effective our pioneering system is at reducing contact generated noise, The Missing Link Was the First company in the world to silver plate mains connectors and this is a direct result of study into metallurgy, the effects of trace elements in pure silver and its effects on audio signals, all genuine. Missing Link Audio cables & connectors use this technology and this is just one among many other features incorporated into our cables that are kept trade secrets that continue to make our range of hand built cables the finest available at any price.
Pictured below, a simple method to demonstrate just how effective The Ultrapure™ System is at improving the signal path.
Pictured Below:The contact resistance of an un-plated Wall Socket with un-plated 13 amp plug
Pictured Below: The contact resistance of an un-plated Wall Socket with just a Missing Link Ultrapure™ silver plated 13 amp plug.Notice the dramatic drop in resistance due to the improvement in conductivity with the Introduction of the Ultrapure™ silver plating system.
Pictured Below: The contact resistance of a Missing Link Ultrapure™ Wall Socket with a Missing Link Ultrapure™ Silver plated EPS-500 13 amp plug. Notice the further improvement in conductivity the Ultrapure™ system offers, making the contact resistance almost un-measurable. This plating system has been constantly improved over the last 12 years to produce the finest connectors & cables available. Now imagine what this can also do for our cables along with our other pioneering manufacturing processes that are closely guarded. Your ears will tell you all you need to know. We also sell a range of Ultrapure Connectors in our accessories section as well as our E Bay shop.
Below you will see a picture of a very expensive hi fi mains plug from another brand this is the closest we have measured to our own in performance and the contact resistance is still 30% higher than our Ultrapure ™ System
Post Production Ultrapure ™ Silver Conductor Compositional analysis using LAICPMS Commissioned by Mark Sears for The Missing Link conducted By DR Anthony Swiss all material copyright © The Missing Link This may not be reproduced without express permission of The Missing Link © 2016
Full Spectrum Compositional Analysis of Four Silver Samples Using Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry
Introduction
The recent compositional analysis of two samples of silver wire using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) had revealed the presence of several elements not expected to be found within the materials’ matrix, thus determining that the wire did not appear to be as pure as it should be. The apparent presence of the element Uranium in the wire was considered to be false, and probably the result of other elements combining to mimic the atomic weight of this heavy metal.
In order to gain a more accurate composition of the wire it was decided to use LAICPMS (laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry). This method allows for the samples to be quickly analysed without any preparation. Three samples of wire were analysed, along with a droplet of laboratory grade silver with a known purity of 99.99%.
Using atomic weights to differentiate between the elements, the data from the LAICPMS is given in Parts Per Million (PPM). Matrix affects were still considered likely to influence the results, although it is expected that this method will give a significantly improved compositional analysis of the wire.
Methodology
Careful not to touch the surface area to be analysed, the sample of silver is placed into the ablation chamber. Using a live computer image as a guide, the proposed track the laser will take is plotted. The amount of the surface to be ablated / analysed can be varied, and is given in Ablation Time. For this current research the area to be ablated would take approximately 10 minutes.
Using the laser, the surface of silver samples were ablated / atomised. The atoms are then drawn into the mass spectrometer were they are sorted and counted according to their atomic weight. The four samples were analysed for all the available elements detectable using this method, i.e. Lithium to Uranium. A total of three readings were made for each sample, and the mean given in Parts Per Million (PPM). Greater levels of detection (up to Parts Per Billion) can be achieved with the material in solution, however for the purpose of this study the use of the laser was considered to be adequate. Before the analysis two NIST glass standards were run to calibrate the machine
Results
The results from the LAICPMS can be displayed in an Excel spreadsheet. Each element is displayed with the relevant count rate. Although the four samples have varying total count rates, this is a product of area scanned, the scan length in time, and the geometry of the sample with the laser chamber. Non of the samples were flat and they were not all scanned for exactly the same amount of time. This variability does not affect the percentage of each element within the sample
All elements present where at least one sample had a count rate of over 10 PPM are given in Table 1. The percentage of each element within the silver wire was then counted and are presented in Table 2.
23Na 24Mg 44Ca 56Fe 65Cu 107Ag 202Hg
Sample ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm
Mean of Silver wire A 62.06 12.27 98.88 12.28 17.33 421700 13.27
Mean of Silver wire B 31.6 8.265 104.4 8.72 13.4 377700 13.81
Mean of Silver wire C 0 9.33 90.77 13.11 12.91 320800 16.85
Mean of Silver drops 0 5.616 114.4 15.73 1.205 267400 6.436
Table 1. The seven elements with at least one sample returning a count rate of over 10 PPM.
23Na 24Mg 44Ca 56Fe 65Cu 107Ag 202Hg
Sample ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm
Mean of Silver wire A 62.06 12.27 98.88 12.28 17.33 421700 13.27
Percentage 0.015 0.003 0.02 0.003 0.004 99.94 0.003
Mean of Silver wire B 31.6 8.265 104.4 8.72 13.4 377700 13.81
Percentage 0.008 0.002 0.03 0.002 0.004 99.94 0.004
Mean of Silver wire C 0 9.33 90.77 13.11 12.91 320800 16.85
Percentage 0 0.003 0.03 0.004 0.004 99.95 0.005
Mean of Silver drops 0 5.616 114.4 15.73 1.205 267400 6.436
Percentage 0 0.002 0.04 0.006 0.0005 99.94 0.002
Table 2. The seven elements with their percentages within the silver wire.
Discussion
The analysis has shown that only seven elements recorded results of 10 PPM from at least one of the silver samples. The presence of Sodium (Na) in both samples A and B is probably as a result of the wire having been handled at some stage and sweat (salt) being left on the sample. The sodium is just one component of salt (NaCl), the other is chlorine which is below the detectability limits of this machine when using the laser ablation method.
All four samples have traces of magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and mercury (Hg). From Table 2 is can be seen that the levels for magnesium, calcium, iron, and mercury are all roughly similar within the four samples. The only discrepancy is with the element copper which is 10 times more abundant within the wire samples than in the silver droplet.
It is clear that silver (Ag) is the most abundant element present within the four samples, with levels of 99.94% being recorded for wire samples A & B, and the silver droplet. Wire sample C had a slightly higher reading of 99.95% (Table 3). The silver droplet was used as a standard with a known purity of 99.99%. Although the figure from this study is slightly down on the known purity it is considered that this is probably a product of matrix affects on other elements such as silver (Ag 107) and argon (Ar 40) which were seen to combine and indicate the presence of an isotope of Samarium (Sm 147). What is significant however, is that the purity of the three samples of silver wire is in keeping with that of the silver droplet i.e. 99.99%.
Sample Total Sum of Elements PPM Total Ag % Ag
Total Silver Wire A 421971.83 421700 99.94
Total Silver Wire B 377915.29 377700 99.94
Total Silver Wire C 320974.31 320800 99.95
Total Silver Drops 267565.26 267400 99.94
Table 3. Percentage of silver within the four samples.
Conclusion
To conclude, the LAICPMS analysis of three samples of silver wire and a silver standard has shown that the purity of the wire is approximately 99.99%. This figure is in keeping with the official figure for this material. This analysis has also highlighted the shortcomings of the scanning electron microscope for compositional analysis of this material.