Radio Shack Optimus 7 Speakers..

[woofercooker]

It is called "speaker gasketing tape" The part # is 260-540 and it cost about $7.00 for a 50 foot roll. You can use for your woofers, too. I did. About the gorilla glue thing, I pulled back the white insulation with the speakers on their back I sqeezed the bottle and slowly glued the sides from top to bottom then the rear top and then the rear bottom. I let dry for a day and turned the speaker on one side to do the front left side then the right front side then turned speaker face down so the glue would not run, let dry for a day then did front top and finally the front bottom. If you use the gasketing tape on your woofer, slowly torque down the screws from oppisite sides for a evenly spread of pressure. Same for your crossovers, too! It actally took about a full day for me to torque those crossovers. Woofers, too. I would get them snug then wait a few hours then tighen a little more and repeated a few more times through out the day and night. When I got my second set of Opt 7s they were in rougher shape than my first. Yours may not need any glueing at all.

 

[paysonmark]

woofercooker
The question for the glue is for another set of speakers. They definitely have a seam leak.
Today I will start the disassembly of the Optimus7, pulling speakers, and xovers, taking pics, making a part list, applying all the knowledge I have learned here.
I will post on this thread for my optimus7s upgrade keeping all the optimus7 info in one place, and not use the one I started a couple days ago.......

 

[woofercooker]

woofercooker
The question for the glue is for another set of speakers. They definitely have a seam leak.
Today I will start the disassembly of the Optimus7, pulling speakers, and xovers, taking pics, making a part list, applying all the knowledge I have learned here.
I will post on this thread for my optimus7s upgrade keeping all the optimus7 info in one place, and not use the one I started a couple days ago.......

That's great! Take your time and not to rush things. When diconnecting the tweeter, be careful when detaching the wire.. those tweeter input clips are not very strong. I also used a little oil dabbed with a Q tip to put on the studs so the nut could come off easier.. after I learned my lesson on the first attempt. I don't know if if did anything but I didn't break or strip anything. One more thing. Woofer blue wire is neg Black is positive.

 

[paysonmark]

My RadioShack collection.
Sta-2080 , Realistic 12band eq
Minimus7, Nova7B's Done! Sounds Great, MachOne going thru the VL upgrade, Optimus7 Done, sounds incredible- better than I expected

 

[woofercooker]

Here's mine... Realistic optimus T-120, Minimus 7, Video Lady Nova 8b. Optimus 5, Two pair Optimus 7, and three single Optimus 5 for parts. I also have three EQs. I almost forgot my last purchase..The mighty Nova 9.

 

[paysonmark]

Confused! Regarding the cloth surrounds ...
I have googled and read myself to complete confusion. I thought it would be a simple answer- I was wrong. I have read no less than 400 post of 20+ different concoctions on what to use on resealing the 44 year old cloth surrounds. latex paint, elmers, plasti-dip, permatex, white glue, pba, rubber cement, rtv, pva, paint, caulk, silicone, gasket coat, fabric glue, butyl, plastic/rubber revitalizer, and combinations thereof. Simply Speakers sells 1 oz bottle of white pva but there is a 50/50 split on good vs bad. VintageAR does not sell anything. Isn't there a product made specifically for cloth surrounds. I don't want to use something that may hurt the sound and value of my woofers.

 

[woofercooker]

Hey paysonmark! Is there something wrong with your cloth surrounds? They should not need a sealant. These are different than Optimus 5 cloth surounds. The Opt 5 that I have had a coating that hardend with age and the woofers were way too stiff to produce much bass. The 7s don't have the thick doping that the Optimus 5, KLH 5 or the AR 3s have. As I said before I used a hair dryer and baby oil which evaportes in a day or so. 3 in One oil a couple days longer. and I have had no damage at all. Trust me, the baby oil will not harm the cloth surrounds. I have puchased AR sealant from the ebay guy and used it for the Opt 5. He's probably out of stock now. If your woofers move freely, they shouldn't need anything.

 

[paysonmark]

Hi, yes they move freely. I was / am trying learn the best way to keep everything properly maintained for longevity.
I'm ordering up the caps this week. So hopefully I have everything in and re assembled by end of August.
thx

 

[woofercooker]

Hi, yes they move freely. I was / am trying learn the best way to keep everything properly maintained for longevity.
I'm ordering up the caps this week. So hopefully I have everything in and re assembled by end of August.
thx

I Can't Wait!!! When do you think you will have Machs done?

 

[paysonmark]

MachOne's 3 X 3.5" holes drilled, stiffener installed, all parts are in and reassembly this week. My Machs are the original 4024's, the cabs have the walnut bottoms, and the woofer have the infamous never rot surrounds in perfect condition. Godsmack Korn Nightwish Avatar on the playlist.

 

[paysonmark]

Both Xovers out, 8 nuts on each = 16 pains in the butt. A little excessive on the glue.

 

[paysonmark]

Time to order caps and clean, deoxit switches and pots.
BTW how to clean the pots, there are no openings. Do I remove them?
thx

 

[woofercooker]

Time to order caps and clean, deoxit switches and pots.
BTW how to clean the pots, there are no openings. Do I remove them?
thx

I used Radio Shack brand Central Contact Cleaner and Lubricant. I have had it for years. I just sprayed around the bottom of the case "that says Violet" and moved the knob back and forth. It worked for me. I sprayed it 3-4 times. I wiped the excess off with a paper towel. I don't know how to take the thing apart. What caps have you decided to go with?

 

[paysonmark]

I am going to replace with whats in there, np electrolytics, stock values from parts express. (most) Everything I have read said these are the best speakers ever offered by RS. Since I have never heard a pair I'm going for factory sound no tweaking in these. Then we will see.

 

[paysonmark]

POSSIBLE TROUBLE........
#1. Ok reassembling first opti7 and went ahead tested all drivers and sure enough one of the tweeters is (quieter) sounding. still produce highs but at 50% of the other.
Is there a replacement that sound the same?
#2 Deoxit- the bass switch still crackles on louder bass notes, can I by pass the switch. how
#3. Current wiring ok?
red+ tweet, blk- tweet
yellow+ mid, blk- mid
blk+ woofer blue -woofer

 

[paysonmark]

Hi, what do you all think about adding a inline bulb 12vdc to protect my tweeters. Ive read some info and parts express sells them. good / bad IDK

 

[paysonmark]

DONE! Cleaned & deoxed, new caps with NP electrolytics, replaced tweeter ( got from fellow AKer), added some vintage fiber glass, foam tape to seal the speaker seats. , sounds incredible- better than I expected

 

[woofercooker]

Hey all you Optimus 7 fans, I purchased a third pair of Optimus 7s. I just got them yesterday and have gutted them for the overhaul that they need. I tested the drivers and they all work. Woofers are not original. They are radio shack musical instrument drivers. They are rated down to only 60 hz. At least they work. I'm either going to use these or use Pioneer cs 77a woofers which I only have one right now or...use McIntosh woofers that I have lying around here somewhere. They need refoamed. They are all 8 ohms. The woofer hole has been enlarged to fit in these current woofers, but the screw holes have not been messed with. I just painted the backs of the cabs and have cleaned the cabs with Googone to remove gum dirt etc. earlier today. I also ordered some motor run capacitors. Hopefully I can get these things running in a couple of weeks. Here is a photo of them from the sellers ad.

 

[paysonmark]

wow, your third pair, you could stack them and then you would wall of sound, called the optimus21's

 

[paysonmark]

more listening, more impressed. I'm hearing notes, instruments and background vocals Ive never heard before. These are song ive listen to for 40 years.
Bass is strong not too sloppy, but the highs that come out of these babies are pure and crisp. Its funny to me cuz they look like the paper speakers I used to rip out of old am radios. They deliver midrange like there is no tomorrow, too much for my liking. My current receiver has separate bass mid high controls, I have to turn the mid down to enjoy things louder. Not a huge fan of ABBA, Fleetwood Mac or ONJ but now they allow me appreciate these speakers. FreeBird on the other hand makes me smile and now I going to download Uncle Ted stranglehold.