AR-2a woofer stopped working

[Becker158]

The woofer on one of my AR-2a's stopped recently and upon inspection I saw that the wire (not sure the name) that attaches to the paper part of the woofer has come undone. It also came unglued on the backside of the woofer. Would this cause my woofer to stop working? If yes, how do I go about reattaching it. The dual mids and tweeter are working fine.

 

[rider33]

a dynamic speaker is like an electro-magnet, the magnet assembly is energized, the coil is energized and fluctuations cause the coil to move in and out causing the cone to move thus creating a sound wave. Odds are, the wire you speak of is the one going to the coil, attached first to the back side of the cone before connecting to the coil itself.
You want to reattach those wires, likely pulled loose over time thru motion/ vibration. I'd start by gluing the wire back to
the rear of the cone & then check to see if it is still attached to the coil. 'might also be in the crossover. Pull the woofer & connect it directly to a signal source to check that. Most speakers don't die, they just loose there power connection, either thru wiring or the crossover components like bad caps.

 

[Becker158]

Thank you. After further inspection I can see that the wire broke on the back on the cone before going to the coil. I was able to get the woofer working again for a second by reconnecting the wires where they broke. If you look closely on this picture you can see a tiny bit of the copper wire where it broke. How would I go about reconnecting these wires? I dont think you could ever solder them together on the back of the woofer. I'm guessing I would need to run a whole new wire to the coil?

 

[RTally]

The thicker conductor is the tinsel. It goes from the driver terminals to a rivet in the cone. The thin wire is one of the two lead wires from the voice coil (VC). The thin wire is usually fixed to the cone by a black adhesive (the thin strip you see on the back of the cone). The tinsel and VC lead are soldered together at the rivet in the cone.

Unfortunately, I cannot decipher your last two pictures. Are you saying that the VC lead broke where it goes into the voice coil? Is the mechanical and electrical connection good at the rivet?

If the VC lead broke at the VC former where it becomes the VC, then your repair becomes much more difficult. Since you were able to reconnect the broken lead momentarily, you should be able to solder them together. If a soldering iron tip can reach into that spot, you are golden. You will need to use flux to prepare the leads and then solder them together. It would be best if you can scrape off a bit of the enamel insulation on the wire first. A small knife blade should suffice.

If you cannot reach the broken spot with a soldering iron, the repair becomes more difficult. You will have to remove the outer edge of the spider from the driver frame and VC former so you can get access to the VC.

After the broken lead is soldered, you will need to replace the rivet in the cone, secure it in place, and then secure the VC lead to the cone. Hopefully, others know the best way to reinstall the rivet in the cone. I can think of a few ways, but I have never done it.

If the repair is beyond your capabilities or you not sure you can do it, the best option may to acquire a replacement woofer and sell your broken one. I am sure there are some out there than would consider it a good challenge to repair your woofer.

 

[baco99]

Thank you. After further inspection I can see that the wire broke on the back on the cone before going to the coil. I was able to get the woofer working again for a second by reconnecting the wires where they broke. If you look closely on this picture you can see a tiny bit of the copper wire where it broke. How would I go about reconnecting these wires? I dont think you could ever solder them together on the back of the woofer. I'm guessing I would need to run a whole new wire to the coil?View attachment 1669165 View attachment 1669166

Your best shot would be to separate the frame from the metal basket at the top surround and the bottom spider. That way, if you need to "unwind" one turn of the voice coil to get enough wire to effectively solder things back together, you can have some leeway. Otherwise the solder job is an impossible task.

 

[guest139]

I don’t think it’s worth the time and effort. Sounds like that repair would be difficult even for someone with good soldering skills. I would either find another AR2a woofer on eBay or find a new suitable replacement pair to replace both woofers. That is if you don’t mind not having original woofers(I wouldn’t as long as they sound the same or better). Then sell the one good original woofer. I’m sure you could even sell the broken woofer as is.

 

[baco99]

I don’t think it’s worth the time and effort. Sounds like that repair would be difficult even for someone with good soldering skills. I would either find another AR2a woofer on eBay or find a new suitable replacement pair to replace both woofers. That is if you don’t mind not having original woofers(I wouldn’t as long as they sound the same or better). Then sell the one good original woofer. I’m sure you could even sell the broken woofer as is.

I would discourage this approach. If the OP doesn't feel confident with this repair, he can send it to me. I've done it successfully in the past.

 

[guest139]

I would discourage this approach. If the OP doesn't feel confident with this repair, he can send it to me. I've done it successfully in the past.

Which approach? Both of them? What would you suggest if this repair is not possible or the owner does not want to bother having it repaired? I’m looking at it in a cost effective way. But like it says in my post “That is if you don’t mind not having original woofers.” I’ve repaired many woofers in the past successfully too but some are just not doable. And sometimes you fix them and it’s just a matter of time before the same thing happens especially when it’s an old driver. And others are just not worth the time, effort, or cost. But ultimately it’s up to the owner.

 

[spark1]

I too would discourage replacement of both woofers with aftermarket replacements. The early 2a woofer is quite good, and I believe that the performance of the speaker would be compromised with modern replacements.

Based on recent sales, it appears that you should be able to get a good original for about $75, including shipping. Repair might be less, especially if you don't need to ship it back and forth.