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can't anyone here fix these things (emim's)?

S

siramazing

AK Member
I now have two burnt EMIM's for my RS-1b, and only one good spare left- Is there anyone out there who has the knowledge, interest, and talent to repair these? E-mail me, or reply. I've got no mechanical ability except for the most basic stuff, and would be most happy to find someone who is willing to help.

Thanks,

Bill
 
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Fixing burnt traces off plastic diaphragms is far easier said than done. If they heated up enough to melt the Kapton the diaphragm is too far gone.

Put bad diaphragms near your listening position where you can see them Bill.....let them be a reminder of when to turn down, not up! :smoke: :D

Best,

Paul
 
Hey P-
I didn't think it was that loud--well, I guess it must have been. When I had my first pair of 1b's the salesman used to tell me that sometimes they would fail from metal fatigue-does that sound possible to you?

Bill
 
I heard that there is an issue with the middle EMIM on the RS1b's. Being a point source configuration the middle EMIM is exposed to a large proportion of the power through the crossover. A mishap with a tonearm on a turntable can sometimes take them out as well. Some caution needs to be applied here.

But you may be driving them with an underrated amp or like the previous poster said you just need to turn the volume down to more realistic levels ;)
 
siramazing said:
Hey P-
I didn't think it was that loud--well, I guess it must have been. When I had my first pair of 1b's the salesman used to tell me that sometimes they would fail from metal fatigue-does that sound possible to you?

Bill
Click to expand...

The diaphragms can split but also you can get dry solder joints on the rivets that connect the foil to the terminals. Is the foil physically burnt or any of the traces missing ??
 
send them to bill at miller sound. he will fix it or replace the diaphragm. he has them.
he rebuilt all of my 1b emim's a year ago and they sound superb
 
don't know how what to look for

rabbit said:
The diaphragms can split but also you can get dry solder joints on the rivets that connect the foil to the terminals. Is the foil physically burnt or any of the traces missing ??
Click to expand...

Well, the problem is I really don't know what I am looking at to tell if it is broken, or not. I honestly don't know what to look for.

Bill
 
Where are you located in Florida? If you're close by, I can look at them for you. In the interim, if you have a multimeter, disconnect the wires to the EMIM you think is damaged and check the resistance with the meter. If it reads in the range of 2.7-4.5 ohms, its okay. If it reads less than that or a whole lot more (or open, as in 0 ohms), its toast. You can also take a magnifying glass and look at the traces, which are the thin vertical metal 'wires' that are attached to the mylar diaphragm. If you see a break or evidence of melting, the EMIM is probably damaged. Wrinkling, some lifting, or a wavey appearance may or may not be a sign of damage, so you need to fall back on the resistance readings to know if the traces are broken.

Here's the best close-up photo of an EMIM I could find on the net that shows the traces. In each opening, you can see about 3 vertical 'strips' of metal. These are the traces.
EMIN.jpg
 
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If the proper audio signal is fed directly to the removed EMIM quality sound will be heard if the driver is functioning. As stated above contact points on the diaphram can be resoldered if necessary. If that doesnt work (and at this point the EMIMs have been taken apart, halved if you will, you can visually inspect for a tiny break(s) in the racetrack ribbon. A multi meter will help find were conductiveness begins and ends. Once you find the break it can be repaired by taking a small strip of ribbon from an old EMIT and taping in place with some thin acetate tape. PITA but works
However I must add that I've only attempted the smaller Emit repair which i can only assume to be an easier task that the repair of the larger EMIM drivers.
 
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I can tell if it's working or not-that's easy. I have always used the 1b manual instructions to test the EMIM's which are wired in series and if one is out, then either the bottom 3 or the top 3 will be out. By shorting the leads of each driver you can tell which one is not working. The upper mid driver is fused, of course, so if it's out and changing the fuse doesn't restore it, it's busted. I just don't have the expertise to fix 'em. I will definitely ship them off to Miller Sound though, and hope he can do it.
Tedrick, I am grateful for your offer, but Gainesville is a long ways from Fort Myers. I see we're both members of the HW-19 MK-IV club.
 
its not the top three wired drivers in series. its the top two and forth one down. the third one down is on its own. the bottom three are also wired together
 
zenithradio said:
its not the top three wired drivers in series. its the top two and forth one down. the third one down is on its own. the bottom three are also wired together
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Yup, I know--I just mis-spoke. I did speak to Miller Sound but they do not repair dead diaphragms-they only EMIM's they repair are ones that are rattling. So we are still at the mercy of E-bay.

Bill
 
miller sound does have replacement emim diaphragm's but i think they run about $150. you are probably better off doing that then spending $150-$200 on ebay for a used one
 
siramazing said:
Yup, I know--I just mis-spoke. I did speak to Miller Sound but they do not repair dead diaphragms-they only EMIM's they repair are ones that are rattling. So we are still at the mercy of E-bay.

Bill
Click to expand...

Bill
If you have a dead one I would take a shot at fixing it, pm me if you want.
Regards
Army
 
I was just at Miller Sound and he said he does rebuild them by stripping off the cadmium. Give him a call it does not hurt to verify.
 
.....be careful, cadmium is very toxic. I'm a cadmium expert so if you'd please send me your non-working Emits....
 
Cadmium? Pffffft. Whatever happened to the gadolinium EMIMs?

Tubed, I'm confused about your repair method. How do you reliably connect the replacement ribbon to the damaged base ribbon? And do you just lay it over the old kapton, or do you cut out the kapton to keep the mass closer?
 
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