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Help with wiring please

cablephil212 said:
HAHA. Another one bites the dust. They're closing around here too.

If you're going to place an order to PE, go with poly caps. Not that much more.

2 of these: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=027-210

4 of these: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=027-214

Also, if you can squeeze it into the budget, grab 2 of these:

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=090-475

and 4 of these: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=260-250

Once you assemble and wire them up, they will become portable units, so any speaker can use them.

If you get the parts, and need help, don't hesitate to PM me.

Have Fun. It's what it's all about.

Phil
Click to expand...

hey Phil, is there a way to do this setup on a circuit board in a 2 way configuration,i have some 3 or 4 pairs of small bookshelfs that i would like to upgrade and add a L-pad to.with the newer connectors to connect with.mostly vintage with paper cone tweets and same for woofers. thanx.
 
Hey cleon.

I'm not really sure what you're asking about. Are you saying you want to just use the woofers in your bookshelfs, without the tweeters, and attach the pods to them?
 
no, this is for some of my other sets of speakers,i want to upgrade with a dedicated crossover and a modern connection terminals on the back and also some L-pads for the tweeter.just some 2 way bookshelves i have that sound good but need to be bought up to date on newer caps and such.kind of a way for me to work on my soldering skills and also learn how to do a crossover board.
 
i was doing some research on the pe site and i might not need the l-pads if the highs and lows are already balanced.i guess i just need to do it on a speaker set by speaker set basis since all speakers have different characteristics.
 
the majority of my smaller speakers are from the 60's and 70's and i like the sound they all have.most are 8" woofer and 2 or 3 inch paper cone tweeter's.
 
OK. Now I understand where you're going. Here's my take on your journey.

When I do an upgrade on a set of speakers, the first thing is to see how they're designed. A simple x-over or a more complex one determines what I'll do to them.

Most of the time, I will just re-cap the x-over, clean the L-pads if the have any, (maybe) change the internal wiring to better wire, and make sure the cabinets are in good shape.

It all depends on what speakers you're working on. If some have a "real x-over", as in a coil and cap for the woofer and tweeter (12db x-over), Then I change just the caps, since the coils rarely go bad (unless over-driven). If the woofer is run "full range", directly off the speaker terminals, then I'll change just the cap for the tweeter.

All of my "upgrades" (unless already there) get new terminals similar to these: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=260-309, just not gold plated. When RadioShack was closing their brand out (at about $2 bucks each), I bought all I could from every store local to me. Got about 20 pair. They are very good, quality wise, and accept banana plugs.

So, my final decision is based on how the speaker was built. I have tried adding a real x-over to speakers that only had a cap for the tweeter, and sometimes it worked, sometimes not. It's a crap-shoot, but a fun one. Experimentation is one way to gain knowledge. That's what this hobby is all about. Fun and experience.

I you like the sound of the speakers you have, change out the caps and terminals, then sit back and enjoy. If not, you could try something like this: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=260-146, or maybe it's time to pass them on to someone else.

Once you dive into a set, and if you need some help, PM me. Always glad to help a fellow AK'er.

Now, GO HAVE FUN.
 
cablephil212 said:
OK. Now I understand where you're going. Here's my take on your journey.

When I do an upgrade on a set of speakers, the first thing is to see how they're designed. A simple x-over or a more complex one determines what I'll do to them.

Most of the time, I will just re-cap the x-over, clean the L-pads if the have any, (maybe) change the internal wiring to better wire, and make sure the cabinets are in good shape.

It all depends on what speakers you're working on. If some have a "real x-over", as in a coil and cap for the woofer and tweeter (12db x-over), Then I change just the caps, since the coils rarely go bad (unless over-driven). If the woofer is run "full range", directly off the speaker terminals, then I'll change just the cap for the tweeter.

All of my "upgrades" (unless already there) get new terminals similar to these: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=260-309, just not gold plated. When RadioShack was closing their brand out (at about $2 bucks each), I bought all I could from every store local to me. Got about 20 pair. They are very good, quality wise, and accept banana plugs.

So, my final decision is based on how the speaker was built. I have tried adding a real x-over to speakers that only had a cap for the tweeter, and sometimes it worked, sometimes not. It's a crap-shoot, but a fun one. Experimentation is one way to gain knowledge. That's what this hobby is all about. Fun and experience.

I you like the sound of the speakers you have, change out the caps and terminals, then sit back and enjoy. If not, you could try something like this: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=260-146, or maybe it's time to pass them on to someone else.

Once you dive into a set, and if you need some help, PM me. Always glad to help a fellow AK'er.

Now, GO HAVE FUN.
Click to expand...

ok will do, i tend to like the smaller enclosures now adays since i dont listen at loud volume levels any more,part of getting old. i have lots of plans for speakers and no technical skills but with people like you make it a doable thing.

i need to wait till next month to make my order wit p.E. and finish up the one project you helped me with then i can start refurbing some of my others.

oh yea i had a question on dampening material, i have a lot of that memory foam the kind that bounces back when you squeeze it. could i use that as a dampening filler? or will the sound bounch off of it?
 
Memory foam is OK, as long as it is under 2" thick. The foam I have is 1"+ from an old mattress topper. I have used it in bigger boxes, but not small speakers. I think lining anything under 1cu.ft. would take up too much volume from the cabinet. I usually use poly fill (cheapest pillow stuffing from WalMart) for that size. Anything bigger, a combo of foam, fiberglass, and poly. Depends on what I have on hand.

What you should do is pick a set, open them up, and take a look inside. Sometimes the littlest thing (like adding damping) can turn a good sounding speaker into a better one. No permanent mod, and if it doesn't work, no big deal. Just change it back.

Now, before you order, give me a list of speakers you have, and what's in them, and I can/will do the research for the parts for you. Also, list how many are sealed or ported.

See ya soon.
 
ok copy that, yea one of the perks of having speakers shipped to me is getting foam and other dampening material, one time i actualy got a bunch of acoustic foam LOL,

it is gonna be a bit before i can get to the others i am hopefully going to finish my current project in the next couple days,and get stuff moved around and go from there.

these sylvanias will be the first i do i guess, they really sound good the bass was weak when i got them so i replaced with some 6" bose woofers and the tweets are original. here is some info on them. i like these a lot for what they are.
http://www.vintagesylvania.net/?page=components&category=spkr&model=AS-5708

i am sure i can beef up the specs
Configuration: sylvania as 5708
2-Way Air Suspension
Tweeter: 3 inch cone
Woofer: 8 inch
Power Handling:
35 watts RMS
Nominal Impedance:
8
Frequency Response:
50-12,000Hz +/- 5dB
System Resonance:
70Hz
Approx. Enclosure Volume:
Unknown
Crossover Frequencies:
Tweeter at 5,000Hz
 
I'm surprised that a sealed box with an 8" woofer doesn't have strong enough bass.

A couple of things come to mind:

The box isn't sealed completely. Loss of bass
The drivers gaskets might be bad, Leaking air.
Air leaking through the terminal plate.
Not enough damping material. Too much backwaves coming back through the woofer cone.

(1) First thing I would do is reseal the box with glue or calk on the inside.
(2) Get some thin weatherstripping to seal the drivers to the front baffle.
(3) Hot-glue over the terminal strip from the inside.
(4) Add some more damping material (poly, fiberglass, ect.) to make the driver think the box is bigger.

If the bass did sound better, I'd also think about replacing the tweeter due to the limited top end, and maybe replace the internal wiring.

Sometimes doing all the above just won't help. The only way is to try it. Won't cost big $$$, and you never know.
 
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