High output, multiple driver DIY main recommendations? - Page 9

Too bad you aren't closer so we could do an A/B with the Cornscalas. I'd love to do a false wall too someday. I'll move the SHOs to surround duty for a bit once these are finished.

3 amigos - Still got a lot of finishing work to do as well as the crossovers, speakon connectors, wall lining, etc. But progress nonetheless.

Out for a birthday dinner tonight!



My ghetto mockup of the crossover - just so happens to be the same size as the port brace.

Time has been tough to come by, and when it does I'm exhausted, LOL. My team began training for another powerlifting meet coming up in April so we've been spending alot of time hitting it hard which has cut into my building time. But, some progress nonetheless:

-Sanded edges and routed roundovers on all 3 boxes
-Drywall compound applied to nail holes and edges
-First crossover complete! Still have to trim the board though. Not terrible for my first attempt I guess. I was contemplating running all wires beneath the board, but figured I would keep it simple in the interest of reducing mistakes my first time around. Not to mention this process is time consuming enough as is! The second two boards should go together a bit more quickly now that I've got the layout figured out.

Hoping to do some more crossover work tonight and get some more sanding done on the boxes. I also picked up a 15/16 spade bit for the speakon connectors yesterday so I'll probably test that out on some scrap wood too.

Thanks man. I'll for sure be plugging along until they get done. Any more progress with yours? Did you start playing with the crossover yet?


Thanks John. Should be up and running in the next week or so.


Just stopped at HD again to rip some 1/2" MDF for the grills. I'd like to get the grill frames glued together soon so I can drill for the grill magnets before the cabinets are ready for paint, which will be soon.

I wish man, I'm getting antsy to get them tested but at the same time I want to do it right the first time and not have to pull them all back apart for painting. Especially since I'm using MDF, I'd like to minimize the number of times I install/remove the drivers.


4 more sentinels! You planning on putting them in the bathroom? Might as well wait to listen before you get too crazy.

I like to use the grills as a template for drilling the pilot holes for magnets on the enclosures. Rigging up the grill frames only takes a few minutes per and ensures I get the holes centered properly on the base speaker. Ideally I'd like to have the holes drilled and magnets glued in before I paint the enclosures, you know? I don't have to have the grills finished, just need the base ready for drilling.

Few updates:

-Got all the wood (MDF) cut and routed for the grills. I assembled one of the grills last night, and another this morning. Once cut, I can assemble/glue the pieces together in a few minutes which is nice. The last grill will go together quickly first thing tonight. My magnets arrived yesterday, although I haven't really checked them out. I went with slightly larger 0.5" diameter x 0.2" depth this time. They should be super strong. I did a quick test fit on the speaker today and it looks decent. Since the baffle is so narrow compared to the driver size, I will do a quick test fit tonight before I start drilling.
-Did some more sanding / filling again on all three boxes.
-Got the second crossover buttoned up last night.
-Drilled a test hole for the speakon connector in scrap wood this morning. Fits great with a 15/16 bit.

Tonight I'm off from the gym so should see some more decent progress! I'm going to focus on getting the grills/baffles drilled, doing some test fitment, drilling for the speakon connectors, and finishing sanding on the boxes. Almost ready for paint!





Edited by Gorilla83 - 1/23/13 at 5:09am

Scott - thanks! I've made quite a few grills already for my subs with the same process. My wife will give me a hand and I will stretch, glue, and staple each side at a time. The tricky part are the corners where they will need to be trimmed one side at a time. I've never managed to get the back side perfect, but since I never seen or look at it, I figured my time was best spent elsewhere. A trimming knife and a straight edge would help to smooth out the seams where they are stapled too.

Examples my from sub project:

Cut and trim wood to size, and I personally like to rout in a 45 degree bevel:



Glue together for a frame:


Spray frames black so that it does not show through the fabric:


Drill frames/pilot holes for magnets or grill pins - I unfortunately don't have any direct pics on my phone here but I used 3/8 x 0.2" neomonium magnets held in place by Gorilla glue.

Wrap in fabric and staple. Later on I found that spraying the egdes cleaned up this process alot and made it easier:



End:

Edited by Gorilla83 - 1/23/13 at 10:33am

^added grill documentation above.

Scott - I just used regular 3M spray adhesive. I'm sure hot glue would work just as well too. I think this next round of grills I'm going to leave out the staples as they really aren't needed anyway and it would give an overall cleaner look. I will probably also trim to the edge of the frame so that it will be all black and even on the backside. Should work out well and of course I will post pics when done.

Couple ideas - Router w/ straight edge guide or table/fence and straight/rabbet bit or table saw set to proper depth.

hometheaterdoc - cool idea, might have to try that this time around.

I actually have it closer to the back wall. I'm sure not an ideal placement for the brace strength, but it's out of the ports way.

Yes, they are 1x2. For my speakers I went a little smaller using 0.5 inch thick MDF in 1.25" strips. I like the edge alot too!


Made a bit more progress tonight:

-drilled holes for speakon connectors in enclosures
-assembled grill frames
-drilled and installed magnets in cabinets
-performed basic testing of one crossover, success!
-more sanding of cabs and painted bottoms

This was the first time I painted with Duratex using no primer. I just painted the bottoms as an experiment. With the first coat I could still see the drywall filler underneath. After the second coat it looks great though.

Hoping to paint the rest of the cabs tomorrow night!

Got the boxes and grill frames primered tonight. Even in just a rough primer I'm very happy with their look.

With and without waveguide propped in:




Edited by Gorilla83 - 1/24/13 at 6:15pm

I seem to have much better luck thoroughly covering the filler/compound when using a black latex base and smooth roller first. Last night I did the bottoms in Duratex and after two medium coats I could still see specs of white when you look up close. Never had that issue when laying the flat black down first.

Oh, and using less Duratex is a bonus too.
Edited by Gorilla83 - 1/24/13 at 6:25pm

Still need to make a run tomorrow to pick up screws for the waveguide and polyester batting to line the walls. Getting close though!