Shakers - Simple/Cheap Hookup - Visual Guide - Page 20

Brickie, the amp is the PE 300-792 120 watt amp .
Is there a nice easy diagram somewhere that will show me how you are talking about wiring it?
Sorry to be so slow, but my knowledge of wiring is pretty slim. And, I'd rather not have to pay anyone to install these.
Thanks

If that is a Stereo amplifier, do the following;

Each Transducer has a Positive & Negative post.

Take one negative, and attach it via jumper wire to the Positive post on the second 'Ducer. Repeat this again to the third, the negative of one 'ducer to the positive of another.

With three connected this way, you now take the 2 conductor wire coming from one of the Amp's outputs and attach the negative conductor to the empty negative post of the three 'ducer circuit, And waddya know? ya take the Positive "Amp" wire and attach it to the only empty Positive post on that same circuit.

You now have a 12 Ohm load.

It aint a picture, but it's also not so very hard to fathom either.

What's an Ohm?

Ask me that and I'll murdalize ya!

LOL I wouldn't dare!
Thanks for the connection info.
Any thoughts on setting up my first row recliners in this manner?

I have the very same plate amp. IF I follow the folks above, you need to set up two sets of three in series and then connect those sets in parallel.

Take the red lead from the plate amp output, connect it (via however much speaker wire you need) to the red terminal of the first series of three and then connect the black lead and connect it to the black terminal on the last shaker of that first series. In between you connect black/red/black/red accross that first series.

Then, take a jumper wire from that first red terminal and connect it to the red terminal of the second set, do the same series wiring, and take another jumper wire from the second series' black terminal to the black terminal on the first series that has the black amp lead.

This, I belive, will give you two parallel sets of three in series. Really bad drawing is attached.

Now for my question: Can I do this same setup mixing a pair of pros and a pair of regular shakers on this same amp? (don't ask, just found the second regular pair).

Thanks.

Opus33,

One AVS member was told by Aura that the major difference between the PRO model aura and the non-pro model is the heat-sink fins on the body of the pro units. They are identical inside otherwise.

The fins allow the PRO models to tolerate more heat (read that as tolerate more power) At the lower recommended power level specified for the non-pro models, both the pro and non-pro models will shake equally hard. Obviously, the pro models can shake a bit harder than the non pro when fed higher power than recommended for the non-pro models

Since you are wiring them for equal power, they will all heat equally.

You can mix the non-pro and pro as long as you keep below the power rating of the non-pro models.

Joe L.

Thanks Joe.

One final thing then I'm all set - the amp is a 120W max subwoofer plate amp. The regulars are rated 25 w each I think.

How do I calculate whether the amp, with two regulars and two pros in parallel/series, will overdrive the regulars in this configuration?

Thx.

You should be okay by just adjusting the gain(volume) knob of the amplifier.

brickie

That was me. Here's the info (it's probably buried in the this thread some where )

My email to Aura Sound ask:

1 - Driven at the same output (i.e., volume or watts) does the Pro Bass Shaker produce more vibrations than the Bass Shaker? I understand that the Pro will produce a higher peak force at it's max input power. I'm more curious that if they were both driven at lets say 5 watts, would the Pro produce more Lbf or N (newtons)?
2 - Besides from the fins on the Pro Bass Shakers, are there any internal differences between them and the Bass Shakers? Like a bigger piston, bigger magnet, etc.

Their answer was:

No difference at 5 watts same Lbf...fins dissipate heat better (stability in coil impedance) no difference in internal composition.

Comparing the Pros to non-Pros:
The internals are the same
Same output at lower inputs
Fins are just for cooling

So, unless you are driving the Pros harder, the non-Pros should work just fine.

Hmmm...
Really... So in that case, I'm glad I bought 5 pair of the regulars vs. spending double the money on the pros. Now I've just got to get these things hooked up...

Maybe it's time to visit the pawn shops tomorrow and try to "negotiate" that 4ohm (capable) receiver again. Last time he wouldn't go lower than $80... I wanna pay $50 given what I'm using it for.

Any ideas on a good way to hook up 5 of them without jacking up the receiver (3 on one couch, 2 on the loveseat)???? I've been through some of the diagrams and I'm still lost.

Didn't I see at one point where someone said that a resistor could be usind in place of one of the shakers (so that it would see 3 on each side instead of 3 on one and 2 on the other)?

Easiest is two in series on one channel, three in series on the other, and move the L/R balance control off center till they shake equally.

If you do use a resistor, remember it has to dissipate 25 watts as heat, so purchase one with at least that power rating, and mount it where the heat will not melt anything. (Ever grabbed hold the tip of a 25 watt soldering iron... same amount of heat ... watts is watts )

Thanks very much Opus33. That was absolutely perfect. A child could install these with those instructions .
Thanks again

I have an old JVC stereo receiver w/80w RMS per channel into 8 ohms receiver not being used since I bought my new 7.1 receiver. I would like to install bass shakers under a riser that I built. I have access to the bottom before I nail and carpet it. My questions are: where is the best place to buy these bass shakers? and can I use this old receiver to drive them off my sub? Sub is Def Tech. Pro 250watt. thanks a newbie

Sure, it will work fine. Most of us are getting them from Parts Express I believe.

Well, not quite. The element being heated on a Soldering Iron or Wood Burning tool is Copper. The Resistor is Enamel coated over Copper wire wound around a ceramic Form that it'self conducts heat inward to the open space of the "tube". but I have seen them scorch the inside of a Sheetrock wall, or leave a brown mark against a wood joist, so ya betcha, there is some real heat being generated. At power output levels under 100 watts, no fires are eminent, but you also don't want to stand there and hold it tightly in your hand either.


I hate the things, but sometimes, they are the only sensible solution. Many Receivers and AMP act goofy, or just plain fail when they drive different loads to each output when both outputs share the same Power supply.

But once again, I speak from having used every last "practical" watt available in many of the Amps in my systems. These days, Amps that can drive 2 ohms loads don't cost nearly as much, so I usually parallel down.

The best solution? At the price all ya'all are getting Pros and Non-Pro Auras for, ya all should just ante up and get enough to create equal impendence channels. One thing fer sur. You'll never be dissapointed by having extra Shakers putting energy to a surface. Instead, the extra devices mean that everyone of them have to work just that much less to provide the emphtic effect you desire.

A classic case where More is bedder!

MadPoet: thanks for the quick reply. I went to the "Express" page and noticed that the limit was 25w p/shaker. Should I go with the pro which is a little more wattage.. (50w RMS/75w Max) since the old receiver is rated 80w RMS per Ch.?

The pro vs. regular is discussed several times in this thread (including over the last 2 pages I believe). You're never going to be driving these things at full wattage anyway or you would break your spine .

...............anybody know a good Orthepedic Surgeon?

Chiropractor?



KaTHUMP!

My spine went South long ago!

I haven't read this entire thread, so if I am asking already answered questions, please forgive me. I'm in the process of building the theater. I'm not sure if I want shakers or not but want to have the wiring in place if I decide to go the shaker route. I will have Berkline 088's in the front row, two recliners and a love seat, for four seating positions, and a couch in the back row that seats 3 - 4 people. So, how many shakers would I need and where would they go? I assume I would need 8, four each for the front and back. Do I really need 4 for the couch? What wiring from the amp should I run, does it depend on the number of shakers or is it just one positive and one negative for all? Assuming a separate amp is needed, how do you get the source to that amp if it is already going to another amp to power the sub? I know, dumb question. Thanks for any advice.

Joe, to power the shaker amp you need to split the LFE or sub out with a RCA "Y" splitter.As for wiring,it does depend on how you're doing it.Is it a stereo amp or mono amp..It all matters..As for the number required,I like the formula of 1 per seat.For ME this enough.If couch is overly large,then perhaps an extra one is called for..The thing to keep in mind is that it doesn't taake alot of power at all to get things moving!My couch has 3 cushions but could sit 3-5,tight I know on the 5 part..It's about 94" wide if I recall correctly,but 3 shakers can overpower that couch EASILY!!Hope this helps some..

brickie

I am adding a few Shakers to my Couches, total will be eight Shakers now.
Now, i did read the entire thread, but cannot find a graph that will show me how to hook these up to a single Subwoofer-Amp with 250 watt /4 ohms.
Or, should i use 10 Shakers?

I am using This Amp
Help, please...

Brickie,
Thanks for the response. Will splitting the signal have an adverse affect on the sound quality of the bass? As far as amp, I don't have one yet but the one that Deja-vue references looks as good as any and is resonable as far as cost. If we assumed that amp, could you then tell me the necessary wiring? Thanks.

Spitting a few times off the sub out is fine.

8 shakers would be 2 sets of 4 in series,then wire them parallel to that amp.In each series set you get 16 ohms,then when you go parallel you will present an 8 ohm load to the amp.Nice safe load and more power than is needed to get things rocking! Plus all shakers get even watts.

For 10, not sure to get even watts all around.will see if I can figure that one out.

brickie

Joe, the Amp really is fantastic...
About my question, will this drawing really work with this Amp?

Deja-vue,

Yes, that drawing will work just fine. You will end up with an 8 ohm load presented to your amplifier. each set of two shakers in series = 8 ohms. Two paralleled sets of two shakers in series = 4 ohms, and two series/parallel groups in series equals 8 ohms.

Depending on your physical layout, an alternative wiring layout is as brickie suggested,

4 shakers in series (4+4+4+4 ohms=16 ohms total), connected in parallel with a second set of 4 in series (4+4+4+4 ohms=16 ohms total) would also result in a 8 ohm load to the amplifier.

Oh yes, for 10 shakers and a single channel amplifier there are four ways to connect them to get equal shaking.

All in parallel = 0.4 ohms load to the amplifier and will probably cause most amplifiers to either self-destruct, shut-down (if it has short-circuit protection) or melt (although I guess that is a form of self destruction) If you do attempt this, check your fire insurance policy to make sure it has not lapsed and keep the fire-extinguisher handy, just in case its demise is dramatic.

All in series = 40 ohms load to the amplifier, nothing will harm the amplifier, but it will deliver nowhere near its rated power (amplifier rated at 250 watts into 4 ohms might deliver 25 watts into 40 ohms), things will shake, but not very hard.

Two sets of 5 shakers in series (each set=4+4+4+4+4=20 ohm total), both sets connected in parallel (20 ohms in parallel with 20 ohms=10 ohms) to the output of the amplifier.

Now, the amplifier will deliver slightly less power into a 10 ohm load than it can into an 8 ohm load, but it will handle it fine and everything will shake equally. THIS IS ONE WAY I WOULD DO IT.

Another way to connect 10 would be to wire 5 sets of 2 paralleled shakers in series.

In other words, parallel 2 shakers. Do the same with a second set of 2 shakers, and a third set, and fourth set, and fifth set. Two 4 ohm shakers in parallel = 2 ohms. five 2 ohm sets in series again gives you 10 ohms and a decent load for your amplifier. THIS IS THE OTHER WAY I WOULD DO IT.

Have fun.

Joe L.

J.L.
(copied and pasted your post into a word-doc and saved)

Many thanks for your explanation!
I will go ahead and follow your advice.
Your advice is, as always, highly appreciated.
Same as Brickie's post, of course.
I might post pictures later next week of the finished product.
I even consider adding a second Amp of the same model to drive two sets of five...we'll see how things work out.
Good weekend to all!

Was hoping JL would chime in!Deja, that amp will be MORE than enough..try it first and see what you think.

brickie

Although a second amplifier sounds like it might help, it is likely to help very little if you intend to hook 5 shakers to each of the two amplifiers.

One of the two ways to hook 5 shakers to an amplifier and get equal shaking is all in parallel (total resistance= 0.8 ohms) again a load too low for almost all amplifiers, and likely to cause the amplifier to shut-down or self-destruct. I do not recommend this method.

The only other way to connect 5 shakers and have them all shake the same amount is all in series, a total of 20 ohms. The amplifier rated at 180 watts into 8 ohms would probably output about 70 watts into 20 ohms. Split between 5 shakers, each could get 14 watts.

A single amplifier rated at 180 watts into 8 ohms would probably output somewhere near 140 watts into 10 ohms. Split equally between 10 shakers, each would get 14 watts. See... same amount of wattage, same shaking, and now you have two level controls to deal with.

I'd use one amplifier. If you need more shaking, add a second set of 10 shakers in parallel with the first. Two 10 ohm sets in parallel would give you a 5 ohm load and would result in almost double the power out from your amplifier. But... as brickie said... your not likely to need this amount of shaking. Not unless you want blurry vision and rattled bones.

Joe L.

Brickie, Joe L.,
Great responses, thanks. You guys rock (pun intended) Can't wait for the theater to be finished so I can start rocking with ya!

What a great post - after plenty of reading I think I know how I'll wire my recently ordered 6 Bass Shakers (25W) to the PE 120W mono subwoofer amp. My question is a more basic - how to pre-wire in anticipation of using these.

I'm getting to the end of my HT buildout, unfortunately, I didn't think ahead about adding shakers, I just decided this past week after some great input from AVSers. All my speaker cable is in conduit (7.1) behind double drywall, so running conduit now isn't going to happen. However I am installing GOM on the walls, that starts this week. So what I'll do run speaker wire from the equipment rack to the chair row & cover that with Linacoustics/GOM. It will be hidden so no problems.

I guess my question has to do with the fact since I have no chairs yet and can access the floor, how/where should I terminate wire? I will have 2 rows of 3 and I'm not exactly sure where they will be, but I'm pretty sure of their approximate location. I'm thinking of a couple of different options:

1. have the speaker cable from the amp terminate in a wall plate on my side wall. Then when I get the chairs (which will most likely be pretty tight to the side wall, get a jack to finish the wiring. I guess I would run the wire under the chairs and hide any exposed wiring with some sort of cover.

2. Another option is I am in the middle of installing Dricore on the floors and I could run wire under it. For those not familar with it, Dricore is about 1" high, it has polyethylene cleats on the bottom with OSB on top http://www.dricore.com/en/einstallation.htm). So there is a gap between the cleats for air flow, speaker wire could go there. So in this case I could run speaker wire from the amp, through the floor to appoximately where the chairs would be & have the wire poke up through the Dricore. I think I could leave excess wire in the floor and when it came time to install, I could pull it up through the floor. Only problem with this is I'd have to poke a hole through the carpet as well, so maybe the first approach would be better.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Bob

That Dri-Core flooring looks great. Something to think about in the future, although I'm sure my basement floor would need serious leveling.

I wouldn't necessarily bother running wires between the cleats of the floor panels, and would be afraid that the excess left under the floor would get wound around the cleats and not feed through adequately once your chairs are in.

I would favor a simpler approach. Run the wires to a jack panel, or better yet along the baseboard (or in the ¼ gap along the side of your floor panels) to where the chairs will be, then fish the wire under your carpet and feed it through a small hole right under the chairs. Yes it's a small hole in the carpet, but no one will ever see it and no one will trip over the wires