Fabric
Paul, do you mean rib knit fabric like
Sew Classic Knit-Aspen Gold Rib Knit 2X2 : Basic Apparel Fabric : apparel fabric : fabric : Shop | Joann.com
43" wide polyester spandex blend?
Noel
Paul, do you mean rib knit fabric like
Sew Classic Knit-Aspen Gold Rib Knit 2X2 : Basic Apparel Fabric : apparel fabric : fabric : Shop | Joann.com
43" wide polyester spandex blend?
Noel
Well, I will find out if the panels have pinholes when I take the panels out of the frame.
I do not like sound of the TNT-200 either. The 200 is clean sounding, quiet, powerful, "fast", etc. But there is something about it that makes me want to turn it off after twenty minutes. Perhaps I will send it to Ken Ealey Audio. He says that he can modify it for better sound.
Another problem is that whenever the amp is turned on, there is a loud noise for a couple of seconds that happens in one channel. More like a boing as opposed to a thump.
Fortunately, I have 40 year old RCA tube amps that sound very nice on the Acoustats.
Noel
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Are you going to wash yours then? Or just inspect them? Let me know how easy it is to get them in and out of the frames along with the associated wiring.
I'm waiting to hear from any others if or how they were able to clean their panels. I think after 26 years with an electrostatic charge they have to be coated with micro-dust.
If washing in the tub is the best option would dish washing soap be the best choice? Then just rinse well.
After I get mine clean I'd like to explorer steping up the voltage a notch.
Jer: you have to add detergents to the list to keep things safe as they will conduct like a resistive coating to bleed static charge to the frame to ground.
Discharges from the speaker panel is usually soem form of contamination so a close visual inspection will go a long way as will a good vac with a soft brush.
I have washed a number of Acoustat panels and learned first hand about detergent the hard way. You can find a long narrow plastic container or make one out of MDD and line it with poly. I used a mild degreasing liquid forget the brand no detergent just keep the panels vertical so there is now weight from the fluid on the diaphragms. Keep the box tall and narrow close fitting so you can get the most coverage with the least amount of fluid. I built a simple box lined with poly and soaked four panels at a time. There is no risk of damage as the Acoustat coating is on the diaphragm for ever. I ended up rinsing min in the shower. They looked and worked like new.
This is your chance to inspect the clean panels and find all the loose stator wire joints. I used some thin solid core wire to make twist ties to hold in place any lose wires while I glued them back in place. You can then reshrink your diaphragms, but keep the gun at least six inches off the skin and never sop moving it it or you will have a hole the size of your fist. When you re install the panels you should probably insert 3 - 4 lengths of tooth picks with a good wet blob of white glue into each hole where the lag bolts go to keep them tight and snug.
For the longest time I simply used series 1000 piv diodes 1N4007 I think but you can get better ones for cheap they have been mentioned I have forgotten so perhaps someone will mention them. Yoou cna get 1 - 2Kv ceramic caps to build new ladders or extensions for cheap too. Your stock dioder are most likely just fine but the caps could stand being changed.
If you change your binding post just make sure that you dont use the kind with the little plastic inserts that keep the post off (insulate) the chassis. They have a bad tendency of slipping when tightened or torqued on and they will at some point in time short out on you which is very baqd for your amp. There is nothing really wrong with the stock connectors unless they are getting loose. Good wuality female bananna plugs are safe and they work well. Use what you like as long as you make sure there is no risk of shorting to the metal box.
Washing your panels is a great idea and an excellent opportunity for you to have a serious close and personaql inspection too see exactly how these are built. It is time for you to suck it up and figure out how you are going to build a replacement set of ne panels so you can continue to enjoy your Acoustats for another thirty years. Their life span is near the end my friend and you are the only one who can build new one so get on it now. Hope this helps best regards Moray James.
Discharges from the speaker panel is usually soem form of contamination so a close visual inspection will go a long way as will a good vac with a soft brush.
I have washed a number of Acoustat panels and learned first hand about detergent the hard way. You can find a long narrow plastic container or make one out of MDD and line it with poly. I used a mild degreasing liquid forget the brand no detergent just keep the panels vertical so there is now weight from the fluid on the diaphragms. Keep the box tall and narrow close fitting so you can get the most coverage with the least amount of fluid. I built a simple box lined with poly and soaked four panels at a time. There is no risk of damage as the Acoustat coating is on the diaphragm for ever. I ended up rinsing min in the shower. They looked and worked like new.
This is your chance to inspect the clean panels and find all the loose stator wire joints. I used some thin solid core wire to make twist ties to hold in place any lose wires while I glued them back in place. You can then reshrink your diaphragms, but keep the gun at least six inches off the skin and never sop moving it it or you will have a hole the size of your fist. When you re install the panels you should probably insert 3 - 4 lengths of tooth picks with a good wet blob of white glue into each hole where the lag bolts go to keep them tight and snug.
For the longest time I simply used series 1000 piv diodes 1N4007 I think but you can get better ones for cheap they have been mentioned I have forgotten so perhaps someone will mention them. Yoou cna get 1 - 2Kv ceramic caps to build new ladders or extensions for cheap too. Your stock dioder are most likely just fine but the caps could stand being changed.
If you change your binding post just make sure that you dont use the kind with the little plastic inserts that keep the post off (insulate) the chassis. They have a bad tendency of slipping when tightened or torqued on and they will at some point in time short out on you which is very baqd for your amp. There is nothing really wrong with the stock connectors unless they are getting loose. Good wuality female bananna plugs are safe and they work well. Use what you like as long as you make sure there is no risk of shorting to the metal box.
Washing your panels is a great idea and an excellent opportunity for you to have a serious close and personaql inspection too see exactly how these are built. It is time for you to suck it up and figure out how you are going to build a replacement set of ne panels so you can continue to enjoy your Acoustats for another thirty years. Their life span is near the end my friend and you are the only one who can build new one so get on it now. Hope this helps best regards Moray James.
Moray hoho
You can then reshrink your diaphragms, but keep the gun at least six inches off the skin and never sop moving it it or you will have a hole the size of your fist.
This is One thing i stop doing....why, i have a more than one bad panel....after i have open them up, i see that the coting that jim used...when hit with the heat ...even if you do it right, it casues the coting to crack....split when the mylar moves...i know you get this..
Just a headup on my finding.
You can then reshrink your diaphragms, but keep the gun at least six inches off the skin and never sop moving it it or you will have a hole the size of your fist.
This is One thing i stop doing....why, i have a more than one bad panel....after i have open them up, i see that the coting that jim used...when hit with the heat ...even if you do it right, it casues the coting to crack....split when the mylar moves...i know you get this..
Just a headup on my finding.
That is an interesting observation Allen. I have not seen this happen myself but I don`t doubt your experience. You are at sea level with constant high humidity and I am almost a mile high and constant dry so very different enviornments. The simple solution is to heat only the outside inch of the diaphragm where there is no coating to re tenssion and remove any wrinkles. This however should be just another reminder to owners who love their Acoustats and want to continue to enjoy them that building new panels is in the cards for them and sooner is better than later. Best regards Moray James.
Moray
I could not make this statment from the outside...only when i got them open..you no your right about the panels Diy new one ....got be great...but i like high out put an the ML two way are so littel money here....an the newer ML paneled one are vary eze to open up an fix...get the pr for less than diy panels.
thanks for you time.....my cold bud
I could not make this statment from the outside...only when i got them open..you no your right about the panels Diy new one ....got be great...but i like high out put an the ML two way are so littel money here....an the newer ML paneled one are vary eze to open up an fix...get the pr for less than diy panels.
thanks for you time.....my cold bud
Hey thanks much for the info! I'm going to get mine apart and wash the panels. As long as I don't damage them I think they should still have a long life because they still sound excellent. Mostly just dirty I think from years of static charge causing micro-dust to stick.
I'm still unclear about the soap. Did you say "not" to use soap as the degreasing agent? I'm pretty sure if I do use some soap I could get it all rinsed off good keeping them vertical and let water trickle down via hand held shower head.
I'll get all that done and mean while will have some more questions about the diodes and caps. Unclear about steping up the voltage. Maybe it'll make more sense to me again once I open them up.
Thanks much,
Mark
I'm still unclear about the soap. Did you say "not" to use soap as the degreasing agent? I'm pretty sure if I do use some soap I could get it all rinsed off good keeping them vertical and let water trickle down via hand held shower head.
I'll get all that done and mean while will have some more questions about the diodes and caps. Unclear about steping up the voltage. Maybe it'll make more sense to me again once I open them up.
Thanks much,
Mark
Mark: NO SOAP & NO DETERGENT. They will not rinse off they will leave a thin film which will bleed static charge off your diaphragms constantly. Just use a mild degreaseing agent and check to see that there is no detergent in it and you will be good to go. Best regards Moray James.
PS just so you understand oth soaps and detergents have been successfully used as diaphragms coatings for ESL speaker designs over the years.
PS just so you understand oth soaps and detergents have been successfully used as diaphragms coatings for ESL speaker designs over the years.
Eze Mod on the Bias An do this frist ,best thing i ever did in 30years with ESL ....just add 2 diodes an 2 caps like the ones in the 121interface, Moray I think has the parts you need ...e-mail him
on The Soap, i take Dish soap an An mix it with water...an spray it on the panels when there wet.... An rince.....an i have 2 Acoustat panels that i have reparid with soap...the coting split at the bottem input near the wire.... an i put just dish soap on a brus an dob it on....the panels have work for 3years..Jim used prell i think he told me..
An the ML i have put Dish soap Strat on the panels there was nothing to lose...
Rins off well an the work grate...now all moray saying are true...but this work well in fl.
A mile below Moray..Just my finding
on The Soap, i take Dish soap an An mix it with water...an spray it on the panels when there wet.... An rince.....an i have 2 Acoustat panels that i have reparid with soap...the coting split at the bottem input near the wire.... an i put just dish soap on a brus an dob it on....the panels have work for 3years..Jim used prell i think he told me..
An the ML i have put Dish soap Strat on the panels there was nothing to lose...
Rins off well an the work grate...now all moray saying are true...but this work well in fl.
A mile below Moray..Just my finding
I too have used soap once and detergent on some other panes for the ddiaphragm coating and it worked. I even washed a pair of Acoustats with detergent but I had to rinse them twice to get it off where I did not want it to be which was a royal pain. So I think better not to use detergent to clean panels just to be on the safe side. I was using Kodac photo detergent which washes well but with household detergent god knows what additives such as colorants and sents are in there. I don`t think it is worth the trouble. There are far safer to use and better working diaphragm coatings so I just don`t see any reason to go there. Best regards Moray James.
If you have some sort of grime that you deal with you may be able to use some denatured alcohol and spray them down with that and rinse them off with water.
Isopropyl is a good choice as well just don't use the rubbing type as it contains an abrasive and can deposit it self and be left behind.
I know this from when I repaired TV's.
The factory's stressed to never use this type when cleaning VCR's (he,he, does any one remember those?) rotary heads.
I have been able to use this with great success in the past on my panels, though I use Licron as a coating and my diagphrams are directly accessible.
Unfortunately the best (only) thing that cuts through tobbaco smoke with ease is ammonia.
Not to mention that it is a rare find to obtain it without a soap additive.
But ammonia is corrosive to some materials and may damage the ML coatings as it is a deposited metal of some sort (aluminium as far as I know),So denatured alcohol is your best bet.
I am not sure what the base glue for the Acoustat coatings are but Isopropyl is the lesser active of the two IHMO in this case.
I have read that others may differ.
But this has been my experience as I had to de-gunk my Mackie mixer that was inoperable due to tobbaco smoke when I first got it back.
Literally inoperable with only a few chanels allowing the signal to flow through it.
Now it has been working nearly perfect for the last 10 years and has been on 24/7 for the last 3 years and rarely gets shut off.
These are all of the best tips that I have so far.
jer
Isopropyl is a good choice as well just don't use the rubbing type as it contains an abrasive and can deposit it self and be left behind.
I know this from when I repaired TV's.
The factory's stressed to never use this type when cleaning VCR's (he,he, does any one remember those?) rotary heads.
I have been able to use this with great success in the past on my panels, though I use Licron as a coating and my diagphrams are directly accessible.
Unfortunately the best (only) thing that cuts through tobbaco smoke with ease is ammonia.
Not to mention that it is a rare find to obtain it without a soap additive.
But ammonia is corrosive to some materials and may damage the ML coatings as it is a deposited metal of some sort (aluminium as far as I know),So denatured alcohol is your best bet.
I am not sure what the base glue for the Acoustat coatings are but Isopropyl is the lesser active of the two IHMO in this case.
I have read that others may differ.
But this has been my experience as I had to de-gunk my Mackie mixer that was inoperable due to tobbaco smoke when I first got it back.
Literally inoperable with only a few chanels allowing the signal to flow through it.
Now it has been working nearly perfect for the last 10 years and has been on 24/7 for the last 3 years and rarely gets shut off.
These are all of the best tips that I have so far.
jer
Your best bet for cleaning a panel is to avoid washing altogether. I would suggest vacuuming the panel first. This should be done with the bias completely bled-off, and you may want to repeat the process several times, gently rapping the panel between vacuumings. Vacuum both sides, of course.
More than likely you have a bit of foreign material bridging the gap, causing a periodic local discharge. This can be a hair, a bot of dust or even an insect part.
I would caution against using alcohol on an Acoustat panel. Of all the various 'cleaning' stories I've heard over the years, this is the first time I've heard the suggestion of using alcohol, and I do not know what affect it may have on the conductive coating.
Washing panels also requires the removal and re-application of the felt blocks on the rear of the panel, to avoid getting them wet. I strongly suggest vacuuming first - in my 20+ years of experience with Acoustats, vacuuming works most of the time!
More than likely you have a bit of foreign material bridging the gap, causing a periodic local discharge. This can be a hair, a bot of dust or even an insect part.
I would caution against using alcohol on an Acoustat panel. Of all the various 'cleaning' stories I've heard over the years, this is the first time I've heard the suggestion of using alcohol, and I do not know what affect it may have on the conductive coating.
Washing panels also requires the removal and re-application of the felt blocks on the rear of the panel, to avoid getting them wet. I strongly suggest vacuuming first - in my 20+ years of experience with Acoustats, vacuuming works most of the time!
Ok thanks! Based on this I'm going to err on the side of caution and try it this way. I bought these speakers new and they still sound perfect so I'm not going to risk damaging them with the water method.
Ya know, thinking back this only happened right after I changed the covers. Now I do wonder if maybe some hair or lint got in when I did that.
Moray if you see this do you still offer the replacement caps and diodes I can order from you? I'm interested in stepping up the voltage a notch if possible.
Thanks to everyone for good advice & ideas,
Mark
One thing for sure,it dose not take much too pull down the HV ...i have pull apart the acoustat panels after thay have been washed an there is a lawer of dust there that no washing well remove...with the MartinLogan panels thay can be pull apart an put back to gather...an can be clened by hand...after 10years lot of black goo an dust come off
now this makes a big diff....but as for pulling the acoustat panels aparte an then puting back togather....goodluck with that...Bias in most acoustats are 25-30years old now an are down ...3500 should be at 5k an with the dust an goo...can be bump up to 6k i have done this an the acoustat work in this way just like the soundlabe if the bias is to high you here a buzz..an i just back off a little...just going from 3500 to 5k can give 3db more SPL...goodluck
now this makes a big diff....but as for pulling the acoustat panels aparte an then puting back togather....goodluck with that...Bias in most acoustats are 25-30years old now an are down ...3500 should be at 5k an with the dust an goo...can be bump up to 6k i have done this an the acoustat work in this way just like the soundlabe if the bias is to high you here a buzz..an i just back off a little...just going from 3500 to 5k can give 3db more SPL...goodluck
Ok I think I did good the discharge seems to be gone. I played it safe and simply pulled the covers off and vacuumed the panels as good as I could while at the same time gently raping the white grids all along their length.
With that problem solved I'm still looking at trying to upgrade my MK121 transformer units.
Is there anyone willing to perform these upgrades for me for a fee if I can send them the transformer units? I'm confused about upping the bias voltage as well as changing the megohm resistor and think the sliding resistor should also be changed. The cheap binding posts for sure.
Anyone willing let me know. If not I'll try and get this figured out.
Thanks, Mark
With that problem solved I'm still looking at trying to upgrade my MK121 transformer units.
Is there anyone willing to perform these upgrades for me for a fee if I can send them the transformer units? I'm confused about upping the bias voltage as well as changing the megohm resistor and think the sliding resistor should also be changed. The cheap binding posts for sure.
Anyone willing let me know. If not I'll try and get this figured out.
Thanks, Mark
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