Mar-Kel70 in Sweden

Desolder? Is that a tool or something? Or a technique? I'm new to this :S
But what about soldering the cableshoes to the connectors? My dad came with that idea before.


well there are special solder suckers ( ie. remove molten solder by vacuum or wicking action), but desoldering is mostly a technique - apply just enough heat to melt the solder, remove the iron quickly remove the wire

of course if you've wrapped and folded the wire around or through holes in tabs this can be a bit more complicated


from Mark Audio website - for drivers of this size, this is all you need

Alpair Series Recommended Electrical Connection Method | Markaudio


I think it's fair to say that 4mm^2 would classify as "large wire" in this case



needle nose pliers:

needle_nose_small.jpg


It's handy to have at least one of larger and smaller sizes in your tool kit



Side cutters:

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.




there are more designs of tools for stripping wire insulation than space permits - just be careful not to nick the strand(s)



Note that on most brands of drivers this size, the terminals are in very close proximity to magnets, so grip the tools tightly - you don't want them to slip out of your hands and fall into the backside of the cone
 
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Ah, okay. Got all those tools.

I have been playing on them very much the latest days and i've noticed the lower midrange/upper bass has been quite better and the top has been smoothened out and not so painful to my ears. And i guess it will just keep getting better. And it will be even better when i put some dampening material in and mount the top piece correctly.

Btw. Is it a shame to still use the 4mm^2 cable or is it okay to use it? I don't think i have any smaller cable that isn't the extremely very very cheap version. Or is it okay to use that too?
 
Btw. Is it a shame to still use the 4mm^2 cable or is it okay to use it? I don't think i have any smaller cable that isn't the extremely very very cheap version. Or is it okay to use that too?


Without getting "on a soap-box" on the subject, it certainly can't hurt to try the smaller wire. Try it, you just might like the sound

For at least the past 5/6(?)yrs, we've been using a single strand of #24 solid copper wire (from CAT5 networking cable) per polarity for all of our single driver/full-range speakers. Embarrassingly inexpensive and works great for low power - just not the most flexible or easy to terminate when you parallel/braid multiple strands for higher current capacity.


As we're hosting another get together of DIY crazies, both local and further afield, we'll probably be off the radar a bit for the next couple of days.
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
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Note that on most brands of drivers this size, the terminals are in very close proximity to magnets, so grip the tools tightly - you don't want them to slip out of your hands and fall into the backside of the cone

An important consideration. In this particular case. EL70 is shielded and won't suck a metal tool out of your hand.

dave
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
(from CAT5 networking cable)

You should be able to beg or borrow a chunk long enuff. Go into any computer shop (that actually works, not a place that just sells stuff). Explain what you are doing and ask if they have a couple 1/3m scraps (solid core is better, teflon jacket solid core even best). Enuff for 4 pair of speakers.

Use the same colour pair in each speaker (each colour has a different twist rate)

dave
 
An important consideration. In this particular case. EL70 is shielded and won't suck a metal tool out of your hand.

dave

Yes, i've noticed that actually.


You should be able to beg or borrow a chunk long enuff. Go into any computer shop (that actually works, not a place that just sells stuff). Explain what you are doing and ask if they have a couple 1/3m scraps (solid core is better, teflon jacket solid core even best). Enuff for 4 pair of speakers.

Use the same colour pair in each speaker (each colour has a different twist rate)

dave

I think i got an internet cable somewhere around here which i found lying on the ground outdoors which i picked up. Maybe i could use that? Too short to be of use anywhere but could do for speaker cables?
 
Sounds a plan.

dave

Yeah. And you said i should only use cables of the same color?

90mm is a bit thick. And i'm not sure how rockwool will work. Can you cut it at least in half? We use 12mm cotton felt.

dave

Yes i think i should be able to make them half as thick since it will be relatively small pieces. And if it wont work out well i could get 45mm thick rockwool too.
 
frugal-phile™
Joined 2001
Paid Member
Yeah. And you said i should only use cables of the same color?

A chunk of CAT5 has 4 twisted pairs in the bundle, orange, green, brown, blue. Each pr has a different twist rate. Cut a 20cm length of any 2 different colours, then untwist & straighten. One colour will be longer than the other.

And whatever the electrical differences between the twists (negligable?)

dave
 
I put some rockwool in the boxes now. The cover up around 30-45% of box volume.
I noticed more bass (running them without the sub now and it doesn't sound awful) and the glitch is gone. I can stomp (even jump) as much as i want and i don't hear anything.
But, i'm not sure about if rockwool and lead electricity? It is quite near/touching the back terminals.
 
Oh. Seems like Dave has changed his forum-avatar :D

Well. My dad brought some CAT5 internet cables from his work yesterday and i stipped them from the outer layer today. Got 2 sets of cables. 2 blue, 2 green, 2 brown and 2 red.
So i suppose i should, for an example, get 2 more of one color and then use only like blue for the speaker and the rest to the trash can?
Btw, i can't see that they're twisted differently. In my opinion they all look quite the same...
 
Not exactly. Different colours may have different lengths, that´s what Dave was about. Using two wires of the same colour for one box means you can get + and - mixed up. Getting it wrong won´t kill your amp, but the pinpoint localization that is part of the fullrange magic will be gone. You´ll get a very wide sound stage with the instruments and singers smeared all over the place.:eek: