What is most important to you: price, quality or easy-build? In my experience it is a lot easier with piezo's than real tweeters, and they are quite a lot cheaper. Good tweeters however sounds better though, but piezo's will do the job fine if you are not an audiophile.
If you go piezo, it will be very easy for you to find out which resistors to use with them in this thread, but if you go tweeter you will have to learn about crossover-frequencies, capacitors etc, unless someone in here with the knowledge is kind enough to help you with it
(I don't have the knowledge).
And btw, I'm not sure the piezo's or tweeters you link to are your best choices. Choose either the piezo or tweeter route, and then search this thread for piezo-replacements (the original bubble-piezo is unavailable), or which tweeters people have used. I know that PressureFM used some very nice tweeters with a very nice result.
And last, look at Rubenn's half-boominator since you are only using 2 speakers..that might give you some inspiration/knowledge on connections etc.
If you go piezo, it will be very easy for you to find out which resistors to use with them in this thread, but if you go tweeter you will have to learn about crossover-frequencies, capacitors etc, unless someone in here with the knowledge is kind enough to help you with it
(I don't have the knowledge).And btw, I'm not sure the piezo's or tweeters you link to are your best choices. Choose either the piezo or tweeter route, and then search this thread for piezo-replacements (the original bubble-piezo is unavailable), or which tweeters people have used. I know that PressureFM used some very nice tweeters with a very nice result.
And last, look at Rubenn's half-boominator since you are only using 2 speakers..that might give you some inspiration/knowledge on connections etc.
i've watches plenty of threads incl. the half boominator thread..
MY goal is to build one like i linked from youtube in the post above, IF the speakers i linked wont have to have a too big box to be in (The P. Audio HP-10w). My budget has raised to about 200euro's .. that should be eneugh..(amp6basic, 2x p. audio hp-10w, 7ah batteri, and piezo's, resistors and small details)
I know i has to learn about the crossover-frequencies, capacitors etc. but iv'e really tried and its not easy
MY goal is to build one like i linked from youtube in the post above, IF the speakers i linked wont have to have a too big box to be in (The P. Audio HP-10w). My budget has raised to about 200euro's .. that should be eneugh..(amp6basic, 2x p. audio hp-10w, 7ah batteri, and piezo's, resistors and small details)
I know i has to learn about the crossover-frequencies, capacitors etc. but iv'e really tried and its not easy
I would like to know how much power I have on my batteries, since I will be having solar panels installed and will be charging phones on my Boominator. So I got the idea of getting some kind of digital meter to measure my batteries..
But should I get a voltmeter or an ammeter? I would like to know how much power I have on the batteries, so that I don't end up with drawing too much power from the batteries.. should I be measuring volts or amperes then? I saw that Phaedras has some sort of 'meter' on his Boominator, but I don't know if that is for volts or amperes? Also, where should the border be, i.e a border for how many volts/amperes my meter should be showing? I will be using two 7Ah batteries in parralel, 12v of course.
But should I get a voltmeter or an ammeter? I would like to know how much power I have on the batteries, so that I don't end up with drawing too much power from the batteries.. should I be measuring volts or amperes then? I saw that Phaedras has some sort of 'meter' on his Boominator, but I don't know if that is for volts or amperes? Also, where should the border be, i.e a border for how many volts/amperes my meter should be showing? I will be using two 7Ah batteries in parralel, 12v of course.
Volts. A fully recharged (lead acid) battery has 13.5V and it should be disconnected when it reaches 10.5V to avoid permanent damage. Remember, it must be recharged as soon as possible thereafter as it will take permanent damage from being left in discharged state.
Also remember that lead batteries discharge themselves quite rapidly, so you need to recharge once every 3-4 month even when not in use, or they will suffer permanent damage.
By permanent damage I naturally mean permanent loss of maximum capacity. Count on 5% to 20% loss of capacity for every instance. For example if you have a 7Ah battery that you have used up at the festival and when you come home you just leave it in the garage. And then before the festival next year you realize you have to recharge them again so you have power, those batteries will effectively only have 30% capacity left when they are recharged if you're lucky so 2Ah max but probably much less.
Also remember that lead batteries discharge themselves quite rapidly, so you need to recharge once every 3-4 month even when not in use, or they will suffer permanent damage.
By permanent damage I naturally mean permanent loss of maximum capacity. Count on 5% to 20% loss of capacity for every instance. For example if you have a 7Ah battery that you have used up at the festival and when you come home you just leave it in the garage. And then before the festival next year you realize you have to recharge them again so you have power, those batteries will effectively only have 30% capacity left when they are recharged if you're lucky so 2Ah max but probably much less.
Thank you for the quick reply, Saturnus. That was very helpful.
If I were to get a charger for SLA batteries, which one should I get? Would a simple charger for lead acids batteries work, or is there some kind of special charger for SLA batteries? By lead acid battery charger, I'm thinking of something like this: ANSMANN Blylader ALCS 2-24 A "Automatic" : Batterishoppen: Holdbare og billige batterier
If I were to get a charger for SLA batteries, which one should I get? Would a simple charger for lead acids batteries work, or is there some kind of special charger for SLA batteries? By lead acid battery charger, I'm thinking of something like this: ANSMANN Blylader ALCS 2-24 A "Automatic" : Batterishoppen: Holdbare og billige batterier
..okay, well if you have already decided on piezos, then you don't need to read about filters. Just search for the best piezo replacement in this thread, and then search for which resistors to use with them..(provided that you go for the HP-10W, or else you still need to read a little about crossovers, but it is not that difficult with piezos.)
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What do you mean "if I were to get a charger"?
When you buy a rechargeable battery, lead or otherwise, they are not fully charged. The actual charge level is 80% or less. You have to recharge them before use.
The charger you linked to is basically cheap crap. Get a good charger like this one:
Lead Acid Smart Charger (3.0 A) for 12V Lead Acid Battery 3 stages floating for Worldwide, UL/CE Listed
It's also cheaper. Just cut the power chord and put a danish plug on it. It's what I use.
When you buy a rechargeable battery, lead or otherwise, they are not fully charged. The actual charge level is 80% or less. You have to recharge them before use.
The charger you linked to is basically cheap crap. Get a good charger like this one:
Lead Acid Smart Charger (3.0 A) for 12V Lead Acid Battery 3 stages floating for Worldwide, UL/CE Listed
It's also cheaper. Just cut the power chord and put a danish plug on it. It's what I use.
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Important note on piezo choices.
It seems the ideal bubble tweeters will never be available so what's the alternative?
Well, luckily the originally intended original Motorola/CTS KSN1001A piezos are now available again from several places, for example:
CTS / Motorola KSN-1001 Recessed Mount Piezo Electric Super Horn Tweeter</font>
Martin Sound
They're pricey but for Danish/nordic customers actually not much more expensive than the cheap crap they sell at most stores.
If you want them a little cheaper then Monacor has started stocking a KSN1001A replica of very decent quality. Get them from here:
MPT-001
MONACOR MPT-001 - Thomann danske Cyberstore
For both I recommend a 33 or 47 ohm resistor in series. Please make sure it's NOT a power resistor but a solid carbon or metal film resistor of 3W type.
It seems the ideal bubble tweeters will never be available so what's the alternative?
Well, luckily the originally intended original Motorola/CTS KSN1001A piezos are now available again from several places, for example:
CTS / Motorola KSN-1001 Recessed Mount Piezo Electric Super Horn Tweeter</font>
Martin Sound
They're pricey but for Danish/nordic customers actually not much more expensive than the cheap crap they sell at most stores.
If you want them a little cheaper then Monacor has started stocking a KSN1001A replica of very decent quality. Get them from here:
MPT-001
MONACOR MPT-001 - Thomann danske Cyberstore
For both I recommend a 33 or 47 ohm resistor in series. Please make sure it's NOT a power resistor but a solid carbon or metal film resistor of 3W type.
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An additional note on the KSN1001As
The Boominator was originally designed with the CTS KSN1001As in mind but I couldn't find them available anywhere so I started looking for alternatives as all the replicas available at the time (2006-2007) was utter crap. It was in that sourcing process I discovered the original bubble horn tweeter from Zomax which was on par with the CTS/Motorolas.
The great thing about these is that you only need to cut or drill a 76mm (3") hole which is a standard cup drill size in the front sides and then you mount from the back and they will be flush on the front.
You can then use the 76mm cup drill to drill the holes in the center brace.
To get the best possible sound from these horns. Fill the "rip grooves" with acrylic sealant, and a big blob of sealant in the center of the back plate. Also screw the driver bit off and glue it back together.
The Boominator was originally designed with the CTS KSN1001As in mind but I couldn't find them available anywhere so I started looking for alternatives as all the replicas available at the time (2006-2007) was utter crap. It was in that sourcing process I discovered the original bubble horn tweeter from Zomax which was on par with the CTS/Motorolas.
The great thing about these is that you only need to cut or drill a 76mm (3") hole which is a standard cup drill size in the front sides and then you mount from the back and they will be flush on the front.
You can then use the 76mm cup drill to drill the holes in the center brace.
To get the best possible sound from these horns. Fill the "rip grooves" with acrylic sealant, and a big blob of sealant in the center of the back plate. Also screw the driver bit off and glue it back together.
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That's correct. It's pretty obvious when you have the driver in your hands (as you do in that pic) what is meant. (Although that's a KNS1005A replica you're holding and not a KSN1001A replica/original as I recommend, no sonical difference though only mounting).
Indeed it is, but better to be safe than sorry i guess
Are you absolutely sure about that? It has a Motorola logo both the front and back, and were sold as "Brand new original Motorola piezo bullet tweeters KSN1005A" on eBay.
Edit: Oh.. didn't see the "no sonical difference though only mounting" part - guess it wouldn't matter too much if it's a replica or not though.
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Nope. I should have written replica/original. From the angle your pic is, it's impossible to see if it's either. If it has a Motorola logo on it, it's an original.
If you've compared those with replicas you'll also know why I recommend the originals. The Monacor replicas are decent but the originals are just a lot better.
There's a big sonical difference between originals and replicas.
There's no sonical difference between the KSN1001A and KSN1005A type, only mounting, as per the datasheet.
http://www.martinsoundpro.com/upload/item/ksn1001,1005.pdf
Phew.. Got me worried about having been scammed there, for a second.
Everything i just great then.
Hey Guys, not sure if this is the proper place to post this, but unsure about where else, but anyways...
Last year our Roskilde camp build our own "sound system", not with the Boominater design, but all the recommended parts. It worked great, but we were not 100% satisfied and we might end up rebuilding the entire thing.
Instead of having the system split in two, with speakers on two sides, we wanted to have them all on one side, so we in some way could control in which direction the volume was loudest. (Since this works best for the way we "live" in our camp).
We did this by building it as a sort of big quad box, in 22mm particleboard (spånplade) which was lacquered 3 times, to avoid it falling apart from moist/rain. Also almost the entire inside lined with two layers of thick carpet, and where we had access to everything through the top.
We know there are multiple problems with this setup, and that it's not ideal, but it was the best we could come up with in the time period we had.
But the main problems were:
1. Vibrations, both from the front panel were the speakers were fitted and the back, along with the top with the lid on.
The lid was simple due to the way it was mounted, and was partly fixed with silicone around the edges. Front and back was just simple the whole piece of wood vibrating.
The problem only occurred at high volumes, so it just seemed that the design could not handle the speakers, or maybe to the nature of the building material, which was not ideal, but chosen because of a limited budget.
2. To high volume (air) inside the cabinet, which we know we can fix by just stuffing things down into it.
Otherwise it worked great, and our camp members loved it.
So... Since we are in good time this year, and have all the electric parts, we were hoping that some of you had a great idea of how to improve our system, or maybe build it in a completely other way, while still having all speakers on one side? (Weight is not a problem).
The electrics are:
AMP6 from 41hz
Goldwood GW-1058
Monacor MPT-005
We used car batteries (which we brought home and still have) since we ran out of money, but we might invest in both proper batteries and solarpanels this year, and some people are talking about different lighting options.
I hope this is not too offtopic, but in advance thanks for your help!
Ps. we are Camp Braveheart btw.
Not 100% sure, but this should be the work drawings from last year:
http://f69.myupload.dk/getfile/93305564d9f
and picture
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/271193_10150208136023218_729583217_7135911_4607382_n.jpg
Last year our Roskilde camp build our own "sound system", not with the Boominater design, but all the recommended parts. It worked great, but we were not 100% satisfied and we might end up rebuilding the entire thing.
Instead of having the system split in two, with speakers on two sides, we wanted to have them all on one side, so we in some way could control in which direction the volume was loudest. (Since this works best for the way we "live" in our camp).
We did this by building it as a sort of big quad box, in 22mm particleboard (spånplade) which was lacquered 3 times, to avoid it falling apart from moist/rain. Also almost the entire inside lined with two layers of thick carpet, and where we had access to everything through the top.
We know there are multiple problems with this setup, and that it's not ideal, but it was the best we could come up with in the time period we had.
But the main problems were:
1. Vibrations, both from the front panel were the speakers were fitted and the back, along with the top with the lid on.
The lid was simple due to the way it was mounted, and was partly fixed with silicone around the edges. Front and back was just simple the whole piece of wood vibrating.
The problem only occurred at high volumes, so it just seemed that the design could not handle the speakers, or maybe to the nature of the building material, which was not ideal, but chosen because of a limited budget.
2. To high volume (air) inside the cabinet, which we know we can fix by just stuffing things down into it.
Otherwise it worked great, and our camp members loved it.
So... Since we are in good time this year, and have all the electric parts, we were hoping that some of you had a great idea of how to improve our system, or maybe build it in a completely other way, while still having all speakers on one side? (Weight is not a problem).
The electrics are:
AMP6 from 41hz
Goldwood GW-1058
Monacor MPT-005
We used car batteries (which we brought home and still have) since we ran out of money, but we might invest in both proper batteries and solarpanels this year, and some people are talking about different lighting options.
I hope this is not too offtopic, but in advance thanks for your help!
Ps. we are Camp Braveheart btw.
Not 100% sure, but this should be the work drawings from last year:
http://f69.myupload.dk/getfile/93305564d9f
and picture
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/271193_10150208136023218_729583217_7135911_4607382_n.jpg
@Saturnus, that would be the "easy" solution, but we really want to stick with the "all speakers on one side", so we were really hoping for some creative ideas
But no doubt that the Boominator is great
Otherwise we could just double up and have two boominators in one ;-) But I don't think the other camp members are up for that extra cost
But no doubt that the Boominator is great
Otherwise we could just double up and have two boominators in one ;-) But I don't think the other camp members are up for that extra cost
okay.. i think i will go with those from monacor.. dont wanna go overseas.
then i'll find 2 P. Audio 10 inch speakers.. does those piezos from monacor has to have the same restistors as the "original" from motorola? and do ypu know how much better and louder these drivers and piezos will play compared to a JVC boomblaster or Harman Kardon Go?
btw.. can someone help med with the box volume.. it hopefully has to be bout' the same size as this one marine corps theme stereo boombox - YouTube as small as possible..
Sorry for all the Q's but i dont want to mess things up
For comparison of loudness and sound quality then JCV Boomblaster/HK Go = a clock radio, and Boominator = decent home stereo system.
If you're using 2 HP10Ws then you're basically building a half-boominator. Just build one of those instead. The "marine corp theme" one looks to me like it's designed only with looks in mind. The cabinet looks too small to get decent bass and it doesn't appear it's designed to keep cabinet vibrations, and thereby distortion in check. It also appears very flimsy compared to a Boominator which is rock solid. I can't remember if it was in this thread or on another forum where a builder had his Boominator fall of the back of his truck while driving, and when he stopped and picked it up there was only a little scratched paint and a few wood chips that had come of.
I myself had dropped it from shoulder height several times without any damage at all. It's indestructible.