Tweeter Troubleshooting - Help!

Alaskan · 15th December 2010, 04:56 AM

I have been a lurker for a while, and I recently made an account. I have the DIY bug (it's bad!), and would like to build a tube amp and a set of speakers from scratch. I have a bit more lurking to do before we get into that (at this point, I am so overwhelmed, that I don't know where to start...).

In any case, right now I have a more immediate issue with my current home theater system is giving me a bit of trouble, and I was hoping to have some help troubleshooting it. The problem is that the tweeter intermittently goes out. I have purchased a new tweeter, but the problem persists. I have measured the resistance of the wires, and wiggled them quite a lot to see if the resistance would change, thus indicating a problem with the wire itself (I made that little test up, so if there is actually a legitimate way to test a wire, please let me know!).

My skill set: I have a small grasp on electronics and ohms law. Basically, I can identify parts and give a high school explanation of their workings. I can also turn on my multimeter.

I have attached a picture of the crossover, and have labeled the components just to make any needed communication easier. This x-over is the only thing between the tweeter and the source. This is a center channel, and the highs don’t go in and out in the R and L channels.

Where should I look next?! Thanks.

Alaskan · 15th December 2010, 03:55 PM

I should also note that I have observed that the tweeter is more likely to cut out as the volume increases. That seems like it may a relevant bit of information.

Thanks again for any help.

Cal Weldon · 15th December 2010, 04:42 PM

Flexing the board a bit to see if there are any cracks in the trace lines and resoldering all the connections on the board is the first thing I would do. It may just be bad solder joints. If you find a crack anywhere you run a jumper wire to bridge it. Also remove the wires from the terminals, strip and refasten.

Alaskan · 16th December 2010, 06:19 AM

Cal,

Thanks for the help. It worked! The traces were in fine shape. I re-soldered all the joints on the xover and am now listening to a fully functional speaker. And, I learned something in the process...

Thanks so much again!

Cal Weldon · 17th December 2010, 12:56 AM

Cheers.

15th December 2010, 04:42 PM	#3
Cal Weldon Speakerholic diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: British Columbia	Flexing the board a bit to see if there are any cracks in the trace lines and resoldering all the connections on the board is the first thing I would do. It may just be bad solder joints. If you find a crack anywhere you run a jumper wire to bridge it. Also remove the wires from the terminals, strip and refasten. __________________ Next stop: Margaritaville Some of Cal's stuff \| Cal Weldon Consulting

17th December 2010, 12:56 AM	#5
Cal Weldon Speakerholic diyAudio Moderator Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: British Columbia	Cheers. __________________ Next stop: Margaritaville Some of Cal's stuff \| Cal Weldon Consulting

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15th December 2010, 03:55 PM	#2
Alaskan diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2010	I should also note that I have observed that the tweeter is more likely to cut out as the volume increases. That seems like it may a relevant bit of information. Thanks again for any help.

16th December 2010, 06:19 AM	#4
Alaskan diyAudio Member Join Date: Dec 2010	Cal, Thanks for the help. It worked! The traces were in fine shape. I re-soldered all the joints on the xover and am now listening to a fully functional speaker. And, I learned something in the process... Thanks so much again!

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