Janszen Z-210a repair?

[Fmaker]

http://www.audiocircuit.com/9041-esl...-PIC-Z-210.htm

I know that this is not really DIY stuff, but... I am building my own home theater and I plan on using the Janszen speaker for music in the same room so, it does figure in to my project.

Hi: THere is a url of the mentioned Janszen Z-B210 (above). I have 2 of these speakers. Beautiful sounding... The problem is, one of the ESl's just has a hissing noise comming out of it and sadly no music sound. I have been told that it is probably just the transformer in the Xover. I have done a lot of web surfing trying to find info on these speaks and if there is anyone (credible) who does repair. I have also done eveything suggesed by the Commercial Electrostatic Loudspeakers website to no avail. it's really a shame that both of them don't work. My great uncle bought them brand new, passed away shortly after, using them for maybe a total of 200 hours or so. After that they were in the garage since. I just got them out last summer. I didn't know that they were there until my Mom told me.
So, if there is anyone who knows where to get the X-over and transformers rebuilt or replaced... please drop a reply to this

Also: Is there any way to measure the T/S parimeters of the 10's in the those cabs? I can not find any info on what kink of woofer Janszen used anywhere! I though that if worse came to worse I could use the speaks in a home made set of 3 ways. They look like old eminence speakers to me..

post. Thanks in advance!

[Fmaker]

I found a guy that sells replacement panels for $40.00 (US curency) each. Since all the other parts in the speakers work, that is a steal. I searched and searched... Finally paid off. These speakers sound so good and they were made in the 70's.
thanks all who took the time to at least read my post.

[DavidJanszen]

Hello, Fmaker.

Who did you find with a stock of panels?

I get asked about repairs once in a while, and do not know where to send people. The originals have been out of production since the mid-1970's, though EI was making a decent version for about 15 years after that. They were assembled "permanently" (glued and riveted), and attempts at repair sometimes succeed, sometimes fail, and sometimes destroy them.

FWIW, just caught your post as a result of a GoogleAlert. I don't have enough posts on DIY to have email rights, so I hope you are alerted to your replies.

Thanks.

Best regards,

David

[blackrat]

Hi,
I live ia Adelaide, Australia and I have 3 pairs of JansZen speakers made by Electronic Industries, Z412A, Z410 and Z210A. The electrostatic panels in the Z412A and Z410 have wrinkled mylar films. Any idea how to fix them? The Z210a don't work and they have a different electronic circuit. Does anyone know where I can get a circuit diagram from?
Thanks in advance.

[DavidJanszen]

JansZen tweeters were pretty much permanently assembled. Disassembly for repair is hit or miss, i.e., the stators might be separated, but this might wreck them. I have not physically examined the EI version, since it was a redesign done by an independent licensee, so I do not know how it is held together.

Assuming the membrane material is Mylar or some other biaxially oriented engineering plastic film, and not torn or perforated, there's something very simple you might try to fix the wrinkling -- set a heat gun to about 150°C, run it up to temperature, and hit the panel with it at close range. Arrange things so that light is reflected from the membrane so you can see it stretching tight. Keep an eye on this, because the same heat will damage the insulation on the stator electrode wires. A hair dryer might work, though I do not know the temperature. An electric paint stripping gun might also work, but you would have to be very careful, for obvious reasons.

The originals were fastened by a combination of rivets and glue. After all these years, the glue can often be cracked, after the rivets are forced out. The same may be true for the EI version. Remember to remove the nuts from the terminals, first. Membrane mounting procedures are published on the web by various people, though I do not have any specific references for you.

A clever approach to tensioning that I saw somewhere is to tape the film down over a bicycle tire (tyre?) inner tube then inflate the tube. Use a contact adhesive for the film. The middle post is for the film contact. A serviceable coating is graphite powder rubbed onto the surface, which will be barely visible. Make contact from the membrane coating to the center post with a dab of conductive paint, or glue mixed with a lot of the same graphite.

Reassembly includes glue plus applying some heat to the re-inserted rivets to get a good grip by slightly melting the stator material. Pretty much any glue will do, except contact adhesive.

Wrinkled membranes may signify perforation or tearing, or that EI was at some point using Mylar or some other polyester, which starts out okay, but will not hold its tension indefinitely, unlike the correct material. On the plus side, it might increase SPL, though at the cost of increased THD. Sorry not to be at liberty to say what the correct material is. Sources for serviceable materials can be found on the web, and I would say that as long as it is 13 microns [0.0005 inches] or less in thickness, tensioned to the right level, and not an olefin (polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethylpentene, etc.), it will do.

We have no circuit diagrams for EI products. Otherwise, hope this helps.