building a huge sub

[mulletdude]

Dont know if this really goes here but.

I am planning on boilding a huge subwoofer i have most of the materials but the one thing i am wondering about is isthere a formula or something for figuring out voice coil windings anr dimensions as well as layers any help would be appreciated . also i was wondering what gauge of wire to use because i most likely will be firing a couple of thousands of watts through it. any feed back as to how to figure out a box size would be appreciated as well

[MJL21193]

Hmm, that's interesting. I had a similar idea. I guess it's a case of great minds thinking alike!

What would you use for the magnet and pole piece? How big of a woofer were you thinking?

Voice coil winding would depend on the diameter of the former, whether you were going overhung or underhung and the Re.

For example: It would take approx. 30 turns of 28 gauge wire around a 6" former to equal a 3.5 ohm Re. This winding would be ~10mm high in a single layer.
BUT for 24 gauge, it would be three times as much - nearly 90 turns and about 46mm high in one layer. The power handling difference would be 2.5 times better for the 24 gauge.

[Mikey p]

any feed back as to how to figure out a box size would be appreciated as well

Box size is determined by the parameters of the subwoofer.

[kelticwizard]

I am planning on boilding a huge subwoofer i have most of the materials but the one thing i am wondering about is isthere a formula or something for figuring out voice coil windings anr dimensions as well as layers.....

There seems to be a contradiction here.

On the one hand, you seem to be saying that you are prepared to build your own subwoofer driver-the thing which has the cone, basket, voice coil, magnet, etc. Those are generally manufactured in factories, not made by hand. I'm not sure that building one of those by hand is possible. But if it is, it would be by a very, very advanced audio person.

On the other hand, you seem to not know how to build an enclosure to suit the driver, whether there are formulas, etc. There are formulas, and we would be glad to show you how to use them. People buy subwoofer drivers all the time and build the proper sized enclosure to suit it, and we help them here on the forum. But if you are just getting started doing this, how is it you are in a position to build the driver itself? That is very, very advanced audio work.

[mulletdude]

i can't find the links right now and the e-bay auction is over but ive seen a couple of giant subwoofers built by the average joe like you or me and ive also seen one built by MIT. and its really not that complex because all you need is a cone which i can make in like 5 minutes. a voice coil all i need to do is buy some wire and make a former. and you also need a magnet i have several that would suit this perfectly. as well as a speaker surround not very hard to cut up an old tractor tire tube now is it? and a box which shouldnt be to hard to figure out good sizing. now the only reason i am asking for advise on this is because i am not some empoyee at behringer or pioneer audio and i do not derserve criticism as i am a very ambitious 16 year old bass junky. and since subs deal with lower frequency's they tend to be quite forgiving with minute imperfections. and i will probably make it overhung with the magnet centered in the former, speaking of which what would be best to make the former out of? tin or steel or the like. my magnet is likely about 4 to 5 inches in diameter i scabbed one from one of my two ten inch subs i blew up. but thanks for the input so fat. keep em coming.

[djk]

Let's take a poll:

Troll ?

0r

Candidate for the Darwin Award ?

[paulspencer]

If you want the novelty of actually making a driver, sure go for it. It could be fun. Are you expecting it to be more than that? If so, count on needing something more than tractor tires! You would be better looking for actual parts designed for subs like you want to build. Spiders, surrounds and so on.

[hm]

Hello,
what do you think about this big BASS,
2 x 15", ~ 1000 L storage volume 6 pieces,
4200 L built together:

http://www.hm-moreart.de/100.htm

[Moondog55]

Check-out "MythBusters" for the use of a truck tube as a surround, but seriously Perhaps you need a slightly bigger magnet, as the driver cone area gets bigger it gets much heavier REAL FAST and the cost of big magnets is quite high.
There is a 'Bespoke' speaker builder i:e driver not boxes here in Reservoir who says its no problem up to 36inches and how many thousands of dollars are you wanting to spend.
Attila recomends a 4inch voice coil minimum preferably 6 and has some idea of how to build from scratch.
Cheaper to buy but a really good way to learn, ignore the critics and have a go

[moray james]

why don't you make this easy and build yourself a full wall size electrostatic sub woofer? You will only need one high voltage supply and a bunch of transformers to drive the panels. You can use one mil mylar film diaphragm material (cheap and easy to find) and 35% open perforated 1/8 inch hardboard for the stator panels. Use contact cenment to apply tinfoil on the outsides of the perf board(to make the stator conductive (don't touch these when the speaker is playing). Build them in floor to ceiling strips that will fit across your studs and space them off of the wall a foot or so (on a sub frame) install fiberglass behind. A diaphragm this large moving forward just 1/16" at the speed of lightning will blow you out of your chair and put the Maxell commercial to shame. You tube here you come. Peter Walker of Quad did this in the fifties or at least he wrote about it in a technical article. You could never build a dynamic woofer to equal this and it is all very low tech to impliment. Rock on. Be aware this will probably cause structural damage to your house. No magnets no machine work no box and it breaks down to easily transport when you move into your college dorm. That might come sooner than you had planned.