Cloning an obsolete driver (re-cone kit available)

[Puggie]

If I have an obsolete driver (working) and cannot obtain another easily BUT can get a recone kit easily enough (the basket is a common part too), how easy would it be to clone the drivers motor?

I can measure the motors physical size, it has a ceramic magnet and is a late 80s early 90s era piece. what else do I need to know to clone this motor.

[Vikash]

You'll need to know what the motor looks like on the inside, the material and grade, not the mention the VC former material and windings. In short it's unlikley that it would be feasible to DIY clone a motor/driver.

I'd put my money on it being easier to source another driver than getting a clone made realistically speaking.

But any talk of DIY motor fabrication and you've got my interest so give it a go

[Puggie]

How accurate would it be to work out the BL etc from measuring then plugging parameters into Bass Box Pro, the from this calculation of Bl I could try and reverse engineer something with Femm based around the physical measurements.

would it be possible to get close in this way?

[pinkmouse]

What is it you're trying to clone?

[Puggie]

Image Dynamics IDW 15" sub, a very nice old-school car audio sub that is based VERY heavily on a PA sub design. Specs and info here:

http://www.imagedynamicsusa.com/pdf/...nued/IDW15.JPG

Tonally very nice but the low Xmax means to reproduce the really low bass I need more cone area and I want a push push design using 2 subs to cancel out unwanted mechanical vibration. Problem being they are like hens teeth in the UK.

EDIT: I would also be interested in building a similar sub (as close to this as possible) if I could clone the motor using Neo to save weight

[Vikash]

I think I recall shadow works being able to custom build for you: http://www.shadowworks.co.uk/SW/HTML/products.htm

Otherwise it sounds like you'd also like the Celestion AD15's which has similar traits. They're also old-school car audio subs, from major PA designer, sound stunning but with small xmax. I have two AD12's that I'm waiting to do something with.

[Puggie]

Yep Celestion ADs are cracking subs (its just hard finding good ones second hand), If I could get another ATC like the one I bought of Shinobiwan (for sensible money) I'd be tempted to run those instead. I have a PD2150 for this aswell but as you can imagine it will require quite a bit of work to squeeze it in, 2, 15s will be much less work and give me some more mounting options. After trying quite a few subs I'm coming to the colclusion I like subs with light weight paper cones, they seem to have a certain agility and delicacy lost in a lot of modern high excusion 'super subs'.

I have friends who work in prototyping for a major driver manufacturer so having thing built is not a problem (I have met with Troy of ShadowWorks as well, nice guy and would happily pay him to build stuff for me). I know what I want, i just need more info so I can successfully clone it (and potentially improve upon it after some recent stuff I've learned about adhesives).