Hi there, I am trying to get into the wonderful world of speaker reconing/recoiling. To start of I have acquired some unbranded 12" drivers that someone was throwing out. The frame looks to be in good shape the cone has disintegrated.
What specs should I use when buying a reconing kit?
There are two tweeters as well with the coils opened, again unbranded. What should I keep in mind when ordering replacement?
Any further tips/advice on the matter would be greatly appreciated eg. what tools I should get, glue etc.
Thanks in advance.
What specs should I use when buying a reconing kit?
There are two tweeters as well with the coils opened, again unbranded. What should I keep in mind when ordering replacement?
Any further tips/advice on the matter would be greatly appreciated eg. what tools I should get, glue etc.
Thanks in advance.
By 'specs', I assume you mean which measurements you need to take of the old cone/voice coil?
I'm not sure that you can buy recone kits to match unbranded drivers in the way you suggest, but I stand ready to be corrected.
Some photos of the 12" drivers and the tweeters may be of assistance.
As to how a recone is done, there's lots of help out there: Recone Instructions - Unassembled Recone Kits - Speaker Exchange
I'm not sure that you can buy recone kits to match unbranded drivers in the way you suggest, but I stand ready to be corrected.
Some photos of the 12" drivers and the tweeters may be of assistance.
As to how a recone is done, there's lots of help out there: Recone Instructions - Unassembled Recone Kits - Speaker Exchange
@Galu, thanks for the reply. Yes I meant to say which measurements I would need. I'll upload a picture as you suggested.
What-country-are-you-in? 🙂
Update your Forum User data with it
Suggestions depend *heavily* on that.
We don´t know what kind speakers are you talking about, nor brand or model, but start realizing all speakers are different, and you´ll need specific parts for that.
his is a generic speaker diagram:
When reconing you keep the magnet and frame; will replace cone, voice coil, spider, dust cap, surround, gasket, tinsel wires.
Big problem is the difficulty in getting those, and even worse because they come in so different sizes.
And suppliers are "obscure" and hard to find.
Google any capacitor - resistor - semiconductor - tube - swit h - etc. and more or less suppliers will appear, with prices, amounts, etc.
Try that with any speaker parts 😱
Voice coils are worst because even "same size" ones can be very different.
Voice coil must "float" but not touch in the least inside the narrow (1.25mm to 1.5mm wide) slot between pole piece and top plate hole, diameter tolerance (acceptable error) is in the order of 1/100th of a millimeter. 😱
Too small, it will scratch against pole piece; too large, it will scratch "outside"; you need at least 0.1mm frree space (voice coil basically moves up/down but it usually also wiggles a little) inside, also outside; 0.15mm is safer but you can´t overdo it because you waste magnet big time.
Car Audio speakers may have up to 0.3 or 0.4 mm each side, and are famous for humongous magnets (which can be seen) and appalling efficiency, requiring hundreds of Watts to fill the tiny space inside a car 🙄
Cone must be similar to original one , same depth so it meets VC+spider at the proper point, easies parameter to meet is cone diameter.
Spider must also be similar to original one, same outer diameter to meet speaker frame at the proper place, same hole diameter to match voice coil.
The problem with speaker reconing is getting a good supplier which has literally *everything* available to you.
As of tweeters: cone ones are "the same as standard speakers, only smaller" but are almost not used today (and that, in the cheapest of the cheap systems); dome tweeters require the *specific* dome and voice coil which usually come preassembled.
If you want to do this as a job, you may somewhat specialize so narrowing possibilities.
Guitar speakers tend to copy a famous one for mojo reasons, so you will find, say, Eminence has a few modeled after Celestion speakers and share basically same cones and voice coils, some modeled after classic Jensen, same thing, so stocking half a dozen cones and a dozen voice coils can cover a lot.
Hi Fi speakers by definition are all over the landscape.
An ex employee of mine specialized in repairing Car Audio speakers using the skills he learnt working forme: he takes *any* blown woofer 😱 , no matter brand or type.
All come with scorched/nuked voice coils.
With infinite patience , plus various solvents and steam from a kettle, not kidding, he unglues cone, spider, etc. without destroying them (sourcing them would be impossible or very expensive), measures the voice coil former and diameter, has a friend who lathe turns a winding former out of hard wood or aluminum and uses it to hand wind a new voice coil, then he reassembles the speaker.
In part this is made possible because in those speakers tolerance is relaxed 🙄 and since he keeps a shelf full of winding formers, after a while certain sizes start to repeat so his task is easier.
But it´s a very "niche" kind of market.
Update your Forum User data with it
Suggestions depend *heavily* on that.
We don´t know what kind speakers are you talking about, nor brand or model, but start realizing all speakers are different, and you´ll need specific parts for that.
his is a generic speaker diagram:
When reconing you keep the magnet and frame; will replace cone, voice coil, spider, dust cap, surround, gasket, tinsel wires.
Big problem is the difficulty in getting those, and even worse because they come in so different sizes.
And suppliers are "obscure" and hard to find.
Google any capacitor - resistor - semiconductor - tube - swit h - etc. and more or less suppliers will appear, with prices, amounts, etc.
Try that with any speaker parts 😱
Voice coils are worst because even "same size" ones can be very different.
Voice coil must "float" but not touch in the least inside the narrow (1.25mm to 1.5mm wide) slot between pole piece and top plate hole, diameter tolerance (acceptable error) is in the order of 1/100th of a millimeter. 😱
Too small, it will scratch against pole piece; too large, it will scratch "outside"; you need at least 0.1mm frree space (voice coil basically moves up/down but it usually also wiggles a little) inside, also outside; 0.15mm is safer but you can´t overdo it because you waste magnet big time.
Car Audio speakers may have up to 0.3 or 0.4 mm each side, and are famous for humongous magnets (which can be seen) and appalling efficiency, requiring hundreds of Watts to fill the tiny space inside a car 🙄
Cone must be similar to original one , same depth so it meets VC+spider at the proper point, easies parameter to meet is cone diameter.
Spider must also be similar to original one, same outer diameter to meet speaker frame at the proper place, same hole diameter to match voice coil.
The problem with speaker reconing is getting a good supplier which has literally *everything* available to you.
As of tweeters: cone ones are "the same as standard speakers, only smaller" but are almost not used today (and that, in the cheapest of the cheap systems); dome tweeters require the *specific* dome and voice coil which usually come preassembled.
If you want to do this as a job, you may somewhat specialize so narrowing possibilities.
Guitar speakers tend to copy a famous one for mojo reasons, so you will find, say, Eminence has a few modeled after Celestion speakers and share basically same cones and voice coils, some modeled after classic Jensen, same thing, so stocking half a dozen cones and a dozen voice coils can cover a lot.
Hi Fi speakers by definition are all over the landscape.
An ex employee of mine specialized in repairing Car Audio speakers using the skills he learnt working forme: he takes *any* blown woofer 😱 , no matter brand or type.
All come with scorched/nuked voice coils.
With infinite patience , plus various solvents and steam from a kettle, not kidding, he unglues cone, spider, etc. without destroying them (sourcing them would be impossible or very expensive), measures the voice coil former and diameter, has a friend who lathe turns a winding former out of hard wood or aluminum and uses it to hand wind a new voice coil, then he reassembles the speaker.
In part this is made possible because in those speakers tolerance is relaxed 🙄 and since he keeps a shelf full of winding formers, after a while certain sizes start to repeat so his task is easier.
But it´s a very "niche" kind of market.
What a comprehensive reply from JMF! 😎
In short, it suggests that the recone scenario you propose is not for the faint-hearted! 🙁
In short, it suggests that the recone scenario you propose is not for the faint-hearted! 🙁
@JMFahey - thanks so much for the detailed explanation. I live in the Maldives have updated my profile as you suggested. I can't seem to get the flag displayed like you guys have.
I would also like to learn more about removing the glue and try to save the voice coil option as well.
Speaker repair is something I have always been meaning to get into.
I tried uploading the pictures but for some reason it doesn't seem to go through.
So here they are added to my flickr acc.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189979534@N06/
I would also like to learn more about removing the glue and try to save the voice coil option as well.
Speaker repair is something I have always been meaning to get into.
I tried uploading the pictures but for some reason it doesn't seem to go through.
So here they are added to my flickr acc.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189979534@N06/
Hi Yamin!
Does the 12" driver still work?
If so, the tears could be patched up using watered down PVA adhesive and tissue paper.
Does the 12" driver still work?
If so, the tears could be patched up using watered down PVA adhesive and tissue paper.
@Galu thanks, Yes the voice coil is intact and shows the proper resistance value when measured with a DMM.
Is there any instructional material about the solution you mentioned.
The photo I uploaded was the driver which was a bit intact but the other 12" driver's cone is totally disintegrated.
Is there any instructional material about the solution you mentioned.
The photo I uploaded was the driver which was a bit intact but the other 12" driver's cone is totally disintegrated.
This method works well: Repairing a Speaker Cone - YouTube
Tissue paper is only necessary if there is a missing section of the cone that requires to be patched over.
Tissue paper is only necessary if there is a missing section of the cone that requires to be patched over.
Hit Post Reply, not Quick Reply and scroll down to Manage Attachments then Choose File. Expand the window so you can hit upload, then Submit Reply.
I see you are geographically insulated.
Try to get a recone parts supplier in India who deals with reconing shops, so he will have ample stock and accept small orders.
China is an option but you will mainly deal with factories, each specializing in a few products (say cones and suspensions) , all you want but with a limited range of models, and often with minimum orders of, say, 500 units or so.
I am currently shopping for a certain type of guitar amp jack, found an excellent one for only 20 cents each, but minimum order is 1000 🙄
Shipping + Argentine Customs tax and tariff + registered Customs Agent (I am not registered as an Importer) rise price to 80/85 cents each 😱
IF speaker is in perfect state, just burnt voice coil, you can try different solvents to disassemble it undamaged, depending on adhesives used.
Paper or cloth edge to frame and spider to frame is either:
* rubber/neoprene contact cement, solvent based, can be softened enough for removal (never back to *liquid* state because it also chemically hardens) with Toluene or Xilene.
Which are brain cell damaging, not kidding, and sales are not *forbidden* but *controlled* (they will sell you 1 liter tops, and ask for ID).
You wet joint , add afew drops every 15 or 30 minutes (it evaporates fast) and maybe in 1 hour you can very carefully try to separate glued parts without damaging paper or cloth.
You can not use it on foam edges which disintegrate.
* vinyl/carpenter´s water blased "white glue": it softens with pure alcohol (not sure you can buy it freely in an Islam Nation) or careful steam application. Same thing, you will find it in dustcap to cone, cone or suspension to frame and is only adhesive tolerated by foam edges.
* Epoxy: you will find this *strong* heavy adhesive joining voice coil to cone and to spider.
It does NOT dissolve in anything, period. 🙁
Methods to take it away are either grinding it away with a Dremel tool *just* reaching paper cone without damaging it which is the safest way and least damaging to paper and cloth (voice coil former is destroyed in the process) *or* carefully heating it with a hot air gun, above certain temperature Epoxy becomes brittle and crumbles away if you pull it in small pieces with a hooked dental pick.
You must be very careful not to toast/burn paper cone neck.
* some speakers are assembled with a thick gel version of cyanoacrilate adhesive (the industrial version of Krazy Glue) , removal is similar to Epoxy.
Here I disassembled one of my own 10" Bass Guitar speakers which I had made with the wrong impedance coil using solvents , notice foam edge was somewhat damaged, and a rare job: same thing happened with one of my light Guitar speakers (my version of classic Jensen C10R, designed for low power Tube amps, think Princeton and such) where I removed just the voice coil (destroying it in the process) by grinding Epoxy away with a Dental drill.
I can slide a new coil in that hole, shim and reglue it without fully removing cone and suspension which as you see can be iffy/messy.
Attachments
Wow JMF! Those are very labour intensive undertakings and thankfully they are rare.
Your business is very interesting - never a dull moment it would seem!
Your business is very interesting - never a dull moment it would seem!
@Cal Weldon - thanks for adding the flag. The photo didn’t go through probably due to my internet connection.
@Galu Thanks for the video link.
@JMFahey - Thank you very much for the detailed explanation.
Yes its not possible to buy alcohol however IPA is available as well as rubbing alcohol. Would these work?
Another question which arises is would it be apparent which method of gluing were used - whether its the ‘white glue’ or epoxy etc any tell tale signs?
I also heard about grinding the cone to remove the voice coil by someone who was doing it here(was sometime back and he doesn’t live here anymore). I didn’t get a chance to see it being done though. So its possible to save the paper cone and change the voice coil if its burned. NICE! Gonna practice this. I found very little online resources showing this procedure. Almost all the videos instructs to replace everything.
Also I would really like to know about voice coil re-winding. What tools should I get etc. What gauge of wire to get? I remember seeing a winding machine at one of the workshops. But those places are not here anymore. Are there any good reading materials regarding this subject. PDFs or books recommendations?
Thanks so much for the help. Really do appreciate it.
@Galu Thanks for the video link.
@JMFahey - Thank you very much for the detailed explanation.
Yes its not possible to buy alcohol however IPA is available as well as rubbing alcohol. Would these work?
Another question which arises is would it be apparent which method of gluing were used - whether its the ‘white glue’ or epoxy etc any tell tale signs?
I also heard about grinding the cone to remove the voice coil by someone who was doing it here(was sometime back and he doesn’t live here anymore). I didn’t get a chance to see it being done though. So its possible to save the paper cone and change the voice coil if its burned. NICE! Gonna practice this. I found very little online resources showing this procedure. Almost all the videos instructs to replace everything.
Also I would really like to know about voice coil re-winding. What tools should I get etc. What gauge of wire to get? I remember seeing a winding machine at one of the workshops. But those places are not here anymore. Are there any good reading materials regarding this subject. PDFs or books recommendations?
Thanks so much for the help. Really do appreciate it.
Actually it's in the backroom section. When you edit your profile you will find a spot for your country of origin. When you click and scroll to your country, it will add the flag for you. That's what I did on your behalf because I have magical powers in this place.
Cheers 🙂