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Speaker Building Part I

As you already know, the speakers that I am building are a pair of ported box speakers that consist of a woofer, a tweeter, and a crossover system. As I mentioned below, I am getting some help from the experts at Meniscus Audio in Grand Rapids. Today was the first of two or three days that I will be in the process of completing this speaker system. Today we got very many vital steps done in the building process.

After much confusion and frustration with traffic and construction in Grand Rapids, I finally was able to find this small company amidst about 15 other businesses in a large building. Upon arrival, I was given a quick tour of their building, and we began the process. To begin with, the first man that was helping me (I won't mention his name) told me which parts we would need in order to build the crossover, and then we went around collecting them from various trays around the room. Second, he taught me how to wind the inductors to use in our crossovers, and we each did one of them. We tested our inductors to make sure they were correct, and then assembly began. He showed me a diagram of how these crossovers needed to be wired up, and we completed the crossovers for the woofers and the tweeters together. After that, we needed to cut small wood panels to glue the cross overs to. After watching him complete one and explain to me why different parts went in different places, we carefully glued the crossovers together. Once the leads were attached and the sodering was done to short the negative leads, the crossovers were complete and had to dry overnight.

Because my work with the first man (the one who works more with the electronics aspect) was as far along as it could be, I met with the other man at Meniscus and began the process of building and assembling the boxes. He already had a wood (cherry) box/cabinet previously made, so all we had to do was cut the holes for the woofer and the tweeter. He first told me how far to measure in from the sides to mark with pencil where the wood needed to be drilled. After completing this task, he used a specifically designed tool to cut out the holes the exact size that I would need for my specific drivers. Because he didn't want me to use power tools, he did most of the cutting. Once he was done cutting, I sanded the inside of the holes and measured them to make sure they were correct, which they were. This was as far as we got during the first day. Because of school, I am not able to get to Meniscus until about 3:45 so I really only had about an hour and a half to work on it. We are waiting for the various glues to dry, and will be finishing the box/cabinet assembly as well as installing the crossovers next time I go in! All in all, a very successful first day.

 

Posted May 18, 2010