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Post by trevordj on Jul 22, 2020 17:05:45 GMT -5
I have two completed subs, I’ll let them cure for a couple days before I attach the feet, put in the speakon connector and the driver. I really like the flat black pearl. The nice part about the house of color flat clear is that it can be cut and buffed if necessary. I have a couple bug divets in one of the boxes so I will have to color sand that one. If sanding and buffing ups the sheen too much I can always just do another quick top coat.  Tomorrow I am going to paint the other two. I have decided I am keeping it simple and doing all speakers in the room this same flat black color. -Trevor |
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Post by trevordj on Jul 22, 2020 18:29:06 GMT -5
I really love this color. It’s hard to capture the pearl with a still photo, here is a video. The pearl actually pops even more with a flat clear instead of gloss.
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Post by cwmcobra on Jul 22, 2020 19:02:41 GMT -5
i really like the flat black pearl. And I think you've made a wise decision to paint them all alike. Enjoy the assembly process!
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Post by trevordj on Jul 23, 2020 1:39:24 GMT -5
Here is a video I shot of the process today. Watch the sound, my air compressor sounds like a taboo buzzer because the video is sped up. Also my neighbor decided to mow their yard when I started so that’s loud.
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Post by trevordj on Jul 23, 2020 21:34:21 GMT -5
Well, in keeping with my theme of always doing things the hardest possible way, I completely repainted the two subs I finished yesterday. There were two problems with yesterday’s work: 1) I got a bunch of junk in one of the subs so I planned on sanding and re-clearing the top. When I aanded the top down I decided it would be easier to just scuff up the whole thing and reshoot it, no big deal. 2) for some reason, after curing, the other sub got severe solvent trapping. I must have either sprayed too much material (new clear coat gun so possible) or not given enough time between coats. I think it was the latter as I read the TDS wrong. It said to let the material sit for a minimum of 15 minutes before recoat unless the part is small with lots of curves then you must recoat within 1-2min. Well, I did the 1-2min window instead of 15min. When this happens the only remedy is to strip it back and sand the trapped bubbles out. After respirating leaving 15+ min between coats I also got a much flatter sheen. Overall, win-win. So, I painted all four subs today. I’m glad I redid all of them. I put up a portable awning to prevent stuff falling into the paint. That eliminated 90% of the junk I was getting in the paint. I also had to adjust my technique to the new guns, I sprayed closer and much faster which seemed to work well. VERY well. The tough part about spraying flat clear is you get one shot. You can’t color sand and polish like you can with a gloss clear. For that reason it is much more difficult. After making my changes I can say this is the best paint job I have ever sprayed. I will let these cure until sundown and then put them in the garage overnight. Tomorrow, I will get them in the theater and install the actual subs! Big day!     -Trevor |
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Post by cwmcobra on Jul 24, 2020 6:45:04 GMT -5
Thanks for the eye candy Trevor. Having only seen clear used on cars, I wasn't aware there's a whole 'nuther world out there with flat clear!
Tomorrow will be a BIG day for you. I'll be tuned in to see the finished product!
Chuck
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Post by trevordj on Jul 24, 2020 20:48:25 GMT -5
I have four completed subwoofers. Quad Stereo Integrity HST-18 d2s in sealed 24” x 24” x 20” boxes for a final volume of 6 cubic feet, “The Pyktis Subs.” Some finished shots first:    In my usual fashion I started the day with repeating something I did yesterday, not too big a deal this time. One of the enclosure tops got scuffed when I was putting them away last night, I didn’t notice it until today. I quickly scuffed the top with 800 grit followed by a red scotch brite pad, taped it off, and re-sprayed clear. I let it bake all day in the shop at 100+ degrees while I sorted the other three subs  Speakons prepped  In  About 6lb of polyfill per enclosure  Subwoofer in  Feet on, bottom is still shiny just to show I can do it.  That’s it! I might take a couple days off and then I start prepping the LCRs for paint. |
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Post by cwmcobra on Jul 25, 2020 9:58:03 GMT -5
They look great Trevor. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on how they sound! I see you have a lovely assistant. It's great to have enthusiastic help, isn't it?  Enjoy your weekend! Chuck |
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Post by trevordj on Jul 25, 2020 11:38:11 GMT -5
They look great Trevor. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on how they sound! I see you have a lovely assistant. It's great to have enthusiastic help, isn't it? Enjoy your weekend! Chuck Thanks Chuck, ya my boy was super excited to dig in and help me out. His jobs were to stuff the boxes with polyfil, attach the feet, and to help guide the speaker wire into the boxes. He loved it as did I! I won’t be able to hook these up for a couple days, I thought I had enough XLR connectors to hook everything up but I don’t so I had to order some cables. They will be here Monday 😡 so I have to be patient. |
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Post by trevordj on Jul 25, 2020 23:48:22 GMT -5
I decided to pick right back up and start working on the LCRs today. It’s going to be very hot the next several days so if I didn’t get primer on today I would have to wait u til it cools down. If I spray today I can block sand the next couple of days in the heat instead. A couple things I learned from doing the subs: 1) i can prevent a lot of overspray by spraying each box individually instead of all together. I was spraying together to reduce cleaning time of the spray equipment. By spraying one box at a time I can also prep one box at a time. As one is drying I can be prepping another so the trade off of more cleaning time will be offset with less downtime. 2) I need to get the box a little further off the ground so the bottoms are easier to paint. This will eliminate the need for spraying the bottom corner and flipping the box to do the top. 3) I can expect to spray polyester, block, spray with poly again, then final block, sealer, and paint. I will see if I can eliminate the second poly spraying now that I have a proper primer gun. This primer gun absolutely pumps out the material compared to the 3m accuspray. I cannot overstate the value having a good hvlp gun. I really think this is one area where you get what you pay for. The LCRs where they were left off  After the first coat. I am using black polyester primer instead of grey.  The big question mark was how the molded ports would look. I hit the plastic with adhesion promoter to make sure I got a good bond. Here is how they are after this evening. Back to the block sanding [emoji22].   -Trevor |
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Post by trevordj on Jul 27, 2020 22:48:33 GMT -5
They look great Trevor. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on how they sound! I see you have a lovely assistant. It's great to have enthusiastic help, isn't it? Enjoy your weekend! Chuck I got the subs hooked up today and roughly calibrated. All I can say is 😳😳😳😳😳. I am blown away. My wife pulled up in the driveway and I turned up a bass heavy song. The windows were closed and my wife said she thought there was an earthquake. She said the windows and siding were rattling outside the house. They sound really good though. |
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Post by trevordj on Jul 29, 2020 1:59:38 GMT -5
I picked back up with the remote turn on box today. I got it wired up and the rest of the holes drilled for the rear panel. The DBX venu360 that I am using for subwoofer control has no power switch, remote, remote turn, etc. (as is common with pro audio equipment). The box works, I just need to clean up the wiring and fix a short in the trigger outputs (likely just a solder bridge). I haven’t worked on the front speakers the last couple days because it is just too hot. vimeo.com/442602379 |
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Post by cwmcobra on Jul 29, 2020 7:50:05 GMT -5
They look great Trevor. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on how they sound! I see you have a lovely assistant. It's great to have enthusiastic help, isn't it? Enjoy your weekend! Chuck I got the subs hooked up today and roughly calibrated. All I can say is 😳😳😳😳😳. I am blown away. My wife pulled up in the driveway and I turned up a bass heavy song. The windows were closed and my wife said she thought there was an earthquake. She said the windows and siding were rattling outside the house. They sound really good though. That made all the work worthwhile, didn't it? Gonna be a wild home theater experience! Are you planning to use them for music as well? |
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Post by trevordj on Jul 29, 2020 12:36:02 GMT -5
That made all the work worthwhile, didn't it? Gonna be a wild home theater experience! Are you planning to use them for music as well? Definitely! Yes, I will use them for music and HT, probably 50:50. I’ve always been somewhat of a bass head so this suits my preferences 😀. I got the remote turn on box sorted this morning. Fans are working, both triggers out are working. Other than the size I think it’s pretty slick, but this unit can switch up to 40 amps at 120v ac so it is beefy. It has to be large because Of the huge heat sink required for the large solid state relay. I’m not aware of anything on the market that switches this much current.  I just have secure all the wires with zip ties and put the cover on. |
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Post by gus4emo on Jul 29, 2020 20:27:45 GMT -5
They look great Trevor. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on how they sound! I see you have a lovely assistant. It's great to have enthusiastic help, isn't it? Enjoy your weekend! Chuck I got the subs hooked up today and roughly calibrated. All I can say is 😳😳😳😳😳. I am blown away. My wife pulled up in the driveway and I turned up a bass heavy song. The windows were closed and my wife said she thought there was an earthquake. She said the windows and siding were rattling outside the house. They sound really good though. Impressive!! To say the least, would you be able to make and sell some of those, namely the subs... |
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Post by trevordj on Jul 29, 2020 21:19:29 GMT -5
I got the subs hooked up today and roughly calibrated. All I can say is 😳😳😳😳😳. I am blown away. My wife pulled up in the driveway and I turned up a bass heavy song. The windows were closed and my wife said she thought there was an earthquake. She said the windows and siding were rattling outside the house. They sound really good though. Impressive!! To say the least, would you be able to make and sell some of those, namely the subs... I certainly could but they would be pretty expensive factoring in shipping, materials, and time. Factoring in labor, shipping, the subwoofers, and paint materials (namely, the paint supplies are very expensive, close to $1000 primer, sealer, base, and flat clear) I would have to charge $8,000 each to make it viable. |
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Post by gus4emo on Jul 29, 2020 21:28:44 GMT -5
Impressive!! To say the least, would you be able to make and sell some of those, namely the subs... I certainly could but they would be pretty expensive factoring in shipping, materials, and time. Factoring in labor, shipping, the subwoofers, and paint materials (namely, the paint supplies are very expensive, close to $1000 primer, sealer, base, and flat clear) I would have to charge $8,000 each to make it viable. I said crap! Lol....but hey, you never know...take one to a presentation... |
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Post by trevordj on Jul 29, 2020 21:50:35 GMT -5
I said crap! Lol....but hey, you never know...take one to a presentation... I have no aspirations to become a full time speaker builder lol, even at that obscene price it still wouldn’t really be worth my time compared to my medical practice. Time is the most expensive component. Best thing to do is buy all the tools and make them yourself. It took me 5 years to finally get my act together enough to do them but now hopefully I will be set for life. |
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Post by trevordj on Jul 29, 2020 23:08:07 GMT -5
Wrapping up these remote turn on boxes, they are done. I actually made two of these, one for the house with just one outlet to control the venu360 and the other with two outlets for the garage to control two crown xls amplifiers. Both boxes also have a remote input which responds to a standard 12v dc tip to turn on. When energized they will pass up to 40 amps 120v to either one or two outlets. The boxes also each supply two additional remote outs to daisy chain additional equipment. Here is the box at work vimeo.com/442917939I like that they are rack mountable and simple. They don’t look anything special from the back but the backs will be hidden in the rack. I thought about pulling the front cover off and painting it the same black pearl as the subs but then it wouldn’t match the other equipment in the rack. I’ll leave it as is. The two outlet box wired up  From the back  All buttoned up   And some labels on the back   |
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Post by trevordj on Aug 3, 2020 21:20:00 GMT -5
I have been slowly sanding the front LCRs getting ready for paint. While I do that I have started to dive head first into the world of speaker measurements. Here are some raw measurements of my subs at work This is each individually. Obviously dealing with some room issues but, that’s why I have four subs  Here are the summed responses, including messing with flipping the phase on one of them.  I worked with the multisub optimization program (MSO). It was quite a bit to wrap my head around but after some trial and error here is the corrected response at three listening positions, no smoothing applied. It definitely sounds better with less variability between seating positions now.  Now I’m just waiting for my dirac module which is scheduled to show up on Thursday and I can hopefully improve this even more. |
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