I want to say the driver but that's the magnet that moves that other part isn't it? I'm talking about the actual part that moves and makes sound. It has dust on it. How do I get it off? I'm not sure if compressed air would be that smart because it would make the speaker move and therefore produce sound right? How should I get it off?
How do you clean dust off of a speaker?
- Thread starter Crescent13
- Start date
lol it's on there pretty good. And I don't want to blow them out. They're rated for 150W but there have been stores that 90W amps will blow them. (infinity Primus 250)
An anti static cloth (like for monitors) will work very well. If it's in the surround portion a q-tip lightly dampened with water will work also.
really? the water won't mess up the sound? It's like on the black edge of the cone.
EDIT: I got all of the dust off using the air can gently, I'm just wondering for future refrence.
The way a lower powered amp blows speaker is by square waving the signal. At some point, the desire to get more volume will exceed the amps ability to produce a clean sinusoidal wave. When it starts to distort that wave (way below your ears ability to detect this distortion, it will be cutting the tops of the wave off.
This creates overheating and melts the varnish on the windings and shorts between winding occurs. TAh DAH... blown speaker.
Far better is to have an amp that exceeds the rating of the speaker so that you have "headroom." Yes, you can blow a speaker that way as well, but you'll hear the speaker reaching it's limits way before it blows.
This assumes you do not have an EQ in the signal chain with some enormous amount of boost at frequencies at the edge of the speakers range a boost of + 3 db delivers TWICE the amount of power in that band alone. If the amp is rated at 100 wats at .5volt input and you're driving it with that input and you boost 80 cycles 3 db, you've just asked the amp for 200 watts at 80 cycles. Prepare for the blowing of the transducer.
Damp not wet would be ok.
We ( PA Companies) even SCotchguard cones or silicone spray them to prevent moisture damage.
It's paper ,generally. Some companies use other materials in an effort to keep the cone stiff. But paper is most often used.
< Been building speaker cabinets and doing live sound and recording since 1970.
All over the world....and beyond.
"Diaphragm" in general. "Cone" for cone-shaped diaphragms, "dome" for dome-shaped diaphragms (generally on tweeters).
Diaphragm = the moving element for compression drivers on horn,usually a high frequency device. These are typically made of aluminum, but phenolic is used by some manufacturers.
Cone = The paper (typically) portion of the speaker between the surround (the flexible part) at the edge and the Coil, which is under the dust cap, the rounded portion in the center. Surrounds can be made of neoprene, butyl rubber, or something else which is flexible and UV resistant. Neoprene onse made in the 70's are fallign apart nowadays and aren't worth crap. Though they were cheap to make, they were phased out as their tendancy to deteriorate when exposed to sunlight was revealed.
Coil = the windings which sit in the gap of the magnet.
Dust Cap = The paper (usually) portion which is simply glued to the cone to prevent foreign objects, dust and other sonic terrorist for getting into the gap which would cause a scratching sound from rubbing between the windings and the edge of the gap. This could cause winding failure. Contrary to popular myth, a dimpled dust cap has no audible effect on the sound. a dust cap who has become slightly unglued may buzz a little, but can be reglued using rubber cement or somethinng similar. Elmers works in a pinch, but it dries too hard to be of use in high SPL environments.
You really think diaphragm isn't the general term?
Definition of diaphragm - entry 5
If you want to nitpick (though it seems like you copied and pasted that), the cone is the portion between the surround and the voice coil former, not the voice coil.
http://www.diyaudio.com/wiki/index.php?page=LoudspeakerAnatomy
http://www.velodyne.com/velodyne/tech/glossary.aspx?sid=661g670f
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/speaker7.htm
http://www.audioallies.com/GetFeatureDesc.asp?Feature=Driver
http://www.visaton.com/english/artikel/art_768_1_19.html
http://ldsg.snippets.org/appdx-b.php3
No it is, I was just saying that tecnically cone is a more specific word because diaphragm includes the dustcap(if it exists)
Ah. Agreed.
It just seemed like the point of AC's post was that the term "diaphragm" referred only to a specific type of sound-creating-thing, whereas it can be anything that moves or vibrates to produce sound.
While what you say may be semantically correct, in the trade (pro sound, audio teching and speaker reconing and servicing) when referring to "sound creating thingys" aka transducers, one should use the correct lexicon, to wit.....
A diaphragm is typically referring to a high frequency element within a compression driver.
A Cone is referring to the section of a transducer between the surround and the coil. Hence the term "re-coning" a speaker. They don't call it Re-diaphragming a speaker. We do call it re-diaphragming a Compression Driver.
This procedure is more accurately rebuilding a speaker since the coil, surround, cone and dust cap are all replaced when re-coning.
If it looks as if I cut and pasted my explanation, I thank you.
As a 30+ year veteran of many sound companies, bands, and studios, I have developed a succinct way of explaning the various components to n00bs over the years.
In fact, I've over 20 years of reconing experience, have reconed over 500 transducers of various makes and sizes, and have re-diaphragmed an ungodly number of Hi-Freq horns, both in the shop and on the road. Not only that, but I've smoked a few as well.... NO NOT THAT WAY, You can't get them in a pipe! :laugh:
I've attended more than a few JBL, GAUSS and Emilar technical seminars in this period of time, specifically for reconing and rebuilding speakers . And have a certicate or two around somewhere attesting to that skill level.
So, in essence, calling a cone a "diaphragm" is akin to calling a magazine for a firearm a "clip". Someone might figure out what you're referring to, but to someone in the trade, you do not appear as educated as you might wish, as you won't be using the correct name of the part.
If you came into our shop and wanted a new diaphragm for your speaker, you would be handed a box, clearly labeled "diaphragm" and it would be aproximately 4 inches in diameter, made of phenolic and aluminum, not of paper, and for use in a hi frequency compression driver.
Ask for a cone, and you'll get the business end of a speaker, the paper part with surround attached, as well as the coil, and dust cap, with glue and gap shims.
Actually, it's against most Speaker manufacturer policy to sell an end user the recone kit.
Doing this procedure correctly requires training and not a little bit of skill.
An Altec Diaphragm
A Diaphragm for a PYLE / Klipsch Dome Tweeter
A JBL Re-CONE kit... no where do they call it a diaphragm.
Further corroboration of my explanation above. By a third party in the business
Whoozyerdaddy
Lifer
- Jun 27, 2005
- 19,216
- 1
- 61
This is why seasoned electronics sales people cringe when they have to deal with hobbyists. The minutia is more fascinating than the actual performance of the item.
WElll, I don't cringe, but I will expend a great deal of time and effort to educate. Whether they decide to learn, or continue to act as if they know it all is purely up to them. A DIY site is not as credible as a commercial repair facility, nor does it trump my first hand experience and knowledge. I know the art and science will change, but the basic components and their names probably won't.
Proper nomenclature is important if accuracy ( and the right part!) is the end goal.
Yeah, I know it isn't.
Actually the voice coil and spider are attached. And no one in the business calls it a Voice Coil Former.
Here's a test for you. Call ANY Pro sound company, ask for a diapraghm for a 12 inch speaker and see what reaction you get. Ask for a diapraghm for a hi frequency compression driver and check that against the first response. Real world, dude. Try it.
Whoozyerdaddy
Lifer
- Jun 27, 2005
- 19,216
- 1
- 61
True. Sounds like you are on the repair end of things... From the sales end of things, a hobbyist is death on a stick. Hours of blah blah blah... and generally no sales. Why? Because they LOVE to tell you what they know. And that's about it.
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