I am going to build a subwoofer.

[Number1]

Well it seams no mater what I do this thing rattles.
Out of desperation, I cut a hole in a piece of MDF, screwed the Sub to it, hooked it up to the Amp and powered it up.

The thing still rattles at fairly low volume!!!

Could it be I have a bad driver?

I contacted CSS and they told me it's possible I have a bad driver and to ship it back to them. SO far so good. Ill give them a call Monday.

 

[Number1]

I have done more testing. This one is simple, the driver rest on a pillow and is connected to the amp. The volume is very low and still this thing rattles.

If I lift it a few inches from the pillow it rattles even louder,

As a mater of fact if I put my hand in the vicinity of the magnet's center hole the thing rattles like crazy.

Is this normal behavior for a subwoofer?

I have yet to read anything about the criticality of minimum spacing behind a sub.

??

 

[Howard]

No, your driver seems to be defective. Probably the voice coil former is misaligned in the coil gap.

 

[Number1]

All the testing I did trying to find out and eliminate the rattle eventually rendered the box unusable. It's good as a toy box now. The baby is going to be happy.

What the hell, it's only MDF, cheap!

I started work on box number 2. Bigger, stronger with a lower frequency response.
I measured much more carefully this time and all my pieces are fitting much better together.
I did not use the table saw this time. I used my circular saw and used a piece of wood screwed to the piece I was cutting to provide a guide. It worked better then with the table saw.

I went from 5.109 Cu Ft box tuned to 18.78 Hz to a 5.671 Cu Ft box tuned to 17.34 Hz.

I won't glue anything until I have the driver fitted and working reasonably well this time.

As I said before I am shipping the driver back to CSS tomorrow.

 

[Number1]

I pass worded my Home Theater SmugMug gallery so for those interested:

Password is : AnandTech

I started a new gallery for the construction of Sub Woofer #2 at:

Sub Woofer # 2

No password required for this one for now.

 

[blckgrffn]

Very cool I've wanted to do this myself... we'll see! How many hours would you estimate the initial build at?

 

[Number1]

Very cool I've wanted to do this myself... we'll see! How many hours would you estimate the initial build at?

I don't really know. I started building the first box on the 30 and abandoned it on the 5 of Feb. For me when I do something for the first time around, everything takes double the time. My second build is progressing much more quickly and I achieved a much better fit for all my pieces. I probably have about 20 hours into it as of now. There much work to be done yet. I have to finish the top piece and the braces. Then I will disassemble and paint everything with a light coat of primer, let it dry and reassemble it again.

Once the driver is here I will need to mount it and test the box. Once I am happy with the fit and the way the box work it will need to come apart again and this time rebuild it using glue. Then there is the business of filling all the screw holes with mud, sanding and painting.
I would guesstimate 50 hours at a very leisurely pace once everything is said and done for build number 2.

 

[Number1]

My new cordless drill died on me a few days ago. I piked up a replacement one at Canadian Tire Tuesday and would you believe the new battery smell like there is something burnt inside?

Drill

(by the way, I wrote a so so review on this drill on that site a few days ago and they did not publish it)

Wow, Its' going back to the store tomorrow.

Does anybody has experience with those li-ion battery packs?

I also posted more pictures of built number 2 on my smug mug gallery.

 

[sdifox]

My new cordless drill died on me a few days ago. I piked up a replacement one at Canadian Tire Tuesday and would you believe the new battery smell like there is something burnt inside?

Drill

(by the way, I wrote a so so review on this drill on that site a few days ago and they did not publish it)

Wow, Its' going back to the store tomorrow.

Does anybody has experience with those li-ion battery packs?

I also posted more pictures of built number 2 on my smug mug gallery.

was it a brand new box? Crappy Tires is notorious for repackaging returns.

 

[Number1]

was it a brand new box? Crappy Tires is notorious for repackaging returns.

Absolutely brand new box from scratch. Bigger with a lower freq response.

 

[sdifox]

Absolutely brand new box from scratch. Bigger with a lower freq response.

lolz, not your enclosure, the drill.

 

[Number1]

Well box # 2 is assembled. I put the Amp inside and hooked up my old 12" samsui 40 Watts speaker to give this a try.

There is no rattle in this baby, not that there was any from the other box.

I have to be careful and keep the power low if I don't want to blow the driver.

There are more pictures on my smugmug galery
So far so good.

 

[Number1]

lolz, not your enclosure, the drill.

LOL

They told me it's a new drill but the stuff inside the box looked tampered with.

They are getting this back tomorrow and I am checking it out BEFORE I leave the store.

 

[vi edit]

Well box # 2 is assembled. I put the Amp inside and hooked up my old 12" samsui 40 Watts speaker to give this a try.

There is no rattle in this baby, not that there was any from the other box.

I have to be careful and keep the power low if I don't want to blow the driver.

There are more pictures on my smugmug galery
So far so good.

I'd route out around the plate amp and then drop in a foam weather stripping to seal up in that area. Did you do any sort of foam around the driver to help seal it up?

 

[sdifox]

LOL

They told me it's a new drill but the stuff inside the box looked tampered with.

They are getting this back tomorrow and I am checking it out BEFORE I leave the store.

I have seen Crappy Tires employee re-shrink-wrap a shirt. And then showed it proudly to a (more junior I assume) employee.

 

[Number1]

I'd route out around the plate amp and then drop in a foam weather stripping to seal up in that area. Did you do any sort of foam around the driver to help seal it up?

There is a small foam around the plate amp.

Do you think it's enough to seal it?
Routing around the plate amp is a good idea and will make the box look more pro if I can cut strait. Ill give it a try when I dismantle the box for gluing.

As for around the sub, I was not planing on adding any thing to help seal it. Ill check out the hardware store for suitable material when I have a chance.
How critical is it to have everything perfectly sealed?
All the joint in the box will be sealed with wood glue and 20 years silicone.

 

[Number1]

I routed around the amp's cut out. It was not that viticulture to do but I made the route a bit too big horizontal.

It still going to look OK.

 

[Number1]

I built 4 legs using MDF. It was quite a bit of work but they look great. First I cut 4 pieces of MDF for each leg, then glued them together. I sanded them to make them square, then added mud, waited for it to dry and then sanded again and added 3 coats of paint.

I was going to buy some pre-made cabinet legs at first but they were all either too flimsy or too expensive. Legs like I built would have cost me $40.00 at the store. I got to scrape the mud off the ceramic before the wife sees it. LOL

I decided to go dark red for the sub to try to match the leather furniture in the room. My wife thinks it's ugly.
Oh well, I can always change the color.

 

[Number1]

I put a coat of paint on all the pieces and glued everything together except for the top part. I sanded all the joints and muded most of the screw holes yesterday. It is ready for sanding this morning.

 

[Number1]

I shipped the defective TRIO12 driver back to CSS last Monday and they credited my card for the cost of shipping. The new TRIO12 is on it's way and hopefully it should be here early this week.

Meanwhile, the build is progressing. SmuMug gallery.

 

[Number1]

OK, I sanded and painted the box. I like the color but the wife may override me on this.
Here is what it looks like as of now. The paint is still wet on this and the red is going to look a lot darker once it's dry.

Here is a trick I learned from a professional painter. Instead of cleaning the brush after each use I simply wrap it in plastic and place it in the fridge. If it's going to be a few days before the next coat of paint, I freeze it.

 

[Number1]

Fitted the legs and added more mud. Ready for more sanding and painting tomorrow morning.

My wife decided she likes the color but I am going to darken it. I want it to blend in the decor yet look big and menacing once you set your eyes on it.

I expected the driver to be here this morning but no luck. The box is not ready anyway. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[sdifox]

Are you going to clear coat? I like to do 3 coats, one straight on, the second I spray over the surface and let the droplets fall on the surface, it introduces a bit of sparkle. It does take longer because you have to do each side separately.

Wet sand a bit then apply third. Repeat wet sand and third coat x times if you are anal

 

[Number1]

Are you going to clear coat? I like to do 3 coats, one straight on, the second I spray over the surface and let the droplets fall on the surface, it introduces a bit of sparkle. It does take longer because you have to do each side separately.

Wet sand a bit then apply third. Repeat wet sand and third coat x times if you are anal

I don't think Ill clear coat. I chose a matte paint deliberately but I am going to try wet sanding. This is something I have never done before.
I had to drive the wife to the airport EARLY this morning and she will be away for a week or so. This should give me plenty of time to fully try my sub once the driver is here, LOL

 

[sdifox]

I don't think Ill clear coat. I chose a matte paint deliberately but I am going to try wet sanding. This is something I have never done before.
I had to drive the wife to the airport EARLY this morning and she will be away for a week or so. This should give me plenty of time to fully try my sub once the driver is here, LOL

even if you are going to leave it matte, you should still sand it down a bit then apply another coat.