Uprgading RTA 11Ts, need some help and suggestions

ipsullivan

I am in the process of upgrading my 11Ts.

So far:

-Dyna-mat on the driver baskets and the PRs
-Armaflex/Armacell gaskets all around
-My RDO-194 just showed up today

To do:
-Upgrade the crossovers
-Spikes
-What am I missing?

I want to do the XOs on my own. Should I just replace the caps and resistors? I am not really to worried about the cost of the components. Is there a one stop place to order them?

What I need per XO:
- 12mF capacitor (2x)
- 34mF capacitor
-2 ohm 5w resistor
-2.7 ohm 5w resistor

What manufacturer should I be looking at for each? What about the inductors? Any thoughts on binding posts?

There is some insulation in the top portion of my cabinets, what is its purpose?


I will post some pictures later tonight.


Thanks,
Ian

deronb1

Caps will vary in price obviously. I like the sound of clarity caps. Sonicaps are excellent. Solens, bennics and daytons are good choices on a budget. Have fun!

F1nut

Sonicap Gen I at www.soniccraft.com

That should be,
12uF
34uF

They may custom value the 34uF otherwise you would have to use two 17uF in parallel.

For the resistors, use the Mills 12 watt versions.

Binding posts, Cardas CCGR

There is some insulation in the top portion of my cabinets, what is its purpose?

Helps control the sound waves, leave it in place.

ipsullivan

F1nut wrote: »

They may custom value the 34uF otherwise you would have to use two 17uF in parallel.

Will it be difficult to wire two 17uF in parallel? Seems like it will be a squeeze to get them all on there.


Getting late, will have to do the gaskets tomorrow.

Sorry for the crappy pic, didn't feel like getting out the real camera.

F1nut

Fitting film/foil caps on your boards is going to be a challenge regardless if you use a 34uF or two 17uF's. You may have to remote mount them.

Systems

Crap, I wish my MAIN camera took that good of pics!:eek:

1-34/ea. or 2-17's/ea............thats going to cost ya (Film Caps:eek:)!

Systems

F1nut wrote: »

Fitting film/foil caps on your boards is going to be a challenge regardless if you use a 34uF or two 17uF's. You may have to remote mount them.

^^^^That is the guy to talk too, if you are serious about the whole deal, which evidently you are (Nice work!), if it were me, I'd cheap out and do a 34 Electro with bypass.

I'm a tight wad though.

Toolfan66

If you could find another set of binding post cups, you could use those for you binding posts, wire them to the board on the inside through the passive hole, and use the four holes in the old cups to screw it to the back wall of the speaker cabinet..

BTW it's all looking good..

agfrost

Here's what my (similar, but not identical) RTA11TL boards look like after populating with new caps/resistors. I did Sonicaps for the tweeter circuit, but cheaped out with a Dayton 33uF for the woofer circuit (That's the black/yellow one). Yours would be quite similar, but 2 17uF caps would definitely take up more real estate than the single cap I used. You can see the Mills 12-watt resistor (as Jesse recommended above) that's paralleled with the 12uF cap--your 11T's have an additional resistor you'd have to place as well.

Systems

Crazy how everything has gotten smaller over the past 20 years EXCEPT for film caps!

I have a couple of 2.2 microF Clarity Caps that are freakin HUGE!

I really like the Sonic Cap Gen 1's mentioned above and feel they may just be the best "bang for buck" on the market.
Pretty "accurate" combined with the Mills R's (which I actually like less (the Mills) but still a good combo, with the Gen 1's).

ipsullivan

Quick question, what is the best solder to on the crossovers?

Systems

ipsullivan wrote: »

Quick question, what is the best solder to on the crossovers?

Cardas Quad.:cheesygrin:

F1nut

^What he said^

westmassguy

F1nut wrote: »

Fitting film/foil caps on your boards is going to be a challenge regardless if you use a 34uF or two 17uF's. You may have to remote mount them.

Remote mount, or make a riser board

westmassguy

pepster wrote: »

Cardas Quad.:cheesygrin:

Best stuff around, use it for everything.

11tsteve

i used the GenI caps, Cardas solder and posts, and Mills resistors. The results were great. Like agfrost, I used a more budget 33uF cap, a Jantzen, in the low pass. Actually if memory serves, I think I got those caps from agfrost when I first joined the club.... a picture. It is a little bit of a gentle wiggle, but this fits... and I have since replaced all of the internal wiring as well.

Something that hasn't been brought up yet is replacing the polyswitch ( tweet protection). Some use a jumper... I added a .5 ohm Mills. The poly was bad in my 11T's, which made the sl2000 sound like absolute mud.

Also... I had the opportunity to buy Larry's Rings for mine, but I am unsure if they can still be had. With removing and replacing the drivers while modding, those screws will most likely be stripping out. You should be looking into adding hurricane nuts and bolts to secure the drivers.

F1nut I believe has the proper sizes...

westmassguy

Don't forget, you can also mount the resistors to the bottom of the circuit board to make room on the top side.

StantonZ

ipsullivan wrote: »

Will it be difficult to wire two 17uF in parallel? Seems like it will be a squeeze to get them all on there.

Sonic Craft sold me a (custom) 34 uF cap instead of 2x17 uF, and it was a good thing because I could barely fit the 34 in there. I posted a couple of pics in my thread from a month or so ago (in the "vintage speakers" forum) if you want to take a look...

ipsullivan

westmassguy wrote: »

Remote mount, or make a riser board

What did you use to make the riser board? I would like to go that route. Were the leads on the caps long enough to not have to extend them?

You wouldn't happen to have any left over fasteners? I am not far from you in Granville, MA.

westmassguy

ipsullivan wrote: »

What did you use to make the riser board? I would like to go that route. Were the leads on the caps long enough to not have to extend them?

You wouldn't happen to have any left over fasteners? I am not far from you in Granville, MA.

I've got the standoffs, and can make you a pair of riser boards no problem. I'll give you some hook-up wire to extend up from the circuit board to the cap.

Toolfan66

I still have rings!! :cool:

westmassguy

Toolfan66 wrote: »

I still have rings!! :cool:

Your sig cracks me up

ipsullivan

Toolfan66 wrote: »

I still have rings!! :cool:

PM sent

ipsullivan

westmassguy wrote: »

I've got the standoffs, and can make you a pair of riser boards no problem. I'll give you some hook-up wire to extend up from the circuit board to the cap.

Let me know, I am very interested.

ipsullivan

Got the gaskets done, really a very easy process I was surprised at how well they came out. Tweeters were a little tricky did each one with 2 pieces.

Unfortunately when I was putting one of the drivers back in the cabinet I managed to poke a small hole in the rubber surround. Wondering if I should put some silicon sealant or something of that nature to prevent further tearing. Any thoughts on a solution? New driver? or new surround?

11tsteve

if you want perfect, then yes... new driver. you can either wait to find used 6510 somewhere to keep the drivers all the same or get a new replacement driver from Polk. same price, IIRC, as the tweet with the Polk Forum discount... $48.
I may have an extra 6510 around here. I can't remember at this very moment.

I have done the same thing with a screwdriver before, and had some Gorilla glue, which I put on with the thinnest coat possible until a replacement could be found. I am sure there might be better products should you choose the repair method... it was what I had at the time. and it worked.

ipsullivan

I think I am going to go the cheaper route on the 34uF caps. At $50 per for Sonicaps Gen 1s I am having trouble justifying another $100 into these speakers. Any suggestions for something that is more affordable than $50 a piece? Can I get away with using a 33uF?

westmassguy

ipsullivan wrote: »

I think I am going to go the cheaper route on the 34uF caps. At $50 per for Sonicaps Gen 1s I am having trouble justifying another $100 into these speakers. Any suggestions for something that is more affordable than $50 a piece? Can I get away with using a 33uF?

Dayton 5%: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=027-441

11tsteve

also....http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=027-944 ..... is the one I have. a Jantzen.

F1nut

ipsullivan wrote: »

I think I am going to go the cheaper route on the 34uF caps. At $50 per for Sonicaps Gen 1s I am having trouble justifying another $100 into these speakers. Any suggestions for something that is more affordable than $50 a piece? Can I get away with using a 33uF?

If you're going to do it, do it right.

11tsteve

Sometimes budget dictates "if you're going to do it, do it as well as possible".
At the time I redid my 11T's, the Jantzens were a gift and I had spent the rest of what I could afford on soldering equipment and all of the other components. It was the best I could do, and all I want the OP to know is, even with cheaping out on the low caps, the difference in sound is still remarkable. It will still be a different set of speakers all together than what you hear now. But, I still plan on getting a better, and proper, cap in there.
That being said, F1nut's point is rock solid in another fashion. I have a set of Infinity RSb's I scrimped on to begin with, and they didn't sound as good as I know they can. Now, I am re-spending more money re-purchasing crossover parts, new boards, etc. And it is taking me longer to put the money together.
Sometimes it's a fine balance between available cash, the best thing possible, and wanting things done now. At least for me it is.