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Here goes nothing......well maby the foundations (Read 19632 times)
AFRS
Ex Member



Here goes nothing......well maby the foundations
05/31/06 at 21:58:32
 
Yep that right im building a HW15, it seems to have everything i need, bass and lots of it for DJing and movies. theres no real account of a build on this forum with pictures and all so i thought ide take the plunge (without giving much away to keep the mods happy). drivers came today 2 Eminence Kappa 15LF, not the ideal i know but here in England theres not much choice, unfortunately one came DOA  :'( so thats added a week or so to the build to send back, gona sort out wood n cables tomorrow. the amps some 300w one my old mans handing over, ill let you know more when i do. Its going to be crossed over at 80hz with an inductor untill i can afford a proper crossover. thats about it for now, im prity certain whats the best way to load the drivers from reading the rest of the posts here although im sure ill have a play around just to be sure. Anything else i should know ???

heres whats going on so far.. well the drivers http://img402.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn03351uz.jpg
Wish me luck
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Bob in St. Louis
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #1 - 05/31/06 at 22:45:56
 
Welcome to the club AFRS!  :D

Have fun on the project, I've got one too that'll be modded soon.

Be sure to keep us posted.

Bob
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AFRS
Ex Member



Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #2 - 06/01/06 at 22:08:01
 
Thanks Bob, your HW threads have taught me loads about this thing, im sure yours will sing one day.

Well went and got the wood cut today as i said i would, inducer also came in the post, didnt find time to get any cable, but now have prity much all i need, no news yet about returned my broken driver, going to send them another email tomorrow if i dont hear anything. Tomorrow im off shopping for a b-day present for my mum and my girlfriend as well as a 6month anniversary gift for her as well (it never rains it pours) so if ive got any loose change after all that ill get some cable and bits to finish off all i need. Cheesy
Also did a quick mock up to get a feel for the size of this thing, Christ its a BEAST!! I can see why its called a House Wrecker now, cant wait to hear why its called a House Wrecker either.
Just wandering what the rest of you used for the 6" port if you didnt use the recommended tin, i think ive got some pipe somewhere thatl do, and also is it worth getting some kind of grill to stop stuff falling down, any clue as to how the rest of you did that bit would b great

So heres how it all looks today http://img347.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn03389dc.jpg you can make out the inducer on top of the drivers with a bag of screws. If i can find time ill try and get it all marked out on Saturday. i can feel somethings brewing  :-*
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Gex
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #3 - 06/02/06 at 01:58:45
 
Don't forget to flare your ports. and exact center with the top one.
the top port and postion is really important.

maybe you already know maybe not, just something I think is important. Look forward to your impression of it.
we all love pics
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60ndown
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #4 - 06/02/06 at 03:37:08
 
[quote author=Gex  link=1149112712/0#3 date=1149209925]Don't forget to flare your ports. and exact center with the top one.
the top port and postion is really important.

maybe you already know maybe not, just something I think is important. Look forward to your impression of it.
we all love pics [/quote]
flared ports? no flared ports on my hwk15 Roll Eyes
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Gex
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #5 - 06/02/06 at 13:23:43
 
good enough 60.

I believe that it helps port noise and has made a differance when ever I use ports. That is not to say that its always the rule.
Lots of stuff does not have flared ports and seems fine. I have had some little bass reflex speakers with no flares and never bothered to flare them.

Can I admit I like the look better as well as it made a differance with some of my bigger stuff. Cheesy

peoples choice I guess, and why make more work for yourself if you don't have to, if it works fine without it leave it alone. I do it out of habit now.
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bassboy
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #6 - 06/02/06 at 17:43:41
 
Ports can be noisy little creatures.  Flaring both ends will help with that and allow for a bit shorter overall port length.

Play with the port section in WINISD for some practical experience to get used to how it changes things.
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AFRS
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #7 - 06/06/06 at 08:29:57
 
Time for an update I think. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had too much time for the HWK. But still a bit

Still haven’t sent back my faulty driver Roll Eyes but that’s going to happen soonish. I went to sort out some heavy duty speaker cable and some Speakon connectors but they were out of Speakons so theres one on order for me. I have marked everything out, im going to try to glue the lids and baffles tomorrow as well as drill screw holes. I’ve also been chatting to a mate who’s doing a furniture building course that was on about some special saw he has for doing the holes, so he’s going to give me a hand as well.

As for flaring the ports im not planning on doing much more than sanding down the corners, this should b alright, there not high excursion drivers (Xmax 5.5) and I can always get the sandpaper out again if they do get noisy.

No pics today im afraid, not much need, unless you want to see my pencil skills.

Thanks for all the help, any more construction tips will go down well
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Bob in St. Louis
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #8 - 06/06/06 at 11:55:52
 
AFRS, I used a router with a round-over bit for ALL of the holes, the top port, two bottoms, and even the internal baffles.
Be careful with the glue, leave youself an unglued panel so you can still have access to the inside. You can install drivers in many different configurations, you  just need to leave yourself a way in. The panel you don't glue still needs to be sealed, so find yourself a nice wide foam single sided adhesive tape to use as a 'gasket'. If you cut an access hole (to get inside for wiring) you'll need to gasket that too.

remember AFRS, if you build it laying down LIFT WITH YOUR LEGS!


Bob
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AFRS
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #9 - 06/08/06 at 12:42:32
 
Ok got round to getting the drill out today, side panels are all full of holes. Also got round to gluing the lids and baffles and even screwed them together as well just to be sure.

Also sourced some 6" pipe Smiley
So now all ive got left to do is cut some big holes and glue it all together Cheesy .........and send back that driver Roll Eyes
Got a pic of today’s work for you all as well, the holes are a lot neater than they look. http://img97.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn03424sl.jpg

Bob, I don’t have a router but my mate has some special hand saw tool thing, can’t remember what its called but its going to take some time to cut through the 42" it’s got to. Im gona leave the top and bottom unglued as they create the best seal, although installing the drivers is going to be a bit fiddlier.
Funny you mention the weight of this thing ive weighed all the bits earlier and it comes to around 10stone on my bathroom scales, thats ridiculas. I love this thing
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Bob in St. Louis
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #10 - 06/08/06 at 12:58:51
 
AFRS, VERY nice job on the build so far. Looks pretty "anal retentive"  ;D

The only problem with glueing all side is that you'll never be able to install drivers in the center chamber. (That's the way I did mine)  ::)

10 Stone? Remember I'm from the U.S.  :)

Bob
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AFRS
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #11 - 06/08/06 at 13:42:48
 
Yea im going the no-noncence route, again why i chose this design, and 10stone=63.5kg=140lb=brick Shocked house
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Bob in St. Louis
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #12 - 06/08/06 at 14:17:54
 
Oh, ok. Cool.
140 pounds, wow. And that does not include drivers?

Bob
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AFRS
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #13 - 06/08/06 at 16:12:16
 
Naa that’s with the drivers, its still a beast though, any one out there put any handles on this thing, any bigger and it would be a permanent piece of furniture. if it sounds good ide be temped to build 2 of them, just to have 2 of them. haha. maby to go with a pair of imperials...hmm ??? if only i had the space, or the money, which reminds me, gota find a job  :'(
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Gex
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #14 - 06/08/06 at 23:53:27
 
Jeez I can't even afford to build stuff with a job!
you can build without one?
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AFRS
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #15 - 06/09/06 at 12:18:04
 
I should have said a full time job, im working a bit, keeps me afloat, I ended up finding this diy speaker community when I realized I couldn’t afford anything beefy enough. Anyone want to give me a job??lol. I can build a HWK if you like

Got hold of my top port today, an off cut form a drainage pipe, a lot sturdier than a can, should be perfect. Only update at the mo, lids n baffles still drying.
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AFRS
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #16 - 06/17/06 at 13:56:13
 
Right then, found a bit more time to work on this thing, and now a bit more for this build diary. got all the holes cut, didn’t have a router, my mate has gone away again so no special saw thing, i had a jigsaw a file and lots of sandpaper, got there in the end although there is room for improvement. i.e. using a router
Also got the mane port filed and sanded down flat, theres still a bit to do on that but im going to wait until its been glued in place.
Here’s what it all looked like this morning
http://img158.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn03447on.jpg

But why stop there, i got my glue and screws out and now im looking at something a bit like this http://img161.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn03513oe.jpg well a lot like this.
Here’s a mock up of the inners as well, just to get an idea http://img205.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscn03469pj.jpg

It all went together easily enough; a second pair of hands would have been nice, mainly because of the size and weight of it, also need to fill in some gaps around the baffles with more glue as they didn’t end up perfectly square.

Although im taking my sweet time over this theres no reason why that you couldn’t build one of these in a day if you had all the supplies and tools to hand, its really that easy
Shouldnt be too much longer, ive just got to glue in the top port, wire in the speakers (still havnt sent the broken one back), screw the lids down and thats about it. well and paint it
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AFRS
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #17 - 07/17/06 at 00:27:42
 
Hi again, yea its been a while but im still here got caught up in work ect..(although still no new job), anyway i think you can probably guess what ive found some mote time for, well i finally sorted out all the bits and bobs i need, even got a return sorted for my other driver which ill b sending off tomorrow.
Anyway a pictures worth a thousand words, or at least a sentence or two. http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hwkbitsdk0.jpg this is just showing the top port and some bits including some nice 4mm speaker cable (some things are just worth doing right) about half an hour later that all looked like this http://img53.imageshack.us/img53/992/hwkinnerdspg7.jpg it was tough work hammering those 16 fixing nuts in place, or so i thought until i came to solder the driver in place, i had already fixed it in place as i broke my other iron and just wanted another thing to do as i asked round to borrow another. I cant stress enough, trying to solder while inside a HouseWrecker is practically brain surgery, do it before u put it in the box, I think bob had the right idea here by making the middle chamber separately and just sticking the sides to that. Anyway I got there in the end, and here it stands http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4886/hwkfulej0.jpg i used silica bathroom sealant to create a seal on the lid that would allow me to remove it if the time came.

IT’S ALIVE!!! yea thats right, using only one driver for now (all i got) 100w from the amp and an inducer that crossing over somewhere around 160 although seems to be letting in far too much high frequency content, with the other speaker in parallel its 200w with an 80hz crossover. And the driver in the bottom, the idea is that when the other arrives i can just drop it in and seal the top.

so how does it sound.....well.. .it sounds fantastic. I don’t have the power to wreck the house (yet) and when turned up to high the bodged crossover really colours the low mid especially with vocals, but thats me not the sub.
As for the bass, oh my god, even set up badly this massive box makes the best bass i think ive ever heard in my life, no you don’t get chest thumping carnage (yet) but for everyday listening that soon becomes fatiguing. The House Wrecker just fills the room (smallish by the way) with ungodly-deep atmospheric bass, that tells you the resonate frequency of everything you own, running test tones this thing rolls off around 18hz which really gets the floor shaking, obviously with the 2nd driver this is going to raise but thats impressive (time to get finding nemo out me thinks). Back to the bass, the pub where I work at has a fair sized rig for the space (2x12,2x15 for top, 2x15 sub) and although everythings set up great it doesn’t have the room swamping bass the HWK has. The last sub i owned was some ex display Mordant Short compact sealed thing that I ended up taking back, i just got port noise from it, the plate amp hummed like a vibrator, and no matter how much twiddling with phase adjust and crossover points I couldn’t get it to melt away with the rest of the sound. Housewrecker - turn it on, falls in place seamlessly, sounds fantastic, especially with music. i cant even imagine what kind of improvement going isobaric will yield, although if i had to criticize something, watching the matrix earlier gun shots could be a tiny bit tighter, but hay im no expert and the jury is still out on that kind of thing until ive properly finished it, when you’ll probably have me ranting on even more.
Kinda got carried away there, lest just say first impressions are good, very good Grin Thanks so much to the whole Decware family.
More to come.....
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Bob in St. Louis
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Re: Here goes nothing......well maby the foundatio
Reply #18 - 07/17/06 at 02:36:14
 
Good looking box AFRS.
I cut an access in to the center chamber (before assembly) area for soldering.
About 1/3 the width of the box, square. The piece that fell out got glued and nailed to a larger square MDF. Now you've got a large square "plug" that gets 'weatherstripped' and screwed to the box. Internal dimentions of the enclosure didn't change. Cut a small hole in your new plug for the terminal block. Wire leads soldered to drivers before the "driver assembly" was lowered into the HWK. All soldering performed comfortably.

Bob
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