Dublinia123
pfm Member
So now I have all the parts - time to crack on.
First up was the installation of the new pots.
So job No 1 is to remove the existing ones.
Taking the ceramic top off, removing the wiper, the shaft and the knob have all been described previously. So with that done you are left with a casing....
A closer look reveals that there is no retaining mechanism on the inside of the casing.
So it must be on the other side. But the Gale decal is in the way -so it has to come off.
Fortunately it was put in place with a non-permanent glue so it can be peeled back relatively easily - just so long as you take your time and are patient.
I found that using a scalpel and stanley blade worked well for the purpose.
The glue was still fairly soft after all these years so you could peel back a little and then sever the strands of glue.
Eventually you get enough peeled back to reveal the countersunk hole and the retaining nut.
Unscrew the nut - I used a needle nose pliers - the size was a bit strange, I couldn't find a socket in either metric or imperial to fit snugly, and the case just lifts straight off.
Now time to test fit the new pot - fortunately it fits perfectly - so no need for any modifications. The same retaining method is used - a washer and a retaining nut.
Both pots installed on the board - I did bend the terminal connectors upwards slightly - they were sitting very close to the board and bending them up just gives you a little more ease of access when soldering.
Before soldering - it was out with the meter to establish the exact centre point of the sweep of the shaft. It being a 5 Ohm pot - I adjusted until I got a 2.5 reading and then fit the knobs with the alignment mark facing upwards.
I was pleased with how close the replacement knobs looked compared to the originals.
Next up was to solder up the terminals, checking, double checking and triple checking that I was connecting the correct lead to the correct terminal. When I moved to the second crossover I noticed that there were no markings on the ceramic tops of these pots - no 1, 2 or B, so the first crossover was used a reference for the other.
All that remained to be done was to install the missing 6.8 Cap that hadn't been shipped with the first lot.
Then a tidy up, secure the pots to the board, replace the inductor retaining bolts, secure everything with cable ties and
Voila! - 1 Crossover ready for installation.
Crossover 2 followed exactly the same procedure and now I was ready for the big "Lets put it all back together again" phase.
This part of the process has already been well documented here and on the Gale Audio site so I won't bore you with the details.
I found the easiest way to proceed was to get half a dozen 2x3's - 3 at each end and lay the cabinet on its back spanning between the timbers. This allows access to the inside and the underneath. I fit the crossover gasket, inserted the six retaining screws, which were nicely held in place by the gasket, and then I lowered the crossover onto the screws. Needless to remark a couple of screws fell out but I was able to get a screw into diagonal holes and that allowed positioning of the crossover exactly on the gasket. Once I had all six screws run in a couple of threads by hand I then turned the cabinet over to allow tightening of all six screws from the rear.
Re-filling the cabinets with the fibreglass was straightforward. Then it was a question of fitting all the driver gaskets in place and start re-soldering the driver cables to the appropriate driver making sure the polarity was exactly as it was prior to strip down.
The tweeter and Midrange were a bit fiddly - they didn't exactly leave a whole lot of cable to play with. The bass units were a doddle. A couple of tips -
Prior to installing the bass units - figure out exactly which four of the eight holes in the frame of the drivers the retaining screws will pass through. The new foam can partially cover some of the hole so rather than have the head of the screw tear at your new foam as you tighten it up (I had noticed this on the original foam surrounds) you can run the barrel of the soldering iron through the hole to gently burn off where the foam overlaps the hole.
Secondly make sure you clear the original solder off the bass driver terminals - there is a hole in the terminal and you can run the cable through the hole to hold it in place whilst soldering - it just makes like a tad easier.
And so eventually I ended up with.........
Excuse the setting - my nice front room / listening room has been commandeered by the two girls as a temporary study while they prepare for exams in June......and I think I would rather stick my head in the proverbial Lions jaw rather than suggest to two irrational teenagers that they should shift all the books, laptops, paraphernalia and general mess to make room for my newly rebuilt speakers.
Being anxious to hear if all was well I set them up at one end of the kitchen, especially as they were now sitting proudly on the re-capped, re-painted stands.
So firstly I ran them really low - checking to make sure all drivers were functioning. Got through the first CD at this level - then tried a second at a slightly increased volume, then a third, fourth etc, fiddling with speaker location and direction.
So they have been running almost non-stop Saturday evening, all day Sunday, and this evening - hence the delay in posting.
.........and Yes - I have had many many of those "stupid Grin" moments!
Admittedly, initially I thought the upper ranges a little lacking in sparkle or detail - but that seems to have improved and tonight sounds a bit better than when I first started them up. Bass is exactly as I like it - tight but very present, not intrusive or overpowering but very well rounded.
The mid range musicality, which was always my abiding memory of the set up, is still there - perhaps a little more restrained than I remember. I'm not sure whether this is overly expectant memory or whether the re-built crossovers require a period of burn in as suggested on numerous sites.
This was a huge task for me to tackle - never having attempted anything remotely like this. But oh was it ever so worthwhile. Now I just want to take a break and soak up some good music - but hear it in a way I've missed ever so much.
Thanks again to one and all here and on the Gale Audio site for all the advice and guidance, especially Mr. Tibbs. Without your lead I'd never have attempted this and I would not be in the very happy position of having my music back. I owe you a pint or three - so if ever heading over this way be sure to let me know.
First up was the installation of the new pots.
So job No 1 is to remove the existing ones.
Taking the ceramic top off, removing the wiper, the shaft and the knob have all been described previously. So with that done you are left with a casing....
A closer look reveals that there is no retaining mechanism on the inside of the casing.
So it must be on the other side. But the Gale decal is in the way -so it has to come off.
Fortunately it was put in place with a non-permanent glue so it can be peeled back relatively easily - just so long as you take your time and are patient.
I found that using a scalpel and stanley blade worked well for the purpose.
The glue was still fairly soft after all these years so you could peel back a little and then sever the strands of glue.
Eventually you get enough peeled back to reveal the countersunk hole and the retaining nut.
Unscrew the nut - I used a needle nose pliers - the size was a bit strange, I couldn't find a socket in either metric or imperial to fit snugly, and the case just lifts straight off.
Now time to test fit the new pot - fortunately it fits perfectly - so no need for any modifications. The same retaining method is used - a washer and a retaining nut.
Both pots installed on the board - I did bend the terminal connectors upwards slightly - they were sitting very close to the board and bending them up just gives you a little more ease of access when soldering.
Before soldering - it was out with the meter to establish the exact centre point of the sweep of the shaft. It being a 5 Ohm pot - I adjusted until I got a 2.5 reading and then fit the knobs with the alignment mark facing upwards.
I was pleased with how close the replacement knobs looked compared to the originals.
Next up was to solder up the terminals, checking, double checking and triple checking that I was connecting the correct lead to the correct terminal. When I moved to the second crossover I noticed that there were no markings on the ceramic tops of these pots - no 1, 2 or B, so the first crossover was used a reference for the other.
All that remained to be done was to install the missing 6.8 Cap that hadn't been shipped with the first lot.
Then a tidy up, secure the pots to the board, replace the inductor retaining bolts, secure everything with cable ties and
Voila! - 1 Crossover ready for installation.
Crossover 2 followed exactly the same procedure and now I was ready for the big "Lets put it all back together again" phase.
This part of the process has already been well documented here and on the Gale Audio site so I won't bore you with the details.
I found the easiest way to proceed was to get half a dozen 2x3's - 3 at each end and lay the cabinet on its back spanning between the timbers. This allows access to the inside and the underneath. I fit the crossover gasket, inserted the six retaining screws, which were nicely held in place by the gasket, and then I lowered the crossover onto the screws. Needless to remark a couple of screws fell out but I was able to get a screw into diagonal holes and that allowed positioning of the crossover exactly on the gasket. Once I had all six screws run in a couple of threads by hand I then turned the cabinet over to allow tightening of all six screws from the rear.
Re-filling the cabinets with the fibreglass was straightforward. Then it was a question of fitting all the driver gaskets in place and start re-soldering the driver cables to the appropriate driver making sure the polarity was exactly as it was prior to strip down.
The tweeter and Midrange were a bit fiddly - they didn't exactly leave a whole lot of cable to play with. The bass units were a doddle. A couple of tips -
Prior to installing the bass units - figure out exactly which four of the eight holes in the frame of the drivers the retaining screws will pass through. The new foam can partially cover some of the hole so rather than have the head of the screw tear at your new foam as you tighten it up (I had noticed this on the original foam surrounds) you can run the barrel of the soldering iron through the hole to gently burn off where the foam overlaps the hole.
Secondly make sure you clear the original solder off the bass driver terminals - there is a hole in the terminal and you can run the cable through the hole to hold it in place whilst soldering - it just makes like a tad easier.
And so eventually I ended up with.........
Excuse the setting - my nice front room / listening room has been commandeered by the two girls as a temporary study while they prepare for exams in June......and I think I would rather stick my head in the proverbial Lions jaw rather than suggest to two irrational teenagers that they should shift all the books, laptops, paraphernalia and general mess to make room for my newly rebuilt speakers.
Being anxious to hear if all was well I set them up at one end of the kitchen, especially as they were now sitting proudly on the re-capped, re-painted stands.
So firstly I ran them really low - checking to make sure all drivers were functioning. Got through the first CD at this level - then tried a second at a slightly increased volume, then a third, fourth etc, fiddling with speaker location and direction.
So they have been running almost non-stop Saturday evening, all day Sunday, and this evening - hence the delay in posting.
.........and Yes - I have had many many of those "stupid Grin" moments!
Admittedly, initially I thought the upper ranges a little lacking in sparkle or detail - but that seems to have improved and tonight sounds a bit better than when I first started them up. Bass is exactly as I like it - tight but very present, not intrusive or overpowering but very well rounded.
The mid range musicality, which was always my abiding memory of the set up, is still there - perhaps a little more restrained than I remember. I'm not sure whether this is overly expectant memory or whether the re-built crossovers require a period of burn in as suggested on numerous sites.
This was a huge task for me to tackle - never having attempted anything remotely like this. But oh was it ever so worthwhile. Now I just want to take a break and soak up some good music - but hear it in a way I've missed ever so much.
Thanks again to one and all here and on the Gale Audio site for all the advice and guidance, especially Mr. Tibbs. Without your lead I'd never have attempted this and I would not be in the very happy position of having my music back. I owe you a pint or three - so if ever heading over this way be sure to let me know.
