RoyC Posted November 28, 2022 Report Share Posted November 28, 2022 23 minutes ago, Reel Man said: Yeah, I planned on sending the mids to Roy anyways for servicing; hopefully, the other one is just low on output. On a related note, does anybody fix AR-3a mids and tweeters? Pretty sure a tweeter is out on my 3a; I have to ohm it soon. Also, how hot will the resistors get? Do I need to be concerned about them being too close to the masonite? I wouldn't be concerned about the resistors. In fact, I often run leads from the L-pads and glue them to the cabinet brace just to make installation easier. Two of us are repairing the 3/4" black dome tweeter used in the 3a and other AR models. Chris1this1 is the other forum member. He does a great job of winding a new voice coil to original spec. I have had limited success repairing the AR-3a type of mid, and I'm not aware of anyone rebuilding this one. Roy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reel Man Posted November 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2022 What kind of glue? Hot glue gun type, maybe? I'm thinking I bought one(haven't seen it in awhile). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted November 28, 2022 Report Share Posted November 28, 2022 9 minutes ago, Reel Man said: What kind of glue? Hot glue gun type, maybe? I'm thinking I bought one(haven't seen it in awhile). I usually use Goop, Gorilla Clear Grip, or E6000 for crossover components these days. They are all essentially the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reel Man Posted December 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2022 Ooooooouch, that was disappointing. I worked hard this week on the second crossover for the other cab, installed it, but the mid AND tweeter aren't working on this one. I'm hoping it's these terrible leads causing the issue. They're too small for my meter to check for continuity. I put some bits of copper wire to solder the delicate leads on, as a few were broke. My second try did get sound out of the tweeter briefly. If I understand correctly, Roy C puts new leads on these when he services these? I do get continuity to the posts. EDIT: I see vintage AR repairs these, so off to Roy they go. I'll assume I should I send the working tweeter as well? For balanced output? Yeah, probably. I'll have to compile the shipping materials (I build industrial equipment, and the parts come in good packaging). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted December 5, 2022 Report Share Posted December 5, 2022 10 hours ago, Reel Man said: Ooooooouch, that was disappointing. I worked hard this week on the second crossover for the other cab, installed it, but the mid AND tweeter aren't working on this one. I'm hoping it's these terrible leads causing the issue. They're too small for my meter to check for continuity. I put some bits of copper wire to solder the delicate leads on, as a few were broke. My second try did get sound out of the tweeter briefly. If I understand correctly, Roy C puts new leads on these when he services these? I do get continuity to the posts. EDIT: I see vintage AR repairs these, so off to Roy they go. I'll assume I should I send the working tweeter as well? For balanced output? Yeah, probably. I'll have to compile the shipping materials (I build industrial equipment, and the parts come in good packaging). New leads are part of the deal. If you would like more details, send me a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reel Man Posted December 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2022 How paranoid should I be about the vent holes in my L-pads? I've seen older threads that used plastic electrical boxes used in open ohmite pots, but that would be a real pain to tear my stuff apart. I could also use more modern fiberglass, as I'm reading the old stuff is harsh on pots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giovanni56 Posted December 26, 2022 Report Share Posted December 26, 2022 Il 20/11/2022 alle 22:44, Reel Man ha dichiarato: Più armare. Probabilmente posso abbassare i tappi per un tiro più diretto alle pentole; Lo farò per il prossimo. Non avevo i miei buoni spogliarelliste e piegatrici, quindi mi sono fermato qui. Chiunque stia contemplando questo per i propri altoparlanti, consigliatoi un tappo Solen da 24uf 400v, (che non ho pensato prima a Google), sono andato prima all'audio di Dayton. Un tappo è più facile di due. I potenziometri da 16 ohm pulirebbero anche il cablaggio, poiché i resistori rendono più difficile la saldatura. Hello, Merry Christmas! please explain to me how the two rheostats are connected by attaching a diagram, thank you. Particularly how the 25 ohm wire R is connected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted December 26, 2022 Report Share Posted December 26, 2022 On 12/10/2022 at 5:40 PM, Reel Man said: How paranoid should I be about the vent holes in my L-pads? I've seen older threads that used plastic electrical boxes used in open ohmite pots, but that would be a real pain to tear my stuff apart. I could also use more modern fiberglass, as I'm reading the old stuff is harsh on pots. There is no need to be concerned about the vent holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyC Posted December 26, 2022 Report Share Posted December 26, 2022 35 minutes ago, giovanni56 said: Hello, Merry Christmas! please explain to me how the two rheostats are connected by attaching a diagram, thank you. Particularly how the 25 ohm wire R is connected. Page 15 of the "Restoring The AR-3a" document has diagrams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giovanni56 Posted December 26, 2022 Report Share Posted December 26, 2022 L'8/10/2022 alle 19:15, Reel Man ha detto: Quindi pensi che siano mogano? Non ero sicuro di riconoscere Cherry, ma il legno sembra quello delle chitarre Gibson che ho posseduto nel corso degli anni. Pensavo anche che la finitura dura fosse di fabbrica, ma l'hanno fatto? Ho comprato L-pad 5 anni fa, con resistori, poiché questi vasi erano terribili e non funzionavano un po' (di recente mi sono imbattuto in un filo qui sui tuoi vasi pesanti). Stavo per usare questa immagine qui sotto come modello di cablaggio, con i cappucci appropriati per un progetto/seriale precedente. The wiring with the 8-ohm potentiometers and the 8-ohm R, I would have done it this way, without using a constant impedance L-PAD potentiometer and the 25-ohm R the parallel to the tweeter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giovanni56 Posted December 26, 2022 Report Share Posted December 26, 2022 4 ore fa, RoyC ha detto: La pagina 15 del documento "Restoring The AR-3a" contiene dei diagrammi. Il cablaggio con i potenziometri da 8 ohm e la R da 8 ohm, l'avrei fatto in questo modo, senza utilizzare un potenziometro L-PAD ad impedenza costante e la R da 25 ohm il parallelo al tweeter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giovanni56 Posted December 26, 2022 Report Share Posted December 26, 2022 On 29/11/2022 at 00:25, RoyC said: Non mi preoccuperei delle resistenze. In effetti, spesso eseguo i cavi dai cuscinetti a L e li incollo al supporto dell'armadio solo per facilitare l'installazione. Due di noi stanno riparando il tweeter a cupola nera da 3/4" utilizzato nel 3a e in altri modelli AR. Chris1this1 è l'altro membro del forum. Fa un ottimo lavoro nell'avvolgere una nuova bobina mobile secondo le specifiche originali. Ho avuto un successo limitato nel riparare il medio tipo AR-3a e non sono a conoscenza di nessuno che abbia ricostruito questo. Roy Years ago, I had a pair of Ar3a mids that were dumb, with the internal flexible wire disconnected and broken; fortunately the mids could be opened, the templates were fixed with the four screws, they were not the old glued ones, after opening them I reconnected the flexible wire and the mid picked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reel Man Posted December 27, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2022 If I hadn't already bought the L-pads, and separate 20uf and 4uf capacitors, I would have followed the wiring set-up in this restoration. VERY clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reel Man Posted January 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2023 The AR-3 mids and tweeters are with Roy, as well as a set of 3a tweeters. Fingers crossed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reel Man Posted January 11, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2023 (edited) A lucky week, apparently. Roy fixed all 6 of the speakers( Two 3A tweeters, two 3 tweeters, two 3 mids) I sent. Yay! While the heavy speakers are out, I need to repair the finish, as they are just too light not to do it now. Edited September 17, 2023 by Reel Man accuracy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reel Man Posted January 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 I've been sparing with pictures, as I've used up half I can post. These are what the mid and tweeter look like after Roy works his mojo on them. AR speakers are kind of like Nakamichi decks - popular new, lots of parts, and a lot of support if you need servicing. Roy painted these; I wasn't sure the tweeter WAS painted at the factory, as it was so bare. I will Email my wood-working friend, and see what he says about matching the original finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 Regarding the finish, every set if ARs I’ve restored have all been sanded to the veneer surface, then I wipe on Watcos natural color Danish oil. It brings the color back as original. It usually takes five-six applications until the veneer stops absorbing the oil. I never apply it with a brush, only with a cut up t-shirt or old sock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKent Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 2 hours ago, Reel Man said: I've been sparing with pictures, as I've used up half I can post. Try resizing your pics to about 100KB more or less. I use Photoshop Elements, resize pic to about 6" on a side then save at resolution level 8. I've posted hundreds of photos. 7 minutes ago, GD70 said: Regarding the finish, every set if ARs I’ve restored have all been sanded to the veneer surface, then I wipe on Watcos natural color Danish oil. It brings the color back as original. It usually takes five-six applications until the veneer stops absorbing the oil. I never apply it with a brush, only with a cut up t-shirt or old sock. I've seen Glenn's work and it's beautiful! There have been other good suggestions here but sometimes simple works. Kent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 3 minutes ago, JKent said: Try resizing your pics to about 100KB more or less. I use Photoshop Elements, resize pic to about 6" on a side then save at resolution level 8. I've posted hundreds of photos. I've seen Glenn's work and it's beautiful! There have been other good suggestions here but sometimes simple works. Kent Thanks for your kind words Kent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted January 28, 2023 Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 2 hours ago, Reel Man said: I've been sparing with pictures, as I've used up half I can post. These are what the mid and tweeter look like after Roy works his mojo on them. AR speakers are kind of like Nakamichi decks - popular new, lots of parts, and a lot of support if you need servicing. Roy painted these; I wasn't sure the tweeter WAS painted at the factory, as it was so bare. I will Email my wood-working friend, and see what he says about matching the original finish. I’m also out of room for posting pics, but here’s the link to my 1965 AR3 resto thread on AK. Lots of pics including veneer repairs and the refinish. Cheers, Glenn https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/toilet-paper-stop-yields-a-pair-of-ar3s.735482/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reel Man Posted January 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2023 I'm familiar with that thread, and the other AR-3 threads you've posted, as you've commented on all my threads. If you were a little closer, I would probably have you do the cosmetics. If they were walnut, I probably would use touch-up makers and crayons, but mahogany seems to be pretty uncommon, so they should get some love. An unexpected cost I wasn't considering is a new amp, or a re-cap, as my newest amp is most likely a late 90's purchase, and Roy commented on an amp thread how many blown tweeters he's been getting from old amps. My Onkyo looks reasonable to work on, and I'll take off the cover soon to investigate, as I sure don't want to blow my new 3 and 3a tweeters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reel Man Posted August 20, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2023 Update! I eventually asked my friend about re-finishing the speakers, and he quoted a quite reasonable price. He got them in May, and surprised me this morning with them. They look great; we were both pleasantly surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lARrybody Posted August 20, 2023 Report Share Posted August 20, 2023 Those cabinets are super nice. Your friend did a excellent job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GD70 Posted September 13, 2023 Report Share Posted September 13, 2023 They look great! I’m assuming by now they are back together and you’re enjoying the music! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reel Man Posted September 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2023 Yes, I worked on them the week ending labor day. I touched-up the black paint, and it's very surreal seeing how nice they look now, and hearing the nice sound coming out of them. I still need to hook up my EQ in the other system, as I'm to used to using one. I left a card with my name, Roy's, and the gentleman who re-worked the cabs in the cabinet, with a date on it, so when it's restored in 30 years, they'll find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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