Oodles of DIY goodness :)

[Grant Bunter]

Last night I said I would be setting up and rough testing my T39's/DR's

While setting it all up it occurred to me I had a heap of DIY in front of me...

You've seen these in various threads:



The front side. I built the sawhorses, and the FX rack, and my mate built the desk case when he bought the desk new umm 20 years ago...
The rack I built: 13RU high. I added a patching lead with 4 metres (5 yards) of 32 channel multicore, so most of my inserts are covered as well as FX sends and returns and mains out and aux sends. I left a few channels spare for eventual possible failures. Some LED lighting covers seeing in the dark. It's a tad bright for it's purpose but looks cool

The rack contains (top to bottom):
1 x Lexicon MPX100 FX unit
1 x Berry DSP 1000p FX unit
2 of the much maligned Alesis 3630 dual channel Compressor/limiter/gates for Vox
1 x ARX (Aussie) 6 gate for drums
DEQ 2496
DCX 2496
Dual 31 band Berry FBQ3102 for Aux 1 and 2
Dual 31 band Wharfdale Pro for Aux 3 (and Aux 4 if for our band)
DVD/CD/MP3 player.

(In and out have also been a Yammy SPX50d(suspect in function) and an Alesis 1RU dual 31 band MEQ 230, both of which I still have, FTM)



I was hooking everything up.
It occurred to me I had made every speaker and signal lead I had my hands on. As well as all the other mike/signal and speaker leads I have made over the last 6 months (not to mention others I had built over the last 30 years, plugs saved if satisfactory, new cable all round).

I also made the amp rack cases.
I did them as singles as they are old iron and 35kg (77lb) each. Jands are an Aussie manufacturer and thought they could change the world, these amps are pin 3 hot on the inputs and have XLR outs. Of course this then requires "special" leads; pin 2 hot out from output to pin 3 hot input for the Jands amps, as well as pin 3 hot on the outputs to Speakon.
The 2 x Crown XLS 1000 drivecore are new and I hope to have time to do up a case for them before the upcoming gig in a fortnight. It will be done, but I may not have ample Rockard to finish them off properly.

The Jands amp rack cases, the 2 new XLS 1000's and a pile of FX rack spaghetti behind:



After mucking around with the settings on the DCX (having gone from 2 to 4 x T39's)

You can see the output level.
My lack of brilliant photography doesn't clearly show that the dB meter on the DEQ is reading 122dB, no weighting, measured at 2 metres:



I thought it was loudish, but it wasn't until I walked over 30 yards away that I realised it was loud as all getup

Add to this my current build 3 x WH8's, and I'm rather proud of my DIY sound gear...

[Bas Gooiker]

How did your garage hold up to the bass of the 4 Titans?

I tried my single finished titan at war volume indoors... We live in a wooden house. Sawdust from the new cealing we put in 3 years ago was comming down and the whole place was vibrating...

[Grant Bunter]

How did your garage hold up to the bass of the 4 Titans?

I tried my single finished titan at war volume indoors... We live in a wooden house. Sawdust from the new cealing we put in 3 years ago was comming down and the whole place was vibrating...

It didn't!
It was "shakin' all over", As was the rest of the brick house.
Nothing broken though...

[gzc_stageTech]

How did your garage hold up to the bass of the 4 Titans?

I tried my single finished titan at war volume indoors... We live in a wooden house. Sawdust from the new cealing we put in 3 years ago was comming down and the whole place was vibrating...

It didn't!
It was "shakin' all over", As was the rest of the brick house.
Nothing broken though...

"I'll huff, and I'll puff, and blow your house in".

"Not by the hair on your chinny, chin, chin!".

[Bruce Weldy]

Congrats on all the DIY.....

Sometimes I do the same thing - look around and realize all the stuff you've built over the years....it's a good feeling.

[byacey]

It occurred to me I had made every speaker and signal lead I had my hands on. As well as all the other mike/signal and speaker leads I have made over the last 6 months (not to mention others I had built over the last 30 years, plugs saved if satisfactory, new cable all round).

I also made the amp rack cases.
I did them as singles as they are old iron and 35kg (77lb) each. Jands are an Aussie manufacturer and thought they could change the world, these amps are pin 3 hot on the inputs and have XLR outs. Of course this then requires "special" leads; pin 2 hot out from output to pin 3 hot input for the Jands amps, as well as pin 3 hot on the outputs to Speakon.


Add to this my current build 3 x WH8's, and I'm rather proud of my DIY sound gear...

That's the way to do it Grant. You learn far more by being self sufficient. I build all my own racks, cabling, power supplies, etc. as well. I've also built my Clearcom inspired com system, active media distribution box, the digital clock in my wireless mic rack, active DI boxes, ultra low noise mic preamps used in the studio, phase correlation meter, all right from designing and making the PC boards on up. Often, it's not cost effective to build one unit, but how do you put a price on self education?
However, as in the case of DI boxes, when building multiple units, it's well worth the time and savings.

Currently I'm learning to use autocad so I can lay out the front panel for my AC distro that I'm building. Once I get the panel designed, the metal fab shop can do all the cutting with their CNC laser unit.

I know what you're saying about the XLR pin 3 issue. At one time this was a common thing, Soundcraft, Studiomaster and some of the other English manufacturers decided on pin 3 hot. Eventually they saw the error of their ways and converted, although to this day they still drive on the wrong side of the road.

[Grant Bunter]

I know what you're saying about the XLR pin 3 issue. At one time this was a common thing, Soundcraft, Studiomaster and some of the other English manufacturers decided on pin 3 hot. Eventually they saw the error of their ways and converted, although to this day they still drive on the wrong side of the road.

Excellent byacey,
You've taken DIY a lot further than I ever will.
I have dabbled in electronics for years in small ways, but never enough to design and build myself.
One of those Jands amps has a channel problem on one side, it was obviously dropped while in transit to me and has an intermittent board problem, that I thought I had fixed. I worked out that it involves the comparitor section. Of course, boards are no longer available, so I will get a new one made of make it myself.

Given our English "heritage", I hope you realise we drive on the same side of the road as they do. My first time driving in the US was, well, challenging...

[byacey]

The electronics is my profession, so it seemed like a natural thing to build some of the odds and ends that I need.

Canada was a British colony, but I guess with the U.S so close it made sense for the vehicles to be on the same side of the road at the border crossings to prevent head on collisions.

[Grant Bunter]

The electronics is my profession, so it seemed like a natural thing to build some of the odds and ends that I need.

Canada was a British colony, but I guess with the U.S so close it made sense for the vehicles to be on the same side of the road at the border crossings to prevent head on collisions.

They should have made it much more interesting, and installed border point chicanes lol

[byacey]

You could probably retrofit Speakons in place of the XLR outputs on the Jands Power amps. At the very worst, you'll have to open up the hole to a 15/16" or 24mm if the old style male XLRs were used; they only required about a 3/4" hole. While you're at it, provided you never run these in bridge mode, you could flip the phase on wiring to the output jacks, and you're done.

[Grant Bunter]

You could probably retrofit Speakons in place of the XLR outputs on the Jands Power amps. At the very worst, you'll have to open up the hole to a 15/16" or 24mm if the old style male XLRs were used; they only required about a 3/4" hole. While you're at it, provided you never run these in bridge mode, you could flip the phase on wiring to the output jacks, and you're done.

Funny you mention this.
I half considered it about a fortnight ago!
My problem is making a 24mm hole quickly. Finding a 24mm/ 15/16" metal hole saw is a PITA, or the reamers required to get it there from some nearby store. I have a 25mm hole saw and a 23mm spade bit (with a quick bit of filing this is a better option for my WH8's as the 25mm leaves a slight gap, ie not sealed, other than my new best friend, holt melt glue).
These amps don't bridge, so no problem there
For a long time I have been used to pin 3 hot on the outs with XLR's. In fact, way back I used to make up speaker leads with pin 3 hot, 2 cold, and 1 to 2 bridged in case someone decided they would make pin 1 cold.
Of course you always had to look under the bonnet/hood first, and carry a soldering iron.

I have 2 different versions of the Jands. 1 with one output per channel and the other with 2.
The ones with two are side by side, interesting trying to make them larger and trying to change the centers...

After this gig is done (as that's the focus right now) and I have more time I might revisit the idea...
As well as fix that wonky channel. It's not a drama at present, I can cover everything I need channel wise, just no backup in case of any failure

[Chris_Allen]

I always find it amazing that a flimsy 12mm triangle on your subs gives you an extra 3dB for free.

Those DR's look beautifully striking.

[Titanium Hand]

Hey Grant, cracker of a setup you've built there!

Mate the shiny new Crown XLS.... 1000's? What sort of volts can they churn out? They seem very reasonably priced.

Ta

[Grant Bunter]

I always find it amazing that a flimsy 12mm triangle on your subs gives you an extra 3dB for free.

Yep!

Those DR's look beautifully striking.

Thanks Chris,
I agree.
I'm tempted to put grills on them in some ways.
However being these are the latest plans, installing grills presents a problem with the module/array if something goes amiss...

[Grant Bunter]

Hey Grant, cracker of a setup you've built there!

Mate the shiny new Crown XLS.... 1000's? What sort of volts can they churn out? They seem very reasonably priced.

Ta

Thanks again TH!

Yes they be XLS 1000's.
The stats say 215W@ 8 ohms (I'm running 1 x DR per side).

In my T39 build thread, Gauss makes the comment that XTI 1000's at -3db on the limiter are 35V.
I've got -9dB on my limiter for my DR's to peg them back a bit compared to the T39's. I haven't measured output in Volts, but I know that's well under the 40V the DR's could handle.
( Regarding the BP loaded T39's, before anyone says I told you so, later on down the track I'll think of an upgrade.)

I'm not worried. Running CD/MP3's, gain structure set so nothing is in the red, with faders at 0 on the channel strip and -10db on the masters I'm getting 122dB non weighted at 2 metres, which equates to 128dB at 1 metre and not at full volume

I got my XLS's off the bay from bishopaudio at $399/each free shipping. Landed to me in three days or less each time. Couldn't be happier with the service from them.

Perfect for your Otops