HowieZ DR200 build

Post your build odyssey here.
Message
Author
User avatar
Bill Fitzmaurice
Site Admin
Posts: 28619
Joined: Tue May 02, 2006 5:59 pm

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#136 Post by Bill Fitzmaurice »

It's probably too dense and will over damp the cab.

howiez
Posts: 382
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:23 pm
Location: Fox Valley, Wisconsin

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#137 Post by howiez »

Well, this foam is too dense, but here is where I was last night before I discovered my module screws were a gasket too short to engage the T-nuts... Anyway it was looking good. listened a bit with module 'stuck' in place with my sticky foam gasket. I bought a mattress pad today to replace the pictured foam, but it's unravelling/expanding for a day.
driver mount/test with fat foam
driver mount/test with fat foam

howiez
Posts: 382
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:23 pm
Location: Fox Valley, Wisconsin

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#138 Post by howiez »

Ok, I have new foam now, seems soft/open cell enough.
Got the two modules buttoned back up, and started a listening test before I finish the ousdie of the cabs. I had one done and was listening while I wired the other. Thought is sounded good but I wasn't blown away. Then I plugged in the second and it was incredbibly brighter. So now i'm stumped. I tested a butload of piezos. I tested each array after they were all soldered up and they both seemd to sound the same. They both work, but one is much louder/brighter than the other. Now i'm thinking I have a bad component in my crossover. Since I have them bi-wired, i moved my cables to the other jack and switched them both over. Same sound, same volume. I guess i'll be tearing back into them...
new foam in place
new foam in place
module mounted
module mounted
listening stack
listening stack

User avatar
Seth
Posts: 2731
Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:06 pm
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Contact:

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#139 Post by Seth »

howiez wrote: Tue Mar 15, 2022 9:58 pm ...Thought is sounded good but I wasn't blown away. Then I plugged in the second and it was incredbibly brighter...
Thoughts on the matter...

Swap tweeter modules. Does the condition follow the tweeters or stay with the cab?

If it follows the tweeters, swap the polarity of the dim module and see if there's any change for the better.

Double check tweeter element wiring to make sure they're all as they should be and not cancelling eachother out.

If the condition stays with the cab, I'd personally eliminate the switch from the equation first and wire everything up in it's standard configuration. If it clears up it's something in the way it's wired or the switch itself. If it stays the same, time to take a closer look at everything in the crossover circuit.

So darn close! Almost to the finish line Howie. Keep it up! :thumbsup:
Build in process - 2 WH6, one Alpha 6a loaded, one PRV Audio 6MB250-NDY loaded

Two 2x6 shorty SLA Pro's
One T39, 16", 3012LF loaded
Tall AutoTuba, 20" wide, 2x 8" MCM 55-2421
TruckTuba, 8½" wide, 2x 8" MCM 55-2421

howiez
Posts: 382
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:23 pm
Location: Fox Valley, Wisconsin

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#140 Post by howiez »

Seth, i'm pretty sure i've ruled out phase and wiring to the module. I can direct wire them with position 2, and I pulled the wires and bypassed the switch. Both cabs sound identical to me, and my 24yo son said he can't hear a difference. I'm pretty sure I either melted the high pass capacitor while soldering or hot gluing to the board, or i have a bad component. It's always possible I swapped the two resistors by accident. They are physically identical and my old eyes may have missed the lable while hot gluing LOL. That we'll check as we pull that crossover back out to test this weekend.

howiez
Posts: 382
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:23 pm
Location: Fox Valley, Wisconsin

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#141 Post by howiez »

And the mystery is solved. I had swapped the two resistors in my circuit. They are marked with microscopic values my old eyes can't read and I must have nudged one while i was hot gluing and grabbed the wrong one. I've desoldered and reversed them. Time to fire them back up and confirm with a test. Since (if i understand correctly) those resistors are attenuators, I inadvertently made a massive attenuater by swapping them....

User avatar
Bill Fitzmaurice
Site Admin
Posts: 28619
Joined: Tue May 02, 2006 5:59 pm

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#142 Post by Bill Fitzmaurice »

They're not attenuators. High pass filters don't work with piezos, because they're a capacitive load. The 30 ohm resistor provides the filter with a resistive load that allows it to function. Placing the 4 ohm resistor in that position would have raised the filter knee frequency. Piezos also have falling impedance with increasing frequency, approaching a dead short at ultrasonic frequencies. The 4 ohm resistor provides a minimum 4 ohm impedance to protect the amp from runaway oscillation at those frequencies.

howiez
Posts: 382
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:23 pm
Location: Fox Valley, Wisconsin

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#143 Post by howiez »

Thanks Bill, I love the wealth of knowledge on this forum. I was trying to calculate what that circuit would do backwards, I was not seeing any examples online except as attenuators. So I made a 30ohm tweeter, nice job knucklehead! Well, it's sorted now, thanks again for all the help.

Hoping for warm weather this week so I can get the outside primed and duratexted!

howiez
Posts: 382
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:23 pm
Location: Fox Valley, Wisconsin

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#144 Post by howiez »

Finally getting to listen to them! I love them, even no EQ on my fathers old Sanyo DCA-411 integrated amp, about 45wpc. That plays plenty loud, I can' imagine what a real amplifier and setup would do.

They are sealed/unported for now. My plan was to try the adjustable ports. Most likely i'll use them with my T48's so I really should leave the sealed. I'm curious what they can do honestly. They sound so decent without a sub, I think I have to try!

I have some cleanup work in the mouth, all the stray dust from finishing the cabinet outsides is in there. Have a coat of Duratex on them, and corner protectors for now. May do a second coat of Duratex when it's warmer.

I listend to a little Paul SImon, Rush, some other odds and ends, and a selection of classical/romantic music. I can't believe how nice they sound on classical music, I was honestly not expecting that. Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin (OK, technically Romantic era) sounds so crystal clear. These things are effortless at any volume. I listened to some Strauss waltzes, I had the opportunity to hear them performed live in Vienna a few years back, and this brings me right back. Homeless by Paul SImon, a bit of an Acapella piece i suppose, sounds great. That prompted me to listen to Yes, Leave It Acapella, also amazing. I love Rush on them, the synth, punch of the percussion, the guitar, all amazing. AC-DC has nice punch and the guitars growl. Yeah, i'm addicted, have to build a DR250 or 280 now.
DR200pairflash.jpg

nortonw3
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2022 1:26 pm

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#145 Post by nortonw3 »

looking good! I plan on building a handful of these myself when I finish my Tuba45's!

What did you use to paint the inside surfaces? I was wondering if I should duratex the inside of my T45 or use a different kind of paint.

User avatar
Tom Smit
Posts: 7457
Joined: Sat Jan 05, 2008 1:24 pm
Location: Sarnia, Ont. Canada

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#146 Post by Tom Smit »

Good job!
TomS

howiez
Posts: 382
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 5:23 pm
Location: Fox Valley, Wisconsin

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#147 Post by howiez »

nortonw3 wrote: Sat Mar 26, 2022 8:06 pm What did you use to paint the inside surfaces?
I used Rustoleum gloss black latex paint. I've painted all my cabinets with it as a primer. You don't go through as much Duratex beause it doesn't soak in so much.
They have gloss, semi gloss and matte. I've used matte, so the duratex sticks easier in theory, but haven't had any problem with gloss on this project. And the gloss looks nice on the module with a few coats and sanded. I've wrestled with the thought of Duratexing the throat. But i've just left my Titan48's gloss and the mouth of my THT is same gloss and seems nice enough.
rustoleum.jpg

Bruce Weldy
Posts: 8301
Joined: Fri Nov 27, 2009 11:37 am
Location: New Braunfels, TX

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#148 Post by Bruce Weldy »

howiez wrote: Sat Mar 26, 2022 10:24 pm
nortonw3 wrote: Sat Mar 26, 2022 8:06 pm What did you use to paint the inside surfaces?
I used Rustoleum gloss black latex paint. I've painted all my cabinets with it as a primer. You don't go through as much Duratex beause it doesn't soak in so much.
They have gloss, semi gloss and matte. I've used matte, so the duratex sticks easier in theory, but haven't had any problem with gloss on this project. And the gloss looks nice on the module with a few coats and sanded. I've wrestled with the thought of Duratexing the throat. But i've just left my Titan48's gloss and the mouth of my THT is same gloss and seems nice enough.
rustoleum.jpg
For primer, use flat black. It dries much, much faster. The more gloss, the longer the dry time.

Side note - I've always rolled Duratex into the mouths of the horns as far as I could get it. You can't really see back in there far enough to not know it's not totally covered. The shadows hide it really well...and as long as there is flat black - it blends right in.

6 - T39 3012LF
4 - OT12 2512
1 - T24
1 - SLA Pro
2 - XF210


"A system with a few knobs set up by someone who knows what they are doing is always better than one with a lot of knobs set up by someone who doesn't."

User avatar
Bill Fitzmaurice
Site Admin
Posts: 28619
Joined: Tue May 02, 2006 5:59 pm

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#149 Post by Bill Fitzmaurice »

howiez wrote: Sat Mar 26, 2022 10:24 pm I've used matte, so the duratex sticks easier in theory, but haven't had any problem with gloss on this project.
Gloss looks slicker than matte or flat, but where its surface drag is concerned it's greater than the other two. If you're into painting cars you know that you don't sand between the final color coat and the first clear coat, as that reduces adhesion between the two.

matmonster58
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2019 8:52 am

Re: HowieZ DR200 build

#150 Post by matmonster58 »

Great build!

Do you have a total cost breakdown for there pair.

I'd love to do a build but I'm on a tight budget. Dr200s with the budget driver may be just what I need

Post Reply