Re-positioning tweeter.

Electricblue · #1 10-17-2011, 04:04 AM

I have an Ashdown 410 + tweeter. I would like to have the option of turning the tweeter on and off. However, the cabinet design simply doesn't allow for a switch.

Would I encounter any problems if I made a tiny little cab for just the tweeter, fitted a jack and put it in parallel with the 410? Then it could be sat ontop of the cab when I want it, and not for when I'm using distortion.

I would definitely close up the hole the tweeter left, to keep the original tuning.

One concern I have is that the tweeter is in parallel with only one of the speakers, not the input wires. Will I overload the tweeter by putting it in parallel with the cab's input?

Thanks

staindbass · #2 10-17-2011, 04:11 AM

sure ! i do the same thing with my rig. im sure you are aware you need to connect the jack to the tweeter crossover. connecting it right to the speakers will blow it unless its a piezo. to be safe just wire the jack to the wires that originally connected to the tweeter.

Electricblue · #3 10-17-2011, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by staindbass

sure ! i do the same thing with my rig. im sure you are aware you need to connect the jack to the tweeter crossover. connecting it right to the speakers will blow it unless its a piezo. to be safe just wire the jack to the wires that originally connected to the tweeter.

Awesome! It's just a (piezo?) horn tweeter with a cap in series with it.

Will I get 4x the original power going to the tweeter if I use this method? It's in parallel with one driver only, if you get what I mean.

Thanks again.

WingKL · #4 10-17-2011, 06:30 AM

I'm suprised that the cabinet design would not allow a switch. Doesn't the cab have a jack plate with some space on it? Even if thats the case, you can probably install a larger jack plate and put a low profile rocker switch on it. Probably less work than what you're proposing.

will33 · #5 10-17-2011, 07:15 AM

It only has to be wired off one of the drivers, it won't get 4x power, the other drivers are all wired together too. There should be somewhere in there you can fit a little switch but yes, you can put it in a little box if you want.

will33 · #6 10-17-2011, 07:17 AM

It actually doesn't even have to be in a box but that would help to keep from breaking moving the rig, etc.

Rick Auricchio · #7 10-17-2011, 11:31 AM

Don't assume it's a piezo.

will33 · #8 10-17-2011, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electricblue

Awesome! It's just a (piezo?) horn tweeter with a cap in series with it.

Will I get 4x the original power going to the tweeter if I use this method? It's in parallel with one driver only, if you get what I mean.

Thanks again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Auricchio

Don't assume it's a piezo.

An excellent point.

If there's but a RESISTOR on it, it must be a piezo. A cap, and especially a cap and no resistor would indicate an hf driver.

Let's make sure we know what this thing is before cutting anything. If it is a hf driver, you could still put a switch before the whole works, cap and all as staind was explaining.

BassmanPaul · #9 10-17-2011, 12:21 PM

Why not leave the cabinet be and muffle the tweeter with some foam placed in front of it??

Roscoe East · #10 10-17-2011, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

Why not leave the cabinet be and muffle the tweeter with some foam placed in front of it??

I've got an Eden D2110T and when I don't want to use the tweeter (which is 95% of the time) I unscrew the jackplate and remove the lightbulb/fuse from the crossover. That completely disables the tweeter without having to worry about burning out the attenuator. Takes less than 5 minutes.

will33 · #11 10-17-2011, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roscoe East

I've got an Eden D2110T and when I don't want to use the tweeter (which is 95% of the time) I unscrew the jackplate and remove the lightbulb/fuse from the crossover. That completely disables the tweeter without having to worry about burning out the attenuator. Takes less than 5 minutes.

I can't properly explain why but you should put a switch before the filter or remove it entirely. With the tweeter coil out of the circuit but the filter still there it can make the amplifier see a short at some particular frequency. There's a diagram of it lost somewhere in an old thread.

Perhaps your amp is robust enough or has enough built in self protection to not hurt it or perhaps it doesn't apply when the woofers are still getting a full signal. Somebody else will have to explain that.