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DIY Lightweight Composite Cab Build

#322
will33 said:
By making the filler thicker between the inner and outer fiberglass layers, the stiffness of the panel improves exponentially.

That would make something the size of a typical 410 or 212 quite feasable but something the size of an 810 might have extraordinarily thick walls which could decrease mobility...
Click to expand...

I forgot about the thicker foam core (up to a point IIRC).

But you're right about the outer cab dimensions; the interior is what must be unchanged from a wood cab. If, for example, a wood cab is 3/4" thick and glass is 2", that makes the outside width of the cab 2.5" wider.
 
#324
Rick Auricchio said:
I forgot about the thicker foam core (up to a point IIRC).

But you're right about the outer cab dimensions; the interior is what must be unchanged from a wood cab. If, for example, a wood cab is 3/4" thick and glass is 2", that makes the outside width of the cab 2.5" wider.
Click to expand...


You could change the dimensions and go deeper to get the right size without being too wide but it seems like there'd be a point somewhere where you'd end up with something that's just plain thick-walled and big. I don't know where that point is, I'm no fiberglass engineer. May make more sense to stack two 410's.
 
#332
will33 said:
Helluva job man, how do you like the peizo array, sound clean?
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I'm pretty impressed with the piezo array to be honest with you. I think it sounds great. Certainly not harsh or shrill as some piezos can be. I've heard similar arrays before on BFM Omni cabs before and they sounded great as well. That said, I'm not the most picky when it comes to high end so I may not be the best judge. To get an output level that I was happy with I wired them in series/parallel. When they were all parallel, the output was a little higher than I like it. The cab is very bright sounding in general. The 2510s have a rising top end and with the piezo array in there you get a lot of detail in the hi-mid to hi range.
 
#333
will33 said:
I asked the bigger box = more bracing question a couple/few pages ago. By making the filler thicker between the inner and outer fiberglass layers, the stiffness of the panel improves exponentially.

That much is from the builders mouth.


This is my non-fiberglass experienced wonders on the idea.

That would make something the size of a typical 410 or 212 quite feasable but something the size of an 810 might have extraordinarily thick walls which could decrease mobility as far as standard doorways, narrow stairwells, packing gear efficiently in a van or trailer etc. or ending up with something really light but really huge and cumbersome, etc. I don't know the "how much thicker/how much stronger" ratio.
Click to expand...

You're right. Doubling the thickness of the foam core will make the composite panel 4 times stiffer. On my 210 I used 3/4" thick core for the sides, top and back. I could have made the walls 4 times stiffer if I went with a 1.5" core. You don't have to used any more fiberglass to get the stiffness, just a thicker foam core. This adds a ton of stiffness with virtually no weight increase. The only penalty is a slightly larger cab.
 
#334
phoenix742 said:
+1 on the 810 idea. If Zac figures he could build one at about 80 lbs. it would weigh about 2/3 of what my 410 weighs! And giant cabs rock, but they suck to carry. If you figure that high end 810s cost 1200 & up, then I would pay extra to lose half the weight.
Click to expand...

Acording to my calculations a composite 810 would come in around 60 lbs. I'd love to build one, but I don't have any need for a cab that large.
 
#335
Crockettnj said:
I dunno know man... I say merge the last 2 big cab megathreads...

"BOUTIQUE ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT CAB ON A BUDGET"

3015Lf, 18soundmid, piezo array, in a 4.5 cuft package weighing in at 39 pounds (9?).

the 156TB ultralite is born.
Click to expand...

Believe me, it's been on my mind. I really want to do something with the 3015LF. It looks like such a fantastic driver. I'm not sure if I'd bother with the piezo array though if I had a 6" mid driver. I'm pretty sure there would be plenty of high end from the 6". In addition to the 18sound, B&C has a few 6" drivers (6MDN44, 6PEV13, 6MD38) that might be good candidates for a 156.
 
#336
SBassman said:
Why don't more combo makers explore metal cases like the
GK microbass. I think that thing weighs in at a ridiculous 24 pounds.
[if there were lower cost versions of that type of combo, I'd be all over it]
Click to expand...

The stiffness to weight ratio is not there with a thin metal walled cabinet. The GK microbass is a very cool design, but I think it is not optimum.

Consider their 16 lbs. 100W 12" cab. If I were to make a similar cab using composite construction and a Basslite S2010 driver it would come out about 50% lighter at about 10lbs.

The nice thing about the welded aluminum cabinet is that is is much easier to manufacture and much less expensive.
 
#337
A few more logo ideas. Thanks to those who posted/PM'ed suggestions.


Here's a different font and more subtle color scheme. A little less Nascar. ;)
zaclitelogoplate13.gif


IMG_1076zaclite2.gif


Here's a different logo.
c3logo10.gif


IMG_1076C3logo.gif
 

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