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Jack/Speakon Plates for cabs

#21
if you're gonna diy the design, enclosure, tolex, etc why not make your own plates?

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silk screen, waterslide decal, etc for labeling. you want your crossover to match your drivers and enclosure anyway so no sense paying a premium for one that probably doesn't work in your system
 
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#22
The proper term is a dish. Penn-Elcom products are very good and used by manufactures in the industry. Get one prepunched for your needs, even better a kit that includes a rubber gasket and mounting hardware.

Their handles and feet are good as well.

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#23
While I generally support the concept of fabricating your own input panel, going after a piece of steel plate with a Uni-bit, as illustrated above, is a gnarly process and I don't recommend it. At the very least, it should be pointed out that bit should be used in a drill press and the workpiece needs to be firmly clamped in place. (I can't emphasize that last part enough...don't ask me how I know. :D) A radio chassis punch is a more appropriate tool, and doesn't cost any more than the right-sized Uni-bit, IIRC. An easier DIY-er solution is to adapt a plate that's pre-punched with holes for the Speak-ons. Keep in mind how much real estate the L-pad needs behind the plate.

As @beans-on-toast pointed out, Parts Express stocks a pretty wide selection of pre-punched dishes.
 
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#24
There is a good selection of them at Invalid Link Removed as well. He's got pretty much everything cabinet related, including drivers. He's a good guy to deal with as well.

Edit: I'm also curious about an 8 ohm 3 driver cabinet as well. Without custom spec'd drivers, I can't see how that's possible.
 
#26
Redbrangus said:
While I generally support the concept of fabricating your own input panel, going after a piece of steel plate with a Uni-bit, as illustrated above, is a gnarly process and I don't recommend it. At the very least, it should be pointed out that bit should be used in a drill press and the workpiece needs to be firmly clamped in place. (I can't emphasize that last part enough...don't ask me how I know. :D) A radio chassis punch is a more appropriate tool, and doesn't cost any more than the right-sized Uni-bit, IIRC. An easier DIY-er solution is to adapt a plate that's pre-punched with holes for the Speak-ons. Keep in mind how much real estate the L-pad needs behind the plate.

As @beans-on-toast pointed out, Parts Express stocks a pretty wide selection of pre-punched dishes.
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IMO, this post needs to be read several times to be appreciated
 
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#27
It can't be too cost prohibitive, if one is determined to go full-on custom, to find a local metal fab shop with the appropriate equipment and experienced machinists. I have one like three blocks from my house. They generally take care of my one-off metal work for like 10 bucks plus the really inexpensive material cost of something from their scrap pile.

There are loads of options from Parts Express and Newmark for a connector plate. I would suggest leaving metal work to experienced folks, or spend a little more time looking for an available part already punched. Consider also how many reputable and dependable brands use ABS plates, too. Gnarly is a good word to describe working with metal, @Redbrangus .
 
#28
Redbrangus said:
While I generally support the concept of fabricating your own input panel, going after a piece of steel plate with a Uni-bit, as illustrated above, is a gnarly process and I don't recommend it. At the very least, it should be pointed out that bit should be used in a drill press and the workpiece needs to be firmly clamped in place. (I can't emphasize that last part enough...don't ask me how I know. :D) A radio chassis punch is a more appropriate tool, and doesn't cost any more than the right-sized Uni-bit, IIRC. An easier DIY-er solution is to adapt a plate that's pre-punched with holes for the Speak-ons. Keep in mind how much real estate the L-pad needs behind the plate.

As @beans-on-toast pointed out, Parts Express stocks a pretty wide selection of pre-punched dishes.
Click to expand...

you're right on the chassis punch. definitely works better for those bigger sizes like speakon (i'm usually only drilling 1/4" jack holes for guitar so i didn't even think of it). i got mine at harbor freight for super cheap

hey i think we all have our "i'm strong enough to hold this down" moments ;-)
 
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#29
Redbrangus said:
I think we're all a bit curious about the 3-driver, 8-ohm box. If it's something goofy like 2 parallel 8-ohm drivers in series with one 4-ohm driver, I'm not so sure the 'maths' do work out.
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Maybe it’s been edited, but the OP descibes a 4 driver cab, 3x10 and 1x18. Don’t ask me about the math though. I’m all about reading comprehension.
 
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#30
Like some of the other older guys on TB, I came up in an era when you had to learn all kinds of shop skills like metal work because there was no such thing as 'off-the-shelf' components; if you wanted something like a connector panel for a speaker cab, you pretty much had to be able to make it yourself. Nowadays, even though I have the skills and the proper tools, I don't bother if it's something I can buy online. In a cost vs time invested equation, a pre-fabricated product is far cheaper...I can make enough money mowing lawns (for instance) to buy a pre-punched dish in the time I'd spend just laying out a custom DIY one, so it's pretty much a no-brainer.
 
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#31
Jake Massey said:
The cabs I am building are a 3x10 and a 1x18 @ 8 ohms each.
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jbybj said:
Maybe it’s been edited, but the OP descibes a 4 driver cab, 3x10 and 1x18. Don’t ask me about the math though. I’m all about reading comprehension.
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I read the OP as building two cabs, at 8 ohms each, but my reading comprehension skills are only slightly better than my maths ones.
 
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#33
After getting sick and tired of drilling metal, I strongly suggest using one of those Greenlee knockout punches.

I’ve got a drill press, tons of bits, even some of those step-bits, etc, but it always gets messy and the thing I’m drilling sometimes gets a warped ridge or even bent in the process and that takes a lot of work to flatten and smooth out on the bench grinder. Or pounding it back to flat on the vise. More messes. Can you tell I am not at my best when working with metal? :laugh:
 
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#34
I have a shop set up to work metal, I have all the tools at hand and used to do a fair amount of custom metalwork (I still do when building amp prototypes of course). Even with this, I will still look hard for an off the shelf solution.

Also, the step drills don't have the right hole diameter for some of the jacks (specifically the SpeakOn, as well as Switchcraft and Neutrik XLR's). I've not seen the step drills in metric either.
 
#35
I wouldn’t mind having a personal water jet or CNC to cut metal and cabinet ply.

I get by with Greenlee punches for custom chassis work. They draw through steel like butter. The problem is, you still have to drill the two mounting holes for speakons. A template helps.
 
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#36
beans-on-toast said:
I wouldn’t mind having a personal water jet or CNC to cut metal and cabinet ply.

I get by with Greenlee punches for custom chassis work. They draw through steel like butter. The problem is, you still have to drill the two mounting holes for speakons. A template helps.
Click to expand...

Not sure you'd want to cut ply with water, lasercutting isn't uncommon though :)
 
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