Kiddy barrier for your SVS or Hsu tube subwoofer (1 Viewer)

[Dan Lindley]

Hi,
I just finished constructing a kiddy barrier for my SVS. It works well, and doesn't rattle. For construction details, see:
Speaker Shield
And here are two of the six photos on that website (before I painted the shield black!):


Hope this helps some of you...Dan

 

[Pete Jennings]

Cool! But couldn't you just spray the child with a squirt gun like Frau Farbissina did Mini-Me in the second Austin Powers movie? Put a little vinigar in it and I'll bet that stops any advances toward the sub!!
Just kidding Dan, I was in the same boat a few years back with my son. We went to extremes to protect my stuff from the little turkey. When they think you aren't paying enough attention to them they go straight to whatever it is they are not supposed to touch. Wait a minute, come to think of it, my wife does the same thing! :frowning:
The only thing I would worry about is the little munchkin pulling the whole thing down on himself/herself. I would suggest you screw a bracket over one of the dowels into the cinderblock - just in case.
Good luck!!!
Pete

 

[Cam S]

I've heard the invisible fence system works wonders for this type of situation, much better than the spray bottle
All joking aside, it must be hard keeping the kids away from the equipment, I know all to well, as I have a hard enough time keepings my parents away from it :frowning:

 

[Dan Lindley]

Here at the newly formed Department for Home Theater Security, we've thought about lot's of alternatives to the shield ranging from:
Razor wire (deemed counterproductive on one or two counts)
to Moats (acoustically better than walls, but the room is not big enough).

As for the Pete's Spray idea, probably good, save for collateral damage to the sub -- probable bleaching effect by the vinegar.

Cam's invisible fence is an excellent idea, though the concrete surface of the floor may make buried implementation difficult, and running wire under the carpet may pose a fire risk. Also, my five year old found the collar 'dorky' in experiments.

Seriously, Pete, you are right on to be concerned about tipping. Stable as the bottom heavy SVS is, I will soon be wiring the thing to the back wall (another advantage of the shield is that it provide something to hook onto besides the actual speaker). For the moment, I am still calibrating, and the thing is well wedged in there. A security guard will be posted once the toddler gains the capability to lasso the dowels (changing the leverage viz a viz tipping). Thanks again for the concern and bracket idea.

Best, Dan
from the land where paranoia gets turned into action plans

 

[LorenzoD]

Are you gonna paint it black, Dan? Or are you going for that trailer trash look?

 

[Dan Lindley]

Trailer trash look? It looks like I've vastly exceeded my own design specs of Hobo street vent.
Yes, it's black, and it blends in well, and doesn't stand out/detract too much. Check out the black - painted version on the linked website.
Dan

 

[LorenzoD]

Missed that link in your original post... :b

I just love how you have your HT stash secured against hostile forces.

I might need to take a similar route now that my daughter is approaching the dreaded 2-year mark!

 

[BryanZ]

I prefer the other method. Bubble wrap around the kid and tie their shoelaces together. Place said child inside playpen. Another tested method which has received excellent results is the lock the child in a sealed, padded room until they are 18, never letting them out. Straight jacket is required for best results.
On the more serious side of things, never had a problem with my niece or nephew knocking down the sub. They tended to leave it alone or they knew their uncle was going to spank them.

 

[Roberto Carlo]

I'm curious. What is it that your kid would do if you didn't "fence off" your sub? I have a kid and while he's 10 now, he never expressed any interest in my speakers except for the occasional pressing his ear against the grill to listen.

 

[Chu Gai]

Nice job! I have a son, who when younger, got into a lot of mischief. In no particular order he...
Decided the VCR was a great place to store GI Joes, rubber wheels, popsicle sticks, etc.
Decided he would play with the matchbox cars and watch them crash into the toilet, then have them flushed away in a torrential flow of water (new toilet)
Decided to repair the lights on the Mustang with a hammer.
Wanted to see what was inside the wall mounted phone in the kitchen so he took it off and repeatedly dropped it down the stairs in the basement till it opened up.
Wanted to know if the couch was flammable.
Told his grandfather that his grandmother had fallen down in the street while going for a walk. He subsequently hid in the dryer to avoid being scolded.
I've probably missed a few. Much later, when he was older, I bought a screw pine. For those who don't know what it is, imagine broad sword shaped leaves radiating from the center in a spiral, the edges of the leaves having quite sharp edges...lethal actually He asked what that was for, and I replied, just in case I ever have another one of you.

 

[Jay_Leonard]

The day we finished the rough install of all of my equipment in our new wall unit, my son, 19 months, did something to the CD player and that was that the door will no longer close.

I have also notice two design flaws in our Tosh 50H81

The front panel lockouts do not affect the power switch. and the rest of the buttons flash an appealing (to him anyway) NOT AVAILABLE every time he pushes the buttons.

He also knows that the power in the houshold falls to the holder of the remote, SO if you do not hide it he will...

Greg Lowen wants me to get rid of the protective screen on the Tosh to improve the pic, I wonder if he will change his mind when he meets Luke the A/V destroyer.

Nice pic of the "Sub Guard"

J

 

[Robb Roy]

My kiddy shield is made of latex

 

[Garrett Adams]

Robb, thanks a bunch for today's chuckle.

 

[jaydee]

About children, the Devil's Advocate says...

Hmmm! New idea! Why don't you tell the child "NO"! "No touchy!" Worked for my kids.

Have several friends who don't tell there kids that, and they have problems with them. Like: Kids getting into/onto things they shouldn't. They say "no, or I'll say no again", and the child knows as a consistant pattern, the adult won't do anything.

Just a wild thought on my part.

 

[Mat_M]

I see a future engineer! Sounds very similiar to me when I was younger

Nice job! I have a son, who when younger, got into a lot of mischief. In no particular order he...
Decided the VCR was a great place to store GI Joes, rubber wheels, popsicle sticks, etc.
Decided he would play with the matchbox cars and watch them crash into the toilet, then have them flushed away in a torrential flow of water (new toilet)
Decided to repair the lights on the Mustang with a hammer.
Wanted to see what was inside the wall mounted phone in the kitchen so he took it off and repeatedly dropped it down the stairs in the basement till it opened up.
Wanted to know if the couch was flammable.
Told his grandfather that his grandmother had fallen down in the street while going for a walk. He subsequently hid in the dryer to avoid being scolded.
I've probably missed a few. Much later, when he was older, I bought a screw pine. For those who don't know what it is, imagine broad sword shaped leaves radiating from the center in a spiral, the edges of the leaves having quite sharp edges...lethal actually He asked what that was for, and I replied, just in case I ever have another one of you.

 

[EdNichols]

Thanks for the pics Dan. That gives me a good idea on what I can do. Something like this might also keep my cat from getting interested in it.

 

[Chuck Bogie]

I'd vote for an electric fence charger myself...

I have no children (that I'm aware of...), but I understand that they can be nice. When served with the proper spices.

 

[Dan Lindley]

Jaydee,

I do say no, lots, and pull the toddler away. Often he just laughs, even when I use a fairly severe voice (tempted to veer political here).

So, my system is better than deterrence, it is prevention. Certainly the rule of law is far from being established. But we are not giving up.

And, now that I can give a 6 month or so report, and at the risk of immodesty, the screen has done a wonderful job protecting the SVS. Due to its sacrificing itself for the SVS, the shield's black paint has scratched off in a few barely perceptible places, but no dents or holes, and no damage to the SVS at all.

Dan

 

[Jerome Grate]

I'm with Chuck, electric fence all the way. Question, doesn't that thing rattle when you play thoses scenes that really test the sub?

 

[jaydee]

As far as the chedrins go, I've given mine something to think about if they do go against my directive of "No!" (barring all PC), in an extremely harsher voice. With anything now, they know if I say it once, the next thing is going to be rather unpleasant. This was done through conditioning at a young age, as well as an overwhelming structure of love. If I ever have to say no twice, something in the psychological system has failed. Also, if my children laugh at me, then I repeat the conditioning process again. Kids are smarter than some people give them credit for, even at the toddler stage. So ask yourself, who has conditioned whom?

With the Cats, my two are only good for Cat-a-polts if they get near my 16-46 PCi. My PB1-ISB is both child and kitty proof.

Works for me, but not everyone. Good Luck to all!

J.D.