Pictures of the build process of my traditional 122L Tempest sub. (1 Viewer)

[Ronnie Ferrell]

There is a Sam's Club on my way home from work. I'll be swinging by it tomorrow!
I debated on the Tumult. I really wanted one because of the box size, but did not want to spend that kind of money right now. $300 was a lot easier on the wallet! And heck, I have the room!
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[Owen Bartley]

Wow, Ronnie, that is a phenomenal documentation of the creation process. Its easily the best of the traditional box style subwoofers I've seen, and I have been looking around for a while. Finally, something to rival the Sunosub page for us boxers! In fact, it was the final straw that caused me to finally stop lurking and actually sign up. I just had to pop in and say nice job! And thanks!
I'm still in the design stage for my Tempest, but I'm glad to have your page to follow for construction tips. Actually, your design looks a little similar to one of mine, at least structurally There are some images on my page here (under HT and Sub). Anyway, thanks again, and yours should look great when you get it finished!

 

[Patrick Sun]

Owen, check out my "traditional" box sub. I did it just to say I did a box sub.

 

[Owen Bartley]

LOL... you couldn't leave it alone, could you Pat?
Alright, so you officially have the most comprehensive page for tubes AND boxes. Which means I'll have to use both of yours when I finally get to build... all the better for me!

 

[Chris Tsutsui]

Ron,
I forgot that you might not have a dust vacuum on your equiptment. I'm sure I'd probably wear a mask too if I had to router MDF because that stuff just gets EVERWHERE.
As for why I wouldn't use both braces centered... I guess I can't really back that up but I can throw out some of my theories.
What happens when you center 2 braces in a cube is the box gets broken into 4 equal boxes. Subwoofers play mid range frequencies as well as low due to the slope of the crossover. Therefore, it could be possible for four equal standing waves to occur in each of the cubbies. Another detail is how I wouldn't put a port directly behind a woofer because midrange frequencies could escape through the port. (I was crazy enough to make a pyramid shaped sub thinking it could help with axial standing waves)
hehe, anyways here are some 1st order axial resonances I cranked in my excel worksheet:
5 foot = 113hz
4 foot = 141hz
2 foot = 282hz
1 foot = 565hz
0.5 feet = 1130hz
So lets say you have 4 cubbies with 2 foot lengths in them. That means 282hz can produce standing waves in each one. And if you don't think your sub's crossover allows 282hz, then try a test tone.
Now when we factor in stuffing, the brace holes, and the fact that mid range frequencies are what subs play least... then all this theory simply becomes a detail for show and tell.
Ron, back when i was a teenager (last year) I raced an HPI Pro3 and Racer2. I competed in the HPI world finals but my car had problems. It's just so hard to get a car perfectly tuned to a track and then it's even harder to drive it perfect.

 

[Chris Carswell]

The last cars I had were a Losi XX and a Mugen .21 gas powered 4wd buggy. They were fun! I miss racing them. I think I'll go pick up a copy of R/C Car Action & see what cool stuff I'm missing.......

 

[Ronnie Ferrell]

I think I'll go pick up a copy of R/C Car Action & see what cool stuff I'm missing.......

NO RUN AWAY!!! If there is anything that is as addictive as DIY home audio it is R/C cars and planes! I feel sorry for Chris T's wallet!
I am working on the final pictures of the sub right now. I should have them posted in a few minutes! I only had about 15 min of actual playing time on the sub last night. I did not finish them until 10:30pm. I am a older fart (not Hank old though! ) and have to get up early on weekdays.
Ronnie

 

[Ronnie Ferrell]

I have posted the final pictures of the build process , for now at least! I still have to veneer the sub, which will not be until Spring. I am going to use a pure tung oil finish like the finish on my A/V-1s in the photos. It took forever to dry during the Summer. I am not even going to attempt it while its cold! I would rather listen to the sub!
Since I am not going to do the Patrick Sun documentation of my project, I figured I would throw in something else cool for ya! Here is a QuickTime VR of my listening room and stuff! The left A/V-1 has a photo splice seam near the back of it and looks funky. Also please excuse the clutter!
Take care,
Ronnie

 

[Patrick Sun]

Good grief, the "patient" looked scary with all of those clamps on it in a few of those pics. I think these pics would scare off potential DIYers.

 

[Aaron_Smith]

Hey Ronnie, did you cut your rabbets and dadoes on a table saw or with a router? Any helpful hints? Construction looks really good.

 

[George W]

Ronnie,

How did you do that quicktime vr!?

It looks great and I'd like to make one as well. I just finished my speakers and sub so I need to get a page up soon.

 

[Ronnie Ferrell]

How did you do that QuickTime vr!?

I have a Canon S330 Digital Elph. It comes with some photo-stitch software that allows you to make QuickTimeVRs. Well at least the Mac version does, the PC version does not. I am head of an IT department at a large Advertising Agency and have access to MANY toys, PC and MAC...
Ronnie

 

[Bill Catherall]

Hey Ronnie,
Great pictures! I noticed you have a Grizzly table saw. How do you like it? I just got one too (the 1022ZF). I made a little dust with it a couple nights ago, but tonight I need to make some more adjustments to it for better accuracy. I've also got to make some jigs and other aids for it, then I can really kick up the dust.
Anyway, I noticed that you used a 100% silicone caulking when you sealed your sub. I've heard that silicone vapors can destroy subwoofers. :frowning: Did you know that? Is my information correct?

 

[Patrick Sun]

Once the silicone is cured, the vapors aren't harmful to the woofer.

 

[Ronnie Ferrell]

Bill- Like Patrick said, after the silicone cures everything is ok. I gave it over 24 hours to cure before I installed the driver and amp. I have also heard the vapors are not good for the electronics of the amp either...
I LOVE my Grizzly! It have the 1022PRO. Do you like the Precision Shop Fox® Fence? I thought about getting it. I have used a Biesemeyer fence before or at least a knock-off of it and knew I liked it. So I went for the 1022PRO with the Bies knock-off fence and the 2HP motor.
I have my blade parallel to less than .001" to the miter slot and fence at 0 degrees AND 45 degrees! I had to shim the back of the trunion with brass shim stock. I fought with it for a good while before getting it perfect. I finally ordered these:
Contractor Saw PALS (FYI: There are a lot of pop-ups on their website. Nothing XXX, but it is annoying...)
I highly recomend them! They are very simple, ingenious little things. If you get some, call in the order and tell them what type of saw you have. They are $20 and probably cost $2 to make. But I would have paid more for them after seeing how easy they align the saw! It is also a "do it once" and forget it install!
FYI: They don't fit the Grizzly as nicly as the picture shows, but they do work. They ned to be a little longer. I thought they were not going to fit but they did.
Ronnie

 

[Bill Catherall]

Like Patrick said, after the silicone cures everything is ok.

Oh, ok. I thought that the silicone would continue to outgas even months after a full cure. Is silicone better than acrilic latex (another typical caulking material)?
Yes, I love the Precision Shop Fox Fence! At least so far. I only got the saw last week and I've been spending what little free-time I've had to get it put together and all the alignments made. It didn't take much to get the fence in good alignment, although I don't have a dial gauge yet to really check it. But it stays true and parallel even when it's not locked down. I still need to make all the adjustments to the blade and make sure it's true to the table.
My one complaint so far is that the miter gauge is a little sticky in the left slot. It's fine in the right slot, so there's probably something in the left slot that's grabbing it. I've got to go over it really close to find the problem.
I need to have the saw all ready for tomorrow to cut some wood I need to install around our new windows I put in last week. The following month I've got too many "honey-do" projects (kitchen remodel, laminate wood floor install) to be able to do any DIY speakers, but hopefully by Jan-Feb next year I'll have the time.

 

[Ronnie Ferrell]

Is silicone better than acrilic latex (another typical caulking material)?

I don't know. I already had the silicone, so I used it...


rf

 

[Brian Bunge]

I prefer silicone over normal caulking material. Caulk dries out and becomes brittle while silicone always has a bit of a rubbery consistancy.