List of Newbie Questions (1 Viewer)

[Jack Keck]

OK. Now that I've hit the PE sales fo ran amp, driver, and Precision Port, I have somequestions that I have not seen addressed here or anywhere else regarding subwoofer cnstruction.

1. Is it better to put the port in the back or in the front? Why? If it is in the back, how far from the wall does the back need to be?

2. I fitted the Precision Port without glue and can not get all the pieces apart to glue them. Will this be a problem?

3. What size drill bit should I use to drill the holes for the screws that came with the driver and amp?

4. I noticed that most pics and plans using MDF bracing have 4” holes drill in the braces. Is there some reason for that size of hole? Would different size holes in the bracing work as well? I was thinking of gettint the widest spade bit I could find and having at it.

5. Is there a way to hold the sides that are being glued together without clamps? (I don’t have any)

6. The wires coming from my amp are too short to reach the speaker if I put the amp in the back. The wires terminate in a flat female plug that is about a quarter inch wide. I have the PE 500 watt amp. The driver (Quatro 15 has terminals that would accept bare wire. What is the best way to get wires that are about 18” long with the corresponding male plug on one end and bare wire on the other. I have a crimping tool.


These are all I can think of now. Thanks in advance for your insights.

 

[MarkRoberts]

FWIW I used electrical tape on my port incase I wanted to change the length or enclosure. I wouldn't recommend a spade bit I don't think it will last long with MDF. If you go to harborfrieht.com you should be able to pick up a hole saw kit for cheap. Another member used one to build a EBS aligned tempest he had to do like 30 or so holes. I believe the object with the holes is to make the brace non restrictive to air movement. If you have a jigsaw you could just cut a couple of real big holes. PE had a flat kit in there catalog that had huge ovals cut in the braces. You could try that.
As far as the port you can put it where ever you want. If it is in back I would say 4 or 5" from the wall should be fine.
Good luck with the project and post some pics when you get it done

 

[joseFMJ]

Use a drill bit size that is 2/3 the diameter of the screws.
Without clamps, you will have to use screws to hold the pieces together until the glue dries. If you choose to leave the screws in, counter sink the head with a counter-sink bit. You can purchase 14 guage speaker wire from your local Home Depot, and cut it to whatever length you need.
Just remember to seal the inside joints with sealant. Not sure what kind of glue you are using...but I use gorilla glue for MDF...

 

[Dave Poehlman]

I'm not sure if there is any significance to the size of the holes. However, changing the hole size changes the amount of displacement of the bracing. It's only a few cubic inches, probably, but if you're a purist, you probably want to take that in consideration. As stated above, a spade bit in MDF will give your drill a work out... besides, I don't know if I've seen a spade over 1 1/2" diameter. You could consider a hole saw, but that also requires a lot of torque from your drill... and the larger the diameter, the more expensive the saw.

 

[MarkRoberts]

Here is a link to the hole saw kit I was refering to link
Pretty reasonable for a hole saw kit. Yeah they aren't the best as the price would suggest but I remember another forum member said it did fine. I would recommend better a better kit if you where going to use it allot. Of course if you got a jigsaw you could do the 4" hole with that. If you dont have clamps while you are on at the link I provided do a search on bar clamps as they go on sale regularly also. You can't beat the price.

 

[nickMahler]

this has some good info