BP-1503 tinsel slap...

[Bent]

Greetings,
My Bluprint driver seems to have developed a clicking sound... (I'm hoping it's not a collapesed voice coil former )

It sounds like a clicking/ticking sound that comes up at certain frequencies, but has been getting louder as time goes by. The driver doesn't exibit any noises at all when the cone is moved manually, if either done equally or even from eitehr side of the cone, but it is there when the amp is powering it.

I haven't removed the driver yet to do a more thorough examination, but was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to what I might expect?

[ThomasW]

VC formers rub, they don't click.

Until you pull the driver there's no point in speculating issues with it.

but it is there when the amp is powering it.

What happens when you use a different amp?

[Bent]

I was hoping that nobody would say anything about the amp... (but it could be that too).

I'll pull the driver out and see what my Doble test set says, if there aren't any problems then I'll be hooking up a load to the amp and examining it's upput on an oscillospoek.

[Bent]

Well folks, I removed the driver, and sat it on it's back and ran some freq test sweeps in addition to measuring it's DC resistance. It showed 4.4 ohms when "warm", after the freq. test sweeps.
My "Henry" meter is at the office right now, so I can't confirm the voice coil inductance.
I could hear the clicking sound when I bench tested it at 18 hz and 20 hz with some higher excursion levels, but (liar that I am) the noise isn't as noticeable when I move it manually (but it still seems to be there).

After a bit of a mechanical inspection, I noticed the adhesive joint between the spider and the former had a discontinuity, there is a spot just below the tinsel lead where there is no adhesive. I "almost" think that this is where the sound is coming from... But I can't be sure.

What is involved in repairing a driver? I imagine that the dust cap gets removed and the spider gets disconnected at either the former or the basket, and the surround would have to be "freed" as well. To me this looks like an alignment nightmare :twisted: to re-assemble.

[ThomasW]

It's quite strange that this phenomenon would occur only at 18Hz and 20Hz

I can't really tell what's going on from the picture. If the spider is separating (or wasn't properly attached at the factory) that maybe covered by warranty. Contact Kyle and find out.

There is usually only one form of repair for a driver and that's re-coning which replaces everything VC, spider, cone surround etc.....

[Bent]

I should have been a bit more clear, sorry.

I only checked those two frequencies.
I'm going to check the amplifier today, on a oscilllioscope.
Or, I could just try taking the amp to a car audio dealer and trying it on one of their subs...

[cdwitmer]

Do you have an alternate amp that you can try on the sub?

[Bent]

nope, nothing available right now.
Plus I'm away for the remainder of the week, so nothing is going to get done to the sub for a while anyways.

I'm kinda hoping that it's the amp and not the driver, as I"m almost positive that there won't be any cones/formers/voicecoils/spiders/dustcaps available for it (however I have sent an e-mail off to RE to check on it). The amp still has 2-1/2 years of warranty left on it.

Creative Audio in Winnipeg suggested I bring the driver in, they said (ok Jeff himself said) that if parts 'are' available then reconing it won't be a big deal at all.

[ThomasW]

Kyle stated months ago he has the 'soft parts' parts for reconing the BluePrints.

And if it's a warranty situation the driver will probably need to be returned to him.

[Bent]

If he does have parts avaiable, then that's great - but with my nature, I'd have to have the sub working again a fast as possible, which means I'd be paying huge shipping costs to get it there, repaired and back again as fast as possible, in spite of having a warranty to cover parts and labour.
I'm sure that the 2 way shipping will exceed the parts cost, so I'm convinced I'd be better off to eat the parts cost and have a new cone/spider/former/etc shipped to me, then eat the local labour costs to have the work done here once Creative Audio has a close look at it and decides if it can be reapaired. If it can't, then I'm not out any shipping costs at all and can continue saving up for a Tumult.

[ThomasW]

As I recall Kyle said that reconing was $100, I don't know if that was parts and labor or just what, so contact him.

Also for a while longer you can still buy the Avalanche 15" for $300, that's MUCH cheaper than a Tumult, which are not currently available.

[Feyz]

VC formers rub, they don't click.

They can make a ticking sound if the voice coil former somehow got slightly slanted due to misalingment because of loose surround or spider. Its center axis may not be completely parallel to the pole pieces center axis which will make the voice coil former's rear end to touch the pole piece at high excursion causing a ticking sound.

[Bent]

Well, I can't seem to get any parts for this '1503, so I'd like to try to affect a repair myself. what kind of adhesive would be used to attach the spider to the voice coil former? (I can see a small "inconsistancy" where the black adhesive should be) and also what would be used to attach the dustcap to the cone? (not likely as critical of an adhesive.)

[ThomasW]

I think you'd get better answers posting your questions at SoundIllusions.net

Both Kyle and RE have forums there. Perhaps posting there will rattle someones cage

[Bent]

I've tried looking for answers/support there... twice.
RE has a auto-reply to their e-mails indicating they aren't answewring any more tech support e-mails and suggest posting on the SI siye as well. [rolleyes]
Kyle has tried to conatct them as well - it's making it very easy for me to both look elswhere for a replacement driver (I mean elsewhere other than RE... I have no beef with Kyle at all). Bob at Creative Sound Solutions has given me what sounds to be a sweet quote on a new "Chilean" Tumult, and it will only be about 250-300 more than I wound up paying for the BP-1503 to have it shipped to Canada.
(however, the funds just aren't there right now).

Also, no problem with the AA drivers - an Avalanche would likely do me quite well, 'cept I'd prefer to avoid the border hassles this time.

edit here:
It looks like there's been some progress here, behind the scenes (which I knew nothing of)- I'll have to retract the nasty things I've said/thought about RE.

[Bent]

awaiting more feedback from RE

[Kyle Richardson]

I just wanted to update this thread since Bent is on vacation for a couple weeks.

He caught me as I was in and out on vacation over the period of about 3-4 weeks, thus the delays getting him a recone kit. I now have a recone kit sitting here waiting to be sent out to him as soon as he returns .

[ThomasW]

That's great news.

Thanks Kyle ..... :T