Kurosawa Koncept System

[dar47]

Well, Grampa Dark! Congrats, this will be fun as baby sitting should provide plenty of apprenticeship time.:T:T

[Steve Manning]

There is another... I mean one not yet born... but already I sense the Force in her. This was even more apparent while in my daughter's presence today. Perhaps she thought to hide her from me, by moving to Southern California, but this ploy has not worked as she expected. In December we should have a better measure of her full potential after the birthing event.



Steve is strong in the Light Side... however, I cannot turn him from his path.

I tried ..... could I at least keep the light saber?

[Evil Twin]

Permission granted.

[scottvalentin]

Congratulations Dark Lord! I suspect the heir may not appreciate the technological terror you have constructed for some time. However, time as an apprentice should cure that and prepare her for the dark side.

[Evil Twin]

One hopes. Certain talents are known to skip generations, as in my grandfather to me, so one has reason to hope.

[dar47]

Haha, so true:T

I was lucky with 2 of mine who are some what like Dad but I still think I will get an aggressive Athlete (that seams to show up ever couple of gens) that's if mine ever get in the game, heehee.

[CraigJ]

Thank you for your excellent advice Evil Twin and congratulations on the upcoming heir to the Dark Side! Gosh, I know Jon had a daughter, guess I missed that you had a daughter as well.

Thanks for the big laugh Steve. I'd look for that T-shirt, but my son already said that he wouldn't know me if I wore it.....kids. 8)

Craig

[Carl V]

As mentioned earlier, the concept is "down scalable" to the Katana (two woofers, 4 PR's) and the Wakizashi (one woofer, 2 PR's). Depending on where one sources the drivers, (off shore recommended, in my experience) this will save anywhere from $1200 to $3600, while still conveying the essential tonality and room interaction.

Post #161 has some very encouraging sims.
"downgrading" to second tier drivers isn't as appealing
as simply stepping down to One active & two passive.

Do you have a seat of the pants feeling about this?

[Evil Twin]

Post #161 has some very encouraging sims.


Do you have a seat of the pants feeling about this?

What do you mean by seat of the pants? Cost? Response profile?

There is 4 ohm version- the AS91-4-251, nominal sensitivity of 88 dB, compared with 85 dB for the 9 ohm version; this would be the one to use in the single driver/dual PR version. No reason not be able to match the overall profile, but with lower sensitivity.

The 600 grit wet sanding of the primer finish has been completed successfully - tomorrow will begin the black pigment coats, using EM6600.

[Evil Twin]

A few comments about wet sanding

Sanding the primer layers went well, but it is likely worthwhile to offer a few words about the process- of course, as one often says on the Internet, YMMV.

• It is recommended to use a sander/polisher optimized for finish work- the Mirka Theros excels in that role.
• Water and plenty of it is necessary; a strong well balanced water bottle sprayer such as the HDX model available at Home Depot the same of $1.72 is a mandatory investment
• Use a buffer pad to keep water out of the internals of the sander
• Spray a small section the width of the sander disk, and work this area first with a slow steady pass- then check the surface smoothness with your Force sense, or finger if that is all you have. (If you don't have fingers, this type of work is not recommended for you...)
• Spray the area just sanded with water again, and wipe off the water and sanding residue. Inspect the surface again, visually and by touch- Force or otherwise.
• If needed, spray the section again and give it another pass, once again cleaning the residue and inspecting.
• If satisfactory, move to the next area to spray and sand.
• For features such as rounded corners or edges, using foam abrasive sanding pads from Mirka with 1000 grit, wetting them, and following the surface contour with a few strokes did an acceptable job on those surfaces.
• Preparing for painting will mean cleaning and wiping down the cabinet completely with water and cloths- it's suggested to leave this stage until after completing the basic sanding
• Work from top to bottom, as the water will drip down the sides of the cabinet.

[BobEllis]

I am not strong enough with the force to use a power sander at this stage in the process. I have sanded through enough on past projects doing it by hand. I have been delaying the polishing phase of my Ardents with trepidation about going back to the apply finish stage. I applaud your skills, Evil one.

[Evil Twin]

I am not strong enough with the force to use a power sander at this stage in the process. I have sanded through enough on past projects doing it by hand. I have been delaying the polishing phase of my Ardents with trepidation about going back to the apply finish stage. I applaud your skills, Evil one.

Your concern is quite understandable, and actually mirrors my own trepidation at taking on this finishing process. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I will never be able to aspire to Renron's skill level unless I take on challenges to Force further development of my own.

It should be noted, that as in most matters, if one is not cheating, one is not trying hard enough...


Cheating in this context means a number of things...

• Applying 4 coats or more of light gray standard flat primer before shifting to 6-8 coats of dark gray automotive primer
• The primer color contrast gives clear indications of whether one is getting into trouble or not- though since you cannot see the surface while actually sanding, this is only useful as a check after cleaning off the sanding residue from each pass.
• This means using a light touch and smoothing a minimal amount for each pass- this is "cheating:" in that it is trading off time for lack of skill
• First class tools and materials are invalueable for making up for inexperience- in this case, the use of a Mirkos Theros sander (thanks to Steve for the hint), Mirka disks (whcih I've long known about - one product this small backwater planet COULD export to the rest of the galaxy as a "boutique" crafting item, and, not to be overlooked...
• Bamboo fiber based paper towels- much stronger fibers, will catch on any surface imperfections, seem to sweep up more powder residue, and are even washable and re-usable

Patience is the other necessary "cheating" element, as it should be expected to do the primer final sanding for two large cabinets in one day, but to do detail checking and touch up sanding in a second day, after some rest and a fresh perspective.

[BobEllis]

I finally overcame my fears and applied 600 grit to the surface of one cabinet. General Finishes Gloss flowed out so well the few brush marks were quickly eliminated.

I'm using a microfiber car washing pad from Griot's Garage and a bucket of water to clean residue. Look alike products from auto parts and big box stores are half as deep. When used for their original purpose, they pull enough soapy water out of the bucket to wash a hood or fender in one dip. Given your assistant's automobile and motorcycle collection, you are likely familiar with Griot's Garage products. Highly recommended.

[Evil Twin]

An interesting proposal... I will have to find out why this was not brought to my attention earlier! :storm:


Initial EM6600 coating is proceeding well- in this case, cheating involves the use of an HVLP spray, a Fuji Miti-Mite 4.

[sdl2112]

Your concern is quite understandable, and actually mirrors my own trepidation at taking on this finishing process. However, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I will never be able to aspire to Renron's skill level unless I take on challenges to Force further development of my own.

It should be noted, that as in most matters, if one is not cheating, one is not trying hard enough...


Cheating in this context means a number of things...

• Applying 4 coats or more of light gray standard flat primer before shifting to 6-8 coats of dark gray automotive primer
• The primer color contrast gives clear indications of whether one is getting into trouble or not- though since you cannot see the surface while actually sanding, this is only useful as a check after cleaning off the sanding residue from each pass.
• This means using a light touch and smoothing a minimal amount for each pass- this is "cheating:" in that it is trading off time for lack of skill
• First class tools and materials are invalueable for making up for inexperience- in this case, the use of a Mirkos Theros sander (thanks to Steve for the hint), Mirka disks (whcih I've long known about - one product this small backwater planet COULD export to the rest of the galaxy as a "boutique" crafting item, and, not to be overlooked...
• Bamboo fiber based paper towels- much stronger fibers, will catch on any surface imperfections, seem to sweep up more powder residue, and are even washable and re-usable

Patience is the other necessary "cheating" element, as it should be expected to do the primer final sanding for two large cabinets in one day, but to do detail checking and touch up sanding in a second day, after some rest and a fresh perspective.

I see the dark side force is paying dividends...

The conquering of other sectors for wealth of knowledge and riches is certainly working to establish very credible results.

I echo your wisdom of achieving experience and skill via your "cheating" strategies.

I am currently visiting other galaxies (sawmillcreek and others) for expertise in refined processes. As we all know these new galaxies can lead you quite astray but the orders of the force have been set and return without new knowledge is unacceptable. This quest has lead to purchasing many ingredients (varnish, oils... ) for the sample potions to be examined. These potions can take quite some time and effort to realize properly and upsets the master at the delays but knowing in the long run the master will be pleased and the force will become much stronger...:B

[Evil Twin]

Undoubtedly the path you are following in tune with your own Force experience and goals will lead you to the desired resolution for your project- and all in good time.


My cheating ways involve a number of useful tools....


This mixer/dispenser which locks on to the can, and can be reused with either proper cleaning or the same type coating...




The indispensable coating applicator...




And the air channeling and vapor particulate collector...

Much of this unneeded if a manual application finishing solution is chosen, which seems to be your path...








The state of completion is still well into the future- two more cans EM6600 is on order but won't be delivered until the end of the week- in all 8 coats are planned for the black acrylic lacquer stage...

8 cans of the EM9000 super clear gloss polyurethane are on hand (enough for up to 16 coats on the cabinets) but won't be applied until the EM6600 has had the recommended 150 hours to cure, at which point it will get a 1000 grit wet sanding.

When the clear top coats have been applied and cured an additional six days, then the finishing sand and polish will commence, with 1500G wet sand to start, and polishing out with Meguir's ultra cut compound applied with 5" foam cutting pads, followed by buffing and polishing with Meguiars Miro Glaze Ultra Finishing compound and my Porter cable buffer.

But even at this stage, the further development hinting at the final appearance is most encouraging...

[Evil Twin]

In case anyone is curious about the purpose of the air exhaust system when working outdoors, it does successfully collect the excess paint particulates- in spite of having a narrow pattern, and the cabinet being between the pain operator and the fan, this is how the filter looks at the end of the day...





Note that the filter is quite black, but this is not due to direct overspray, which would also color the wood frame and fixture, but due to capturing the fine paint mist droplets in the air, which otherwise WILL go somewhere you do not want them to go...


Another cabinet view is shown below, this time taken by a communicator camera.

[BobEllis]

Only the Dark Lord would have a pain operator.

[Evil Twin]

Pain is an inescapable part of life... Just ask my knees.

[Face]

Pain is an inescapable part of life... Just ask my knees.

Just had one fixed yesterday. I had to delay knee surgery due to a bad hernia and now having trouble with the other knee from compensating. Such as life.

[Evil Twin]

Just had one fixed yesterday. I had to delay knee surgery due to a bad hernia and now having trouble with the other knee from compensating. Such as life.

Yes, that sounds quite familiar... except I am reluctant to let them "fix" my knee again, as the first time did not work so very well...

[BobEllis]

I'm one of the lucky ones that neck and back fixes largely seem to have worked. At least I'm functional, if pain is only reduced to a tolerable level.

[Mr.Ed]

I'm one of the lucky ones that neck and back fixes largely seem to have worked. At least I'm functional, if pain is only reduced to a tolerable level.

You are lucky. A month ago I had shots in my spine for pain management, seems to help until I try to do something. Hence no work on my speakers. My knees, they've wanted to replace them for a while but I'm not ready yet. If everything would just hold on until I can get some boxes built!
I'll tell ya, getting old is not for wimps.
-Ed

[cochinada]

Goodness me... by reading all these reports I'm beginning to wander if this hobby is dangerous and I mean not for your wallet but for your body...:roll:

[BobEllis]

Nah, it's not speaker building, it's birthdays that poses the greatest danger.

[Evil Twin]

Birthdays and various forms of strenuous activities- including beloved hiking, at times in somewhat exotic locations. (The North of England, Austrian Alps, or central Czech Republic seem pretty ordinary compared with Antarctica....)

[Evil Twin]

Mid-Tweeter front panel plate further fabrication

While waiting for more black lacquer to be delivered from Target Coatings, it's the right time to continue the detail work on the midrange-tweeter plates which were initiated in the earliest stages of the front panel construction...




Routing baseline locations were established simultaneously for the midrange and tweeter locations in both the main front panel and the trim panel.




This was true for the tweeter as well as the midrange. The midrange pass through in particular is defined by the Accuton adapter, and this adapter is used in the final assembly but mounted behind the trim panel.




This requires some additional fabrication steps to provide the relief/rebate at the back of the midrange/tweeter trim panel. Note, the trim panel is glues to the enclosure, and is actually the tweeter rebate.

To do this, two pieces of MDF are used, forming a sandwich with the trim plate in the middle. The top plate is cut out to form a template for using a small following router bit, such as used for door jamb rebate. The Accuton mounting fixture is used to make an outline drawing defining the boundaries to cut out for the template.



The top plate cut out is checked with the Accuton fixture plate to assure the proper clearance.




A handheld Makita router was used to route the necessary depth of material, using the MDF plate and the Accuton fixture as a depth gauge to set the bit cutting depth.





The full outside pass cuts away most of the material needed, but some care should be exercised to keep the router perpendicular when cutting out the inner portions.






A quick check is done with the Accuton fixture plate to assure the necessary clearance, as well as confirming the required depth to accommodate the Accuton mounting fixture.





The next step is fine sanding, first 220grit, then 600grit, before beginning the finishing with wipe on polyurethane.

[5th element]

The figuring on that wood is beautiful!

[Evil Twin]

The figuring on that wood is beautiful!

Unfortunately, the picture doesn't do the wood justice- especially now that it has several coats on. The flame maple changes the pattern of light and dark depending on the angle you view it at- it is a most unusual visual effect as woods go. I expect it will be a good point of contrast for the black finish and white and black drivers.

[Evil Twin]

Mirka DEROS is the new Captain Needa

Even though I have handled this specialized tool with "kid gloves" (black kid gloves, naturally), it's performance and reliability has been found wanting, and today it completely ceased working...





Fortunately, we have found another, much stronger in the Force, and with fully satisfactory performance characteristics... one might even say exemplary.




It includes a dual diameter dust extractor compatible also with conventional shop vacs as well as specialized dust extractors such as my DeWalt, a wide range variable speed, a portable dust collector with pleated filter, smooth operation and dual switches for on and off, and a very satisfying color scheme with red and black... What more could one want?

[Steve Manning]

Even though I have handled this specialized tool with "kid gloves" (black kid gloves, naturally), it's performance and reliability has been found wanting, and today it completely ceased working...


[ATTACH=CONFIG]26388[/ATTACH]


Fortunately, we have found another, much stronger in the Force, and with fully satisfactory performance characteristics... one might even say exemplary.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26389[/ATTACH]


It includes a dual diameter dust extractor compatible also with conventional shop vacs as well as specialized dust extractors such as my DeWalt, a wide range variable speed, a portable dust collector with pleated filter, smooth operation and dual switches for on and off, and a very satisfying color scheme with red and black... What more could one want?

I would say one would expect the specialized tool to work without question, especially given the cost ...... sounds like the vendor will be answering to the the Dark Lord. :E

[Evil Twin]

I would say one would expect the specialized tool to work without question, especially given the cost ...... sounds like the vendor will be answering to the the Dark Lord. :E

All quite true- but the most remarkable thing is, that given the difference my perception of stability in performance, ease of use, and actual working results, with a fixed DEROS, it would sit on the shelf unused as long as I have the Milwaukee. That is the most remarkable takeaway of this most expensive lesson.

This is just one example of how a project like this teaches many lessons- non of them inexpensive in time or money.

[Navy Guy]

Any new updates on this?

[Evil Twin]

Any new updates on this?

Nothing amusing or entertaining...

The one cabinet has been stripped and new primer application is complete- pending sanding, an alternative black coat and clear coat will be tested.

Also, the detail assembly area is being prepared by moving other items in to storage. And a new test electronics system is being assembled, but will not be complete for several weeks.

Issues with the new management of the Empire reborn are delaying this effort, as I do my best to impose some modicum of common sense thinking upon those not familiar with the concept. I believe the colloquial concept in this sector is most often expressed as "herding cats". Civilizing the sand people would be equally productive.

It is most disturbing, but this too will eventually pass.

[fish fingers]

Looking forward to more feedback on the C90..

[Steve Manning]

Issues with the new management of the Empire reborn are delaying this effort, as I do my best to impose some modicum of common sense thinking upon those not familiar with the concept. I believe the colloquial concept in this sector is most often expressed as "herding cats". Civilizing the sand people would be equally productive.

It is most disturbing, but this too will eventually pass.

Having my own clowder of the fury little beasts, I can certainly attest to them not herding well at all :E ....... As such I ran relate to your pain.

[wkhanna]

much glee, joy & celebration is the report from my North-East quadrant at news of the pending arrival of a new generation within the Dark Side House of Skywalker!
of course, all of our resources will be made available for proper training in the Dark Side Arts & Sciences for the pending heir.

other news here from our Empirical Robotic Medical Research center bodes well for our Darkest of Dark Lords with significant advancement on a project i have been working on for the past year.
implementation for total knee along with the current partial knee replacement via robotic assistance is now validated by the Empirical Medical Regulatory Division.
These advancements in the Empire’s technical capabilities will be beneficial to all whom remain loyal to the ways of the Dark Side.


Partial Knee replacement

Total Knee replacement

[Evil Twin]

much glee, joy & celebration is the report from my North-East quadrant at news of the pending arrival of a new generation within the Dark Side House of Skywalker!
of course, all of our resources will be made available for proper training in the Dark Side Arts & Sciences for the pending heir.

other news here from our Empirical Robotic Medical Research center bodes well for our Darkest of Dark Lords with significant advancement on a project i have been working on for the past year.
implementation for total knee along with the current partial knee replacement via robotic assistance is now validated by the Empirical Medical Regulatory Division.
These advancements in the Empire’s technical capabilities will be beneficial to all whom remain loyal to the ways of the Dark Side.


Partial Knee replacement

Total Knee replacement

Most interesting developments you are reporting on- is there a hip version also? Or is this best done with the conventional techniques I have seen others have employed...

A palliative procedure has provided some relief for the knee, under normal operating conditions, though it still resists high stress maneuvers. On the other hand, the increase in general mobility has brought more attention to the shortcomings of the right hip with it's bone on bone connection...

There are some disadvantages to becoming an ancient Dark Lord, rather than going out in a blaze of light saber battles... or a laser burst from an X-Wing.

[wkhanna]

Fear not, our illustrious Lord of Darkness.
The Emperor himself has issued our directive.
All of our time & effort here is fully focused specifically on maintaining & improving your bionic/cybotic functions, thus allowing you many many more galactic standard years of full mobility function.

Indication for robotic hip modification is underway within my team & will be implemented in the near future.

In the meantime, material improvements made possible by a radical new methods for processing thorilide crystal has resulted in significant improvement of new, manual-installed, hip units.
Also, note that the process for creating the OXINIUM Oxidized Zirconium, from which they are manufactured, creates a natural Black finish, which we set as a design requirement from the beginning knowing it would meet your approval.

Material Improvements

"Hip" Solutions

[Horio]

On the side topic of new sanders, Festool is running a sale on their new Pro 5 Ltd Random Orbital Sander (which is the newest version of the popular ETS EC 125). If you pre-order now, you can get the sander with systainer for $99 plus you get a $50 voucher. I'm a bit of a Festool homer as I have gotten semi-deep into their system recently, but its a nice sander at a fraction of the normal price...

[Evil Twin]

This is a most interesting development, and bringing it to our attention is to be commended. It is now on order- my only complaint is that it won't ship until November 1. But for a project long delayed in it's completion due to finishing issues, somehow that is not surprising...

[Carl V]

the OXINIUM Oxidized Zirconium, from which they are manufactured, creates a natural Black finish.

I have wondered about that----in fact a few colors/hues/shades are possible.
I work with CAD zirconia & diLitium Silicate, every day in Dental Crowns.
We can Mill, Sinter & produce varying thickness & shapes.

[Evil Twin]

Most interesting Carl, though I suspect scaling up to the size of a speaker like this would strain even the old Imperial budget.

With many distractions and disturbing events, construction has slowed, but not ceased. Now, it is my pleasure to report that 10 clear coats have been completed, using a very nasty outgassing automotive acrylic lacquer, with not a fisheye in evidence, and two weeks allocated for drying and hardening.

Additionally, the wet sand at 1000 grit and 1500 grit have been completed, and the cabinets brought into the assembly workshop for polishing and detail work for crossovers and driver mounting.

The potential of the finish is illustrated in this picture, taken with a phone camera outdoors in natural lighting, after 1500 grit wet sand, showing the reflection of a shattered storage bin after sitting in UB and a large piece of MDF having fallen on it. One may have to look twice at the picture to ascertain the outline of the cabinet rear side wall, which actually runs close to the green water hose.





The next step will be polishing using the Meguire's Ultimate cutting compound.

The cabinets have been moved indoors to the assembly workshop.



After polishing, assembling the midrange mounting hardware and midrange/tweeter plinth will be the next step, then addressing clean up of the cabinet interior and installing driver mounting inserts.

[wkhanna]

I work with CAD zirconia & diLitium Silicate, every day in Dental Crowns.

not too surprised to hear that, seeing as how once a material is approved for one type of use by the ECMAD (the Empirical Cyborg Materials Applications Dept), it starts showing up in all types of reparative/replacement indications.

[sdl2112]

Awww...very nice.:T I can attest to the work involved and the patience to follow the ever changing plans. I look forward to seeing the next steps completed.