Just acqired a pair of L212 speakers ...

[Mr. Widget]

Hope to see a working pair of L212s reported here in the coming weeks!

And hoping to have a few cookies... Heather's look good but unfortunately they are a continent too far. I'll have to find some locally. Luckily it is the right time of year.

Happy Holidays!


Widget

[hjames]

I removed the 066 domed tweeters and since the household hoover didn't do it, I went out on the screened in back porch to try them with the shop vac.
I made an adapter out of PVC pipe to choke down the vacuum hose so it'd better fit over the domed area ...

So far I have avoiding physically put the vacuum tube directly on the dome to pull -
Surrounding it was enough for the first dome. As you can see, I did have success with one
- tho its got a faint dent remaining, I'd say this one is fantastic for 40 years old!
However, the second crushed dome is proving more stubborn, so after a cuppa coffee to warm up (its 42 degrees out back),
I'll head back and try some more ideas ...

My next thought is to take an 1800watt hair dryer and warm up the crushed dome.
My hope is that even with the heat sink of the rest of the driver, the warm dome may be more malleable and unkink.



066 #2 is still smushed in ... more work needed -

[grumpy]

#1 came out amazingly well. Crossing fingers for the next one.
A 1/2" hole in the pvc might help you modulate the vacuum level better
e.g., with a finger... then use a good seal on the 066 face... blue tak or modeling clay(?)

[Chas]

42 degrees? Must be a heat wave!
Looking good Heather. Good luck with the second one. Save the single malt for later....

[Allanvh5150]

Take the diaphragm out and use your finger. It works well with all that style of driver.

Allan.

[hjames]

Take the diaphragm out and use your finger. It works well with all that style of driver.

Allan.

I was hoping the vaccuum trick would work for both, but that's my next approach -
I peeled the gasket off and now have access to the allen screws - so next time I sit down to work on it,
I can open it up, remove the wires from the terminals move the diaphram and push out the dome from the inside ...
I'll document it with pix, as always.


I've got plans for a quiet Christmas eve with Emma, ham sandwiches and butternut squash soup,
eggnog and cookies and relax with a movie - and tomorrow is Christmas.

So ... this will keep for another day, but its nice to have the strategy mapped out for the next stage.

[rdgrimes]

Heat might cause aluminum to flake off the dome. So can vigorous vacuuming for that matter.

[hjames]

Very interesting. Emma is doing her 6AM last minute fine tuning of today's sermon (her typical Sunday morning thing).
I could not sleep in like I usually do on Sunday, so I got up and made coffee, then hooked up the one working L212 speaker on the right channel,
left the Magnepan MGIIc connected on the left, and the M&K Volkswoofer still connected as a sub. All tied through the Jolida tube amp - and I started to play music.

The L212 is much more efficient than the Magnepan, so I am primarily hearing it ... getting to know its sound and range.
I started with S&G Sound of Silence, then some Garfunkle solo stuff (Mary was an Only Child, Bright Eyes and Wonderful World) -
then to Stephen Stills (Treetop Flyer - woah) - I let that play all the way through - very nice!

Cranked it a bit for Boston's More than a Feeling ... yeah!
Benedictus, by Strawbs - then Suzanne Ciani - Leonard Cohen was impressive as well
(various songs old and new - Dance me to the end of love - Cohen Live) But Leonard's bass on You Want it Darker was disturbing Emma, even behind closed doors (!)
I blame the Volkswoofer - so I switched to Beck - Sea Changes.

Not pushing to hard - the Jolida's only got 65w/ch or so ... and Emma is working behind closed office door - but -
I'm REALLY Impressed so far - can't wait to get the 2nd cabinet's drivers working ...!!

Merry Christmas to me!
And to all of you as well!!

[hjames]

Off work Day after Christmas - Had flapjacks and sausage ...watched the Doctor Who Christmas special we recorded last night, and - I took some time to fiddle with the other 066 Domed tweeter. I had a set of T handle jewelers screwdrivers and such - and one fit the allen screws holding the casing together. I removed the 3 allen screws and lifted the top off, revealing the diaphram and leads at each side. Mark which terminal/lead is Pos and which is neg (or as I did, which is blk and which is red)
Put a screwdriver on the philips head and turn slightly, then hold the screw head and spin the terminal off with your fingers. Gently lift the diaphram out of its depression -
careful with the voicecoil on the backside as you lift it from its gap in the magnet) Push the dented dome gently from underneath.
(mine still has a faint dimple that would not stay pushed out, but its much better than before!)

So - I reassembled the 066 driver. Fortunately the gasket was in good shape
(tho I read here years ago that you can cut a nice one out of a cereal box if its unobtainium, as this is)
I reinstalled it back into the cabinet, and taped up the leads for the missing midBass in that cabint, and hooked it up to the stereo.
Played a few track (Be Bop Deluxe, America, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Beach Boys) and determined the tweeter is well, and playing fine!
So, that task went pretty well!!

[hjames]

5 out of 6 drivers now functional ...

So - on to the 112A midBass driver!
I took a sharp xacto knife and cut off the dome carefully - trying to be close to the original glue bead.
Not perfect, but not bad for a first time.Hopefully I can reglue the dome back on later.

Voicecoil is stamped Nov 9, 1977!
I can see the voicecoil is not centered.

But I wasn't expected a screen in there - so I'm not sure what to do next.

[Earl K]

Hi Heather,

Personally ( at this point for that 112a ), I'd un-glue the spider & lift the complete cone assembly out so that the gap can be checked for concentricy ( and the condition of the voice-coil inspected ).

If those are all good, obtain some appropriate shims & replace the cone assembly ( making sure to center the spider using the shims ).

You'll need glue & reconing advice ( for best practises ) from those in the know ( such as GordonW or Ken ).

[hjames]

Sounds like a job for oldmics (John) at Scavenger Sounds in Glen Burnie, MD ...
He's the local reconer guru to me ...

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbullet...php?24-Oldmics

Hi Heather,

Personally ( at this point for that 112a ), I'd un-glue the spider & lift the complete cone assembly out so that the gap can be checked for concentricy ( and the condition of the voice-coil inspected ).

If those are all good, obtain some appropriate shims & replace the cone assembly ( making sure to center the spider using the shims ).

You'll need glue & reconing advice ( for best practises ) from those in the know ( such as GordonW or Ken ).

[rusty jefferson]

Sounds like a job for oldmics (John) at Scavenger Sounds in Glen Burnie, MD ...
He's the local reconer guru to me ...

Be sure you get to him in January as he usually closes shop for the month of February.

[hjames]

Be sure you get to him in January as he usually closes shop for the month of February.

Thanks -
I called him Friday before Christmas and got his schedule -
I'll probably give him a call tomorrow and see if I can drive by this Friday -
talk to him and see what he can do ...

I'll pulled the screen loose that was under the dome, but I'm not really comfortable taking the spider loose myself.

[hjames]

Ha no scotch expert claim here. Was just funny I had some.
Hope to see a working pair of L212s reported here in the coming weeks!

By the way - Emma DID give me a bottle of Monkey Shoulder for Christmas -
and, with a few drops of water, its got fine medicinal properties ..

Been too busy to have much more than a wee dram so far -
and tomorrow is a working day - but maybe Friday night!




FYI - Monkey Shoulder is created from a mixture of single malt from Kininvie,
together with single malts from the Balvenie and Glenfiddich distilleries,
both of which are owned by William Grant & Sons.

Not your usual blended whisky.