crossovers for dummies

Discussion in 'DIY Speakers and Subwoofers' started by dels, Aug 6, 2013.

  1. I just ordered the Fusion 10 Pure and am looking forward to getting the kit in.


    While I am comfortable with building the enclosure, I am completely in the dark when it comes to the crossovers. Do the kits come with some instructions for the crossovers? Better yet, are there any instructions for those, like myself, who have difficulty reading schematic layouts?


    What is normally used to mount the components?


    Where are most people mounting their crossovers within the enclosures?


    Are there certain DO NOTs when it comes to mounting components?


    Thanks in advance for any help!
     
  2. Crossover diagrams aren't as difficult as they look. Once you know what symbols are resistor, capacitor, and inductor, then all the remaining lines are just wires (or direct connections between parts - like a wire with no length). The grounds you can just treat as all being on the same wire. In fact, if you draw wires connecting all the grounds and then removed the ground symbols then the electrical meaning of the schematic is the same. "Ground" is just another bunch of connections with a name (and has nothing to do with connections to earth or anything like that).

    So you'd connect the parts just like shown in the schematic, remembering that you can lengthen or shorten the wires as desired to fit them in.

    Probably the easiest way is to just stick them onto a thin plywood or hdf board with hot melt glue. Quick to do, practical to change if you make a mistake, holds up to vibration.

    It doesn't really matter much. Don't let them block the ports (if you use any) or crowd the back of any drivers that need to push air into the box. Probably on the back or the sides is the best place, usually dictated by where there's enough room between braces. Sometimes you may have to put the Tweeter crossover on a different board than the woofer crossover to make them fit.

    Keep inductors from coupling to each other. There are ways of orienting them to avoid coupling, but the simplest nothing-to-learn way is to just keep the inductors as far from each other as you can on the board. Capacitors, resistors, wires, and connectors (if used) can be anywhere on the board.
     
  3. bwaslo,

    Thanks for the crash course!

    I like the idea of the hot glue and plywood to mount the components. Makes a lot of practical sense to do it that way.
     
  4. There are several threads and webpages on the web that show various ways of mounting and securing crossover components, so about 30 minutes and some searching with Google should be all that is necessary. I drilled holes in a piece of PC board and mounted the components with zipties (after soldering of course). I recently posted a thread in the DIY sound group speaker kits page with a picture of the top of the crossover if this helps.


    Good luck!
     

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