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12" Cab Diary Continued


stevie

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On 19/04/2019 at 02:37, Chienmortbb said:

I have had a response fro Hypex and they will only supply if I am a Limited Company. So it looks like ICEpower for now. I have ordered some for the pre-amp but I think maybe we should start a new thread. What do others think?

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with John. I'm not a fan of powered cabs or combo amps as a DIY thing at all, so it'll be fun to watch someone else suffer through the engineering challenges this time!

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I know everyone is chomping at the bit to get their CNC cabs and not a lot seems to be happening, but progress is being made.

The CNC company is currently altering their program to take account of what we found in the two pre-production prototypes. The prototypes are now back with the CNC company so that they can rout out the back of the cabinet for the input panel and the two Speakons. As soon as I get the cabs back next week, I'll start assembling one in earnest (with glue) so that we know that everything is A1. I'll then start fitting it out and will post the photos and instructions in the thread. 

Luke has now designed a brilliant logo for us, and is producing artwork so that we can get grille badges and vinyl stickers made.

Another piece of great news is that Celestion is supporting the project. They have offered us such a great deal on the compression drivers that I have taken the executive decision to go for the next model up - the CDX1-1425 - which has the same great sound as the 1415 but twice the power handling for a weight penalty of 150g. They also sent me the sample I need to reconfigure the crossover, which shouldn't take long.  So, a big thanks to Celestion's European sales manager Aidan McFall - a fellow musician no less - for his help on this.

 

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Credit where its due. One of the reasons this project is so affordable compared with similar quality professionally produced cabs is because manufacturers recoup the cost of their time invested in research and development. Time you and others are putting in for free on our behalf. 

Basschat can (as can all other Internet forums) attract some silly egotistical people. Folk like you balance that tendency and keep this place special. 

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@stevie really great work. What a phenomenal result for all the hard work you have put in. Celestion supporting the project!

I can’t wait to build it. I knew you’d be busy with the work on it though, so just hanging out. 

Kudos once again for the efforts you have put in. Truly a great labour, this cab.

Pete

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On 29/04/2019 at 17:03, Passinwind said:

Looking forward to seeing what you come up with John. I'm not a fan of powered cabs or combo amps as a DIY thing at all, so it'll be fun to watch someone else suffer through the engineering challenges this time!

Funnily enough Charlie, neither am I. What have I let myself in for? 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Those Proper Job clamps look quite good. You'll need four 600mm (24in) clamps. A couple of small ones are handy too. The Proper Job web page is here: <https://www.properjob.biz/shop/Rapid-Bar-Clamp-24in-M3235>.

The ones I'm using were from Ebay and they're good quality. Here: <https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-4Pcs-F-Clamps-Woodworking-Bar-Clips-Quick-Slide-Tools-50-150-50-300-80-600mm/113763919222?hash=item1a7cdba576:m:mVN-XAqagSxIuUF_70LeMZA>.

There are some cheaper ones on Ebay that look all right: <https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-PACK-HEAVY-DUTY-600MM-X-80MM-F-CLAMPS-SOFT-GRIP-HANDLE-QUICK-SLIDE/392097460082?epid=1866877692>

 

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There isn't really anything you need to buy in advance, as all the components are available at short notice. So just start shopping when you know your kit is imminent.

The only exception would be if you want to get the corners I am using (take a look at the finished cab). I like them because they are discreet and made of metal. They are also a bit cheaper than other metal corners, but you'll have to order them from China via Ebay. <https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/8Pcs-90-Hard-Steel-Guitar-Amp-Amplifier-Audio-Speaker-Cabinet-Corners-Protector/263655998126?hash=item3d631f42ae:g:RLQAAOSwCyVcd1Mh>.

They come with black screws, which is handy. However, there is also a huge choice of corners available from UK suppliers.

 

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As far as progress is concerned, it's been a case of two steps forward and one step back. The good news is that I've assembled a CNC cabinet and taken photos showing how to fit it out. It's relatively straightforward and I'll list all the parts you'll need. I'm working all of today and tomorrow, but will post the photos in a few days' time.

Next week, I'll also finalise the port tuning, fine tune the crossover (the PCB is already laid out) and send the final changes to Richard so that he can produce a final technical drawing.

The step back (and the reason why it's taking so long) is that my CNC person has proved to be less than reliable on a number of fronts. Which is a shame, because he was within a short driving distance. Without going into too much gory detail, I'm going to have to find another CNC company. That's another job for next week.

On the positive side, we do have a CNC file that (hopefully) just needs a bit of tweaking to get us back in business again.

I'm sorry it's not progressing as quickly as we'd all like - but we will get there in the end. The last thing I want is for everyone to receive a cabinet kit that cannot be assembled because the CNC company was sloppy - or because the design wasn't checked properly before putting it into production.

Edited by stevie
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So I’ve helped out by designing logo and labels for the kit, fair to say Ive been Stevie back and forth a fair bit... what he isn’t letting on is how much time and energy he’s putting into designing the kit, crossover and working with CNC companies... and trying to work our every detail of parts and grills etc to try and make it as simple as possible for folk.

Stevie - it really is appreciated!

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Stevie - I am absolutely not rushing you. I am in awe of how much you're putting in to this. We all owe you a drink. A big one. 

I just thought if I can start buying bits then it'll help spread the cost a little and mean I'm ready for the off when the pack arrives 

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It's fine, guys. I didn't want to post anything until I had something worth posting about. There has been a bit of a deadly silence over the past weeks, I admit.

Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff that remains to be done depends on having a finished box, and the delays and pink torpedo-ups made by my CNC supplier has made that impossible until now.

Still, I'm hoping to pull all the threads together next week. Watch this space. I do appreciate everyone's patience.

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24 minutes ago, stevie said:

It's fine, guys. I didn't want to post anything until I had something worth posting about. There has been a bit of a deadly silence over the past weeks, I admit.

Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff that remains to be done depends on having a finished box, and the delays and pink torpedo-ups made by my CNC supplier has made that impossible until now.

Still, I'm hoping to pull all the threads together next week. Watch this space. I do appreciate everyone's patience.

Hey Stevie,

 I have a luthier friend here in The Colonies with a big CNC cutter sitting idle. I think it'd be an easy sell to get him to do a few test runs for fab file verification, if that's of interest. My friend just needs to start making sawdust at this point, and I would be happy to play middleman as much as needed. I usually get over there at least once a month, it's a couple of hours away from my place. Closer for me than you though!

In  any case, good on you, and it'll be done when it's done.

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20 hours ago, Passinwind said:

Hey Stevie,

 I have a luthier friend here in The Colonies with a big CNC cutter sitting idle. I think it'd be an easy sell to get him to do a few test runs for fab file verification, if that's of interest. My friend just needs to start making sawdust at this point, and I would be happy to play middleman as much as needed. I usually get over there at least once a month, it's a couple of hours away from my place. Closer for me than you though!

In  any case, good on you, and it'll be done when it's done.

Composing pm now......

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