Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

[deewan]

[stangbat]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

There are certainly better looking crossovers than mine out there, but I'll post some of my work. I secure the components with hot glue and zip ties. I like using terminal strips to make hookup and possible removal easy. I use solid core copper wire behind the boards to make any connections.

ZDT3 (I have since changed out the screws holding down the large ferrite core inductor to zip ties. Using screws is a no-no in such a situation.)



ZDT3.5



ZDT3.5 Center Channel



General wiring layout behind the ZDT3.5 crossovers above. Red is positive to a component, white is ground to a component, blue is a path straight to ground.



You may need a login to see these pictures, but check out these:

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showpos...2&postcount=56

[deewan]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

Thanks for the pics. This is really helpful and helping me understand even more about crossover building.

[lunchmoney]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

I think that plain old hot glue and cardboard works really well...

The cardboard is easy to cut, and hot glue sticks extremely well to it.

Not gonna win any beauty contests, but it gets the job done. Easy and cheap.

(yes, I realize the inductors aren't optimally configured in this pic...)

[Æ]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

I've used hot glue several times, works great. But if you ever decide for whatever reason to dismantle/change the crossover, you might have difficulty pulling the components off of the solid glue. I prefer to use double stick tape to hold down my components. Easier to peel it off if you ever need to.

I think that plain old hot glue and cardboard works really well...

The cardboard is easy to cut, and hot glue sticks extremely well to it.

Not gonna win any beauty contests, but it gets the job done. Easy and cheap.

(yes, I realize the inductors aren't optimally configured in this pic...)

[martyh]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

Lots'a way to skin a cat, as they say. I like to run a common ground down the center of my x/o board and build off that. As mentioned before, it doesn't have to be pretty, just well soldered! This is one I whipped up for testing - would have shown you the 'final' version but I never photographed it!

[Wolf]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

If you search for a thread entitled: "Physical Xover pics, post 'em if ya got 'em", you'll find a mess-load of pictures. It's a good thread in regards to building them.

Curt C's site has a tutorial, as well as PE having one in their technical pages.

I like peg-board and zipties, maybe some glue if required. Point to point soldering is the best and shortest path, and keep Inductors at a right-angle.

Here's a recent one:


Later,
Wolf

[williamrschneider]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

Here's a pic of my ZMV5 crossovers when they were under construction.



Note the strips of wood on the bottom. When wiring the crossovers, they elevate the board from the table so that twisted-but-not-yet-soldered wires don't get bumped loose on the bottom. Later, I just put wood glue on the bottom of the wooden strips and dropped the assembly into the cabinet to glue the crossover inside. The screws in the corners of the crossover boards let me remove them if I need to later.

I used nylon screws and nuts to attach the solder strips on this build because I know that an inductor may be placed nearby. I didn't want the hunk of steel affecting the inductance.

While I used Radio Shack solder terminals on this build, NEVER AGAIN! The holes are simply too small for more than two wires at a time. (Anyone know of another supplier of solder terminals?)

[Hackomatic]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

Yet another option . . .

[martyh]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

Dave,

Those are brass nuts and bolts, right? Something about creating lots of little inductors with anything other than that...or so I've read....

Gotta admit, it's a pretty cool looking x/o!

[Wolf]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

Yet another option . . .

I haven't seen that option before! I've seen double-sided P-P Plexi in a card-slot before, but not that.
Later,
Wolf

[Hackomatic]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

Yeah, all bass hardware . . I decided to do it this way only to make component swapping easy if necessary.

. . and because I had all the brass hardware!

[Wolf]

Re: Building a Crossover, pic-thread link added...

Yeah, all bass hardware . . I decided to do it this way only to make component swapping easy if necessary.

. . and because I had all the brass hardware!

I tend to do that a little as well, but on peg-board. 1/4-20 bolts and nuts with washers for connections, just installed through the holes. I only do it for the higher-cost projects though...





Here's the former thread with xover pics...
http://techtalk.parts-express.com/sh...cal+xover+pics

Later,
Wolf

[Steve Henry]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

I built the BAMTM crossovers using project boards from Rat Shack.

[deewan]

Re: Building a Crossover (not designing a crossover)

So many great options. I'm getting excited to start my first crossover build. I'll be sure to post pictures of my process/progress once I get started.