Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

[Daddio]

I disassembled an old set of Omega 3-way Tower Speakers for the purpose of making use of the quality of cabinets. I already have all new components from Parts Express, including new caps. I labled the end of each wire carefully upon disconnection. As I began to connect the new L-Pads and drivers, the connections just seemed odd and unusual. I did temporarily connect all components and everything sounds great, but I just wanted to get some feedback on those connections and see if the way the L-Pads are wired to the drivers seems to make any sense. First, I should mention this is an 8 OHM configuration and the goal is for the amp to see an 8 OHM Load. I can't draw very well, so thank you for your patience with this text description of the connections:
Mid Range L-Pad:
#1 terminal to capacitor (or amp +pos.)
#2 terminal to +pos. on midrange driver
#3 terminal to amp. -neg.

High Range L-Pad:
#1 terminal to amp. -neg.
#2 terminal to +pos. on horn tweeter
#3 terminal to capacitor (or amp +pos)

It just seems odd to me how this can work. The wiring of the High Range L-Pad makes sense to me and adheres to the diagram provided with the L-pads, but the Mid Range L-Pad terminal connections (#1 & #3) seem reversed. However, as I have typed it (above) is exactly how the original L-Pads were wired, and it all appeared to be original factory wiring. So does anybody think I may have somehow mixed-up the Mid Range connections? If I had #1 & #3 terminals on the Mid Range L-Pads reversed, would they still be functioning perfectly or at all?
Thanks for your help!

[Chris Roemer]

Re: Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

I disassembled an old set of Omega 3-way Tower Speakers for the purpose of making use of the quality of cabinets. I already have all new components from Parts Express, including new caps. I labled the end of each wire carefully upon disconnection. As I began to connect the new L-Pads and drivers, the connections just seemed odd and unusual. I did temporarily connect all components and everything sounds great, but I just wanted to get some feedback on those connections and see if the way the L-Pads are wired to the drivers seems to make any sense. First, I should mention this is an 8 OHM configuration and the goal is for the amp to see an 8 OHM Load. I can't draw very well, so thank you for your patience with this text description of the connections:
Mid Range L-Pad:
#1 terminal to capacitor (or amp +pos.)
#2 terminal to +pos. on midrange driver
#3 terminal to amp. -neg.

High Range L-Pad:
#1 terminal to amp. -neg.
#2 terminal to +pos. on horn tweeter
#3 terminal to capacitor (or amp +pos)

It just seems odd to me how this can work. The wiring of the High Range L-Pad makes sense to me and adheres to the diagram provided with the L-pads, but the Mid Range L-Pad terminal connections (#1 & #2) seem reversed. However, as I have typed it (above) is exactly how the original L-Pads were wired, and it all appeared to be original factory wiring. So does anybody think I may have somehow mixed-up the Mid Range connections? If I had #1 & #2 terminals on the Mid Range L-Pads reversed, would they still be functioning perfectly or at all?
Thanks for your help!

With only 3 terms per variable L-pad, you've only got 3 ways for voltage to run through them. Just take your DMM across each of the 3 possible connection pairs on your OLD pots, and record resistance with maybe pot full left, mid value, and full right. Then do the same with the new ones. The corrct connections should become apparent to you if you know at all what you're doing.

Chris

[Daddio]

Re: Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

Thanks for your input. Both the old and new L-Pads are labled 1,2,3. But, I tested them anyway in case that terminal numbering system is not universally the same among eras and brands. After testing, turns out the numbers on both the old and new L-Pads represent the same terminals. Actually, if I knew what I were doing, I probably wouldn't have felt a need to lable each wire as I disconnected them. Maybe I should be a bit more concise in presenting the question.
Taken at face value, is there anything wrong with the wiring arrangement of the mid range L-Pad which follows? If so, what's wrong with it?, If it is wrong, why is everything functioning and sounding fine?:

Mid Range L-Pad:
#1 terminal to capacitor (or amp +pos.)
#2 terminal to +pos. on midrange driver
#3 terminal to amp. -neg.

High Range L-Pad:
#1 terminal to amp. -neg.
#2 terminal to +pos. on horn tweeter
#3 terminal to capacitor (or amp +pos)

Thanks

[Chris Roemer]

Re: Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

Thanks for your input. Both the old and new L-Pads are labled 1,2,3. But, I tested them anyway in case that terminal numbering system is not universally the same among eras and brands. After testing, turns out the numbers on both the old and new L-Pads represent the same terminals. Actually, if I knew what I were doing, I probably wouldn't have felt a need to lable each wire as I disconnected them. Maybe I should be a bit more concise in presenting the question.
Taken at face value, is there anything wrong with the wiring arrangement of the mid range L-Pad which follows? If so, what's wrong with it?, If it is wrong, why is everything functioning and sounding fine?:

Mid Range L-Pad:
#1 terminal to capacitor (or amp +pos.)
#2 terminal to +pos. on midrange driver
#3 terminal to amp. -neg.

High Range L-Pad:
#1 terminal to amp. -neg.
#2 terminal to +pos. on horn tweeter
#3 terminal to capacitor (or amp +pos)

Thanks

YOU might know what the legs are doing, but EYE don't. Your cnx COULD be OK.

If you told me something like "#1 to #2 varies as I turn the pot, #1 to #3 also varies when I turn the pot, but inversely to the 1st pair, and #2 to #3 always reads high (does NOT vary when I turn the pot)", THEN I could give you better advice.

Chris

[Daddio]

Re: Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

Chris,

I am very much a newb with multimeters and really don't know what I'm doing, so my initial testing of the terminals really means nothing -- only thing I have learned to do so far with complete confidence is test the ohms of a given driver. I do understand what you want me to do with the meter, but could you please tell me what to set my meter at for this particular test. I'm guessing I would want it set to the same position I use for testing driver resistance. Right now, I'm battling some very bad kidney stone pain, just got out of the E.R. hours ago. However, I do have a rough draft of the entire wiring arrangement for these speakers. I will try my very best to upload an image file of my caveman-style schematic for you within the next 24 hrs. That way, you will be able to have a comprehensive view of all the connections and then tell me if everything looks okay. I can assure you that I have wired everything exactly the way it was originally; all I did (internally) was replace old drivers, old L-Pads and old caps. So, please stand by for an image file and thank you for your help.

[Daddio]

Re: Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

Here's a complete view of the wiring of this 3-way tower system. Keeping in mind that I'd like the amp to see close to 8 Ohms for each tower, do you find anything wrong with any of it....esp. in regard to the wiring of the midrange and its L-Pad?

Note: All components are 8 Ohms each.

Thanks for having a look!

[Chris Roemer]

Re: Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

Chris,

I am very much a newb with multimeters and really don't know what I'm doing, so my initial testing of the terminals really means nothing -- only thing I have learned to do so far with complete confidence is test the ohms of a given driver. I do understand what you want me to do with the meter, but could you please tell me what to set my meter at for this particular test. I'm guessing I would want it set to the same position I use for testing driver resistance. Right now, I'm battling some very bad kidney stone pain, just got out of the E.R. hours ago. However, I do have a rough draft of the entire wiring arrangement for these speakers. I will try my very best to upload an image file of my caveman-style schematic for you within the next 24 hrs. That way, you will be able to have a comprehensive view of all the connections and then tell me if everything looks okay. I can assure you that I have wired everything exactly the way it was originally; all I did (internally) was replace old drivers, old L-Pads and old caps. So, please stand by for an image file and thank you for your help.

Sure, set it on the lowest resistance scale (maybe Rx1 ?). I'm guessin' that if you measure between #1 and #3, that you might have around 20 ohms, and it won't matter whether you have the knob turned left or right.

Basically, (if what you measured above works like I thought) all you have is a resistance wire with connections at both ends (#1 & #3), and then #2 is a "slider" that splits that value depending on where the pot is turned. It might go to zero on one end, or both, or neither, but if the knob is turned to the left, you might measure 1 ohm between #'s 1-2, and 19 between 2-3. Then, when it's turned to the right, you'd get the opposite; maybe 19 ohms between 1-2 and 1 ohm from 2-3.

The rest of your drawing looks definitely feasible, including the "reverse polarity" on the midrange. So . . . you've got a woofer that's low passed, a tweeter (horn) that's high passed, and a mid that's also just high passed (there's nothing there to roll off the bottom end).

Chris

[Daddio]

Re: Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

Thanks Chris, I'll play around with the meter tomorrow. So, the midrange driver and its L-Pad are not wired "wrongly" they are both just wired so that the midrange is in reverse polarity...do you know what purpose that serves, why did the speaker manufacturer go with reverse polarity? And, this reverse polarity will not affect my amp or sound quality in a negative manner?

[Chris Roemer]

Re: Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

Thanks Chris, I'll play around with the meter tomorrow. So, the midrange driver and its L-Pad are not wired "wrongly" they are both just wired so that the midrange is in reverse polarity...do you know what purpose that serves, why did the speaker manufacturer go with reverse polarity? And, this reverse polarity will not affect my amp or sound quality in a negative manner?

All that means is that IF you didn't have ANY crossover components (just 3 pair of wires running directly to your drivers), THEN if a "bang" played through your system, the mid would start off moving backward while the tweeter and woofer moved forward, BUT that's not the case here, and apparently the designer felt that the mid worked best this way AFTER figuring in crossover "phase shifts" and driver voice coil (physical) offsets.

chris

[Daddio]

Re: Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

I'm just curious...even though there's a capacitor in place, the mid driver is still going to move backward while the woofer and tweeter move forward right? I mean, that's the whole idea of the mid's reversed polarity, correct?

[Chris Roemer]

Re: Proper wiring for 3-way with L-Pads

I'm just curious...even though there's a capacitor in place, the mid driver is still going to move backward while the woofer and tweeter move forward right? I mean, that's the whole idea of the mid's reversed polarity, correct?

Nope, reactive XO components (caps & coils, NOT resistors) that have an impedance that varies with freq, actually change the phase of the driver that they're connected to. The mid is wired reverse polarity to bring it BACK so it moves WITH the woofer and tweeter.

Cool, eh?