[sci.electronics] stereo speaker question

correll@sun.udel.edu (Sharon J Correll) (07/24/90)

I have a question that should be (I hope) an easy one for electronics
buffs (which I am not).  I thought I'd be brave and put new speakers
into my car all by myself.  But the wiring isn't exactly the same.  The
old speakers were wired like this:

                               ------------------
                              |                  |
  -- red plain wire ------> |||                  |
  -- red striped wire ----> |||                  |
                              |      SPEAKER     |
                              |                  |
  -- white plain wire ----> |||                  |
  -- white striped wire --> |||                  |
                              |                  |
                               ------------------

(I believe that the striped wires go into both the woofer and the
tweeter, but the plain wires go into just one or the other.  Or it 
could be the other way around, I'm not sure.)

But my new speakers have only spots for two wires apiece.  I'm hoping
there is a way to stick some of the wires together to make it work, but
I don't know what that way would be.

Also the wires have little plastic covered things on the ends of them,
with little metal thingamabobs inside that fit onto the metal tabs on the
speaker.  But the metal tabs on the new speaker are bigger than on the
old speaker and so the thingamabobs won't fit around them.  Do I need to
buy new thingamabobs to go with the new speakers?  Or can I just cut the
wire and tape the bare ends to the metal tabs?

Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

-- 
---\  Sharon Correll                                   \---------------
----\  University of Delaware                           \--------------
-----\  Academic Computing and Instructional Technology  \-------------
------\  correll@sun.acs.udel.edu                         \------------

jws@thumper.mlb.semi.harris.com (James W. Swonger) (07/24/90)

 It looks like you have a bi-amp system; that is, some stereos were designed
with separate amplifiers for the bass and treble ranges to get more power.
Try this: hook up one pair, then the other and see which is the bass and which
is treble.

 Now comes the fun. Since your new speakers do not have separate connections
to the woofer and the mid/tweeter sections, you may have to do minor 
surgery. If they are coaxials you will have to find the flexible braided
wires coming through the woofer cone, cut them where they come out the front
face, and solder them to a makeshift connector for the treble wire pair.
(easy with that axe, pilgrim!)

 If your new speakers are arranged with the woofers and mids/tweeters separate
on the speaker face, it will be a bit easier - same idea but less risk to the
woofer cone.

 The only other problem to worry about is whether the new speakers' tweeters
are able to stand whatever the amp is feeding them. Only one way to find that
out....

jws@thumper.mlb.semi.harris.com (James W. Swonger) (07/24/90)

 Oh, I forgot. Solder the wires. Twist & tape is the mark of the infidel,
and surely will they pay. 

 Seriously, if you don't have an iron, get one. They are pretty cheap,
under $10 for good-enough (30W, I'd say for this application). Also buy
a small roll of fine rosin-core 60/40 solder, the thinner the better.

correll@sun.udel.edu (Sharon J Correll) (07/30/90)

Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions regarding my speaker question.
It turned out that my stereo was not bi-amp but was using bi-amp
speakers.  There was an extra pair of dead wires feeding into each
speaker.  The first clue that the person who was helping me picked up on
was that there were jumpers between the two input pairs, and the jumpers
were still intact, which shouldn't have been if the speakers were being
used as bi-amp speakers.  So it was quite easy to just attach the one
pair of live wires to each speaker, and I am very happy.

Thanks again for your help.

-- 
---\  Sharon Correll                                   \---------------
----\  University of Delaware                           \--------------
-----\  Academic Computing and Instructional Technology  \-------------
------\  correll@sun.acs.udel.edu                         \------------