Rockets

Dr. Who, did you ever port that heresy? Does anyone know why one couldn't use a JBL 123a in place of the K-22? I know the JBL is only good for 50 watts, but I think, when ported, it'll go lower than the K-22. and they let the 123a run wild until it rolls off...no 1st order. If memory serves me right the cubic inches of both the heresy and the L100 are similar, Thoughts anyone?? Also what's the difference between a K-22, K24 and a K28? Anything major? And the K 42 is a 200w version of the K-22...correct??? I just picked up a set of HP-1's. The cabinets are in excellent shape, but the K-24's are history. So since I have to change them out, I figure I'd look at my options. BTW, does anyone have a schematic of the HP-1 crossover?? Thanks TC

I have the HK AVR-146 in my master bedroom driving some older Altec 301's rated (optimistically) at 94db, but in reality are probably closer to 88db. I have no complaints at all. It will play loud enough that you won't want to stay in the same room for very long. I would not worry. The RF-83 is rated at 100db which means they'll be between 1 1/2 to 2 times louder that what I'm hearing. Yeah, I know...power doubles every 3db, but it's takes a 10db delta before the human ear can detect a doubling of sound. In my famiily room I'm running a HK 645 w/ three Lascala's that have never seen full volume...maybe if I was outside and shot the remote through the window.... I already have nails backing out of the drywall as it is. HK power ratings are way to low...and you have to just love the clean sound quality.

I've only made straight cuts thus far, and the tool worked as advertised. Much easier than using a table saw. Using this tool, you line the track up on your cut line w/o any offset and that's where the saw cuts! The fence on my table saw is horrible...nothing ever comes out straight. I think making the compound cuts would require another clamp or jig to allow you to cut the board on end or perpendicular to the guide track. The manufacturer probably sells that as an accessory. Maybe there's another way to do it, but I haven't spent the time to think that hard about it yet. MIKE!! Thanks for coming through with the info. The crossovers do not have the cups, just wires w/ the female spade lug connectors. If you think you still might want them let me know as I probably won't use them. Originally I was looking at making a 3 way system, but I'm leaning more toward a two way now. If you need a pic. let me know. I have another question. Do you know what the lowest usable frequency that the K-103-TI can be used? Are they 8 ohm? At present I have a choice between them, or a pair of K-152's. Any preference??? I’m not looking to make a clone of the RF-35, but just something that will sound decent outside and will be able to take the salt air and weather. Originally, I was kicking around the idea of making CornScala derivative, but the Community horns I was going to use would make for a strange looking combo with a Cornscala base. The other thing that turned me off was the idea of weather proofing the K33. THANKS TC

LOL! Thanks Jim. I haven't forgotten about you, I'm still buried like most folks. Took me close to 3 months to do a three day job of laying tile. Crap, I'll bet I didn't take my Hobie out but once this summer. I did steal a set of LaScala's for $800...which I intend to mod w/ some new crossovers, 2404's, 511E's and Altec 290's...maybe next year[:'(] I've got the tools, parts, wood, and veneer..but no #$%^& time. A couple of years ago I bought one of these http://www.core77.com/blog/featured_items/the_ez_smart_woodworking_system_10777.asp to use on the mod rather than a table saw. Check it out.

I have collected over the years some "parts" that one day when I found the time...well the time has come. I need to build up a pair that I can use on an outdoor deck. I will probably end up using marine plywood, so sonically they won't come close to matching OEM, but then again I would not dare leave a reference speaker outdoors. Anyway, could any of you knowlegeable members help me out by telling me what some of these parts originally came out of? I have two 8" woofers that are marked KP-1128. I also have two crossovers that are marked on the PCB, KP-3.6A For some reason I think these may come out of a Tangent, but can't swear to it. One more question, what diameter is the port on the back of the RF-35? And are there two of them? Any help would be appreciated. THANKS! Edit: Ok, I just figured out the woofers came out of some RB-35's. I could still use some help on the KP-3.6A crossover, and the size of the ports used on the R*-35 series speakers. THANKS

I just bought a pair of LaScalas w/ the AL crossover, but mine don't have the zeners. Go figure. They too probably need to be rebuilt, though it might be better to just build up a set of AA's. Still, It makes me wonder how many rev. levels they have for the AL and if the schematic/component values are the same.

QUICK!!! Someone replay the scene from the Blues Brothers where they finally see the LIGHT!!!![] Not laughing at you Dean, I'm just so HAPPY for you!!! LOL!!

I think you'd be much happier in the long run buying the pieces parts a la'carte. For the money spent on your Mr. Beer, you'd be about 1/2 way there in the amount you'd spend for some higher quaility equipment. Before you buy anything, start with a decent book on home brewing and go from there. Just remember to SANITIZE, SANITIZE and SANITIZE. Trust me, you don't want all of your work and money to be wasted because you accidently introduced a wild organism into your beer. It won't kill you, but your beer will taste like crap. Anyone that has brewed has been there I can assure you. I've used Hearts to mail order my supplies w/o complaint and fast shipping. http://www.heartshomebrew.com/home_brew_beer.cgi You might be able to work with these guys and tell them you don't want or need the capper and save $13 off their kit price. Use 2 liter bottlles w/ the screw tops instead. It really speeds up the bottling process and they work great! Just sanitize them first like you would the glass bottles. If you have a an Old Time Pottery store near you can pick up your glass carboys pretty cheap and save a bundle on shipping One other thing, if you're never brewed before it might be a good idea to start outside if you can. If you have one of the newer Glass Top Stoves..that has trouble written all over it. During the inital boil of your wort, it tends to go through a volcanic eruption phase, which creates a BIG #$%^&*() MESS if you're not watching it. Which is why you NEVER leave the wort unattended during it's inital boil. Boil your wort outside if possible for your first attempt, put the lid on it and then bring it inside. . . . You need to constantly stir and be prepared to pull it off the heat in a moments notice. Once you get the hang of it, it's no big deal, but that first time...just make sure your wife is helping so you can blame it all on her!!! (just kidding) Good Luck!

Seti, your cider almost sounds more like a Mead. Great stuff until you drink too much, and the payback is pure hell. It's no wonder the Vikings had such a bad reputation...

I use 2 liter bottles. Yeah, I know they're clear and promote a skunky beer, but my beer never sat arouund long enough for this to occur. On the plus side they're cheap, and easy to use. They also are safer than bottles. No hand grenades going off in the middle of the night from rougue beer that's been over conditioned, or has a yeast infection.

You don't need math to figure this out. Just some common sense and some air bearings will do, If one were to take the wheels off and replace them with a pair of air bearings, is there any doubt at all that the plane would take off? Basically with the air bearings the plane would be floating on a few mircons of air above the conveyor belt. That should kill any argument in my mind.

I have to tell you I don't know what to make of this market. The news is all terrible, the charts are contradictory, and I'm so confused. Do we believe the double top formation and the world comes crashing down at 12,800? Ok, maybe we're just in a slow motion crash.... Or do we believe in the past few days we're doing a little consolidating of sorts in preps for a launch upwards as the reverse head and shoulders might suggest? Is it me, or the last few days have been more like some wild hormonal mood swings? And then you have the Talking Heads. Johny, I have to thank you for pointing out the SPY decade chart. I would have missed it otherwise. Looking at it, I condensed it down to a yearly chart using a weekly time frame, and there I saw it. A BIG fat reversal tail. Ok, maybe not that big, and the volume could've been greater, but a tail none the less, or so I think. So then I looked at my recent favorite nickle stock in the same time frame, Ford ( just play the swings) and it had a tail too. And so did Boeing and so did...........you get the picture. Of course they should all have these tails as they're all components of the S&P. So what does that all mean? So here's the quandry. Does one listen to the talking heads who are hung up on the string of BAD reports due out next week, OR does one place their faith in the charts and a possible short term reversal? Either way looks like a bloody day setting up for Monday, Then again I could be wrong.

This is a copy of an email I recently received. There are some really nice photos here. Check it out! Check out these great San Francisco Air Show photos my friend, Bruck Hardman, took! I believe this is the same show in the video I sent out a few weeks ago that showed a Blue Angle F18 Jetfighter skimming the water between boats at around 700 MPH. Bruce did an excellent job! Thanks Bruce! I know you'll enjoy them as much as I did, for it will surely entertain you while you wait for the shuttle launch! Enjoy... http://home.comcast.net/~bzee1a/

Marshall, there's definitely an art to soldering. I have to get recertified every year to those spec's. Everytime you think youi did a good job, the instructor puts the damn joint under the microscope to show you that you really SUCK! Like most things the prep work, cleaning, jigs etc. is 95% of the job.There is nothing worse than having something move on you. One thing I failed to mention prior on the list of things to do, is to pre-tin your leads, turrets or what ever it is you are going to join. When you go back to do the final joint, it'll go slicker than snot. Using the right diameter solder is also a good thing. Too small and you can't feed it fast enough, too big and you've got a nice blob to bragg about. Matching the tip to the job is also very important. Big tip, big job, small tip, small job. A bigger tip takes longer to get the heat sucked out of it, but that can work against you on small heat sensitive components. The reverse is also true. Applying heat to a larger sink, will suck the heat right out of the tip, forcing you to stay on the object longer and things start going terribly wrong....Measling, lifted lands...... One other thing, solder wants to travel to the heat source, so you want to apply the solder to the side opposite of the iron. For instance you'd want to place your iron on the opposite side of a PCB hole (top of the board) from which you'd apply the solder (bottom of board). Prior to this you would have pre-tinned each surface, and then cleaned and wetted your tip as you go in for the kill shot. Yeah, I know, some of you are thinking most PCB's are pre-tinned. It ain't the same, trust me! Try it sometime and you'll see what I mean. Part of pre-tinning means you will have to use some solder wick/braid to clean up the excess, but your final joint will be pur r r r r ty. As far as braid or solder suckers, each has their place. I find it easier when using braid to pre-expand or loosen it up first. The solder will flow into it much faster. It's the only way to fly if you have to reflow up a long land and need to clean it up first. I have a semi dead Weller here at home now. The digial readout no longer functions, but I can still vary the heat. This isn't the first one I've had this issue with either. For the price you pay, and as many years as they've been making the damn things, you'd think they'd finally figure it out! They need to get rid of the crappy connectors between the base and hand unit too!.

The first step is to throw out the "gun" and go buy a decent temperature controlled iron. I have a love/hate relationship with Weller. They're great when they work, but seem to crap out often in my experience. Use 63/37 rosin core solder. Clean, Clean and Clean again your compnents and tip. Wet your tip, wipe it and wet it again. Use heat sinks to protect componets, such as speaker tinsel leads, caps and resistors. Small alligator clips will often work when placed next to the component body...or next to the insulation on wire if you don't want the the insulation melting off the wire as you overheat and 'weld it'. Most importantly, get on and then get the hell off what ever it is you are soldering/desoldering. Wicks and solder suckers are both great tools. If things aren't flowing, then you either didn't clean, are using the wrong temp setting, or need more flux. Unless you are really unlucky and have to deal with nickel coated wire. In which case a lot of profanity while cranking the iron up to MAX usually does the trick. When using solder...less is more. The bigger the blob does not mean the better the job. Finally, never put away a tip "dry" This is more than you'll ever want to know about soldering, but if you're bored and want to know how to do it right... http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/sldrbch1.pdf http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/solder.htm There will be a written and practical test given at the end to test your proficiency.... .

RE; Does the sound following a jet remain the same if that jet continues to accelerate? The Doppler effect says no, but then again at super sonic speeds you'd never hear it coming, only it's passing...or maybe I'm not reading you right. I think once you break the sound barrier, it doesn't matter how fast you continue to accelerate, the sound would be the same...but I could be wrong.. Subsonically, unless the plane is within a few thousand feet you'd probably never hear the difference. Just recently we had an airshow nearby. The difference in sound between an F-16 vs. an F-18 vs. the new F-22 were all night and day. The aircraft all passed within 1500 ft, and directly overhead. I have to say the F-18 was absolutely the loudest, and the F-22 was far more directional...no doubt due to it's vectored nozzles and one hell of a turning radius.

You'd be surprised as to how much sound the Shuttle makes when it's just gliding. I always expected to hear 'nothing', but it's not that way at all....Sounds like a distant jet. The Shuttle, emits twin sonic booms in quick succession, like a double barrel shotgun going off nearby, but EVERYTHING rattles. Even if you're prepared for it, it still scares the hell out of you. It's worse when you forget about the landing and you're backing your truck up in a parkling lot. Talking about crapping in your pants.....[:|]

Yeah, the orginal design was going to be bigger, but politics vs. science got in the way, not to mention costs...

Go here to see a short animation http://www.tietronix.com/anim/MoviePlayer.asp?myMovie=movies/assembly640x360.swf

Hey, check this out...it's the mother lode of HIGH REZ photos's http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html

Mike, I can email ( give me a few days) you (send me your address again!) what I have. Most of these are pics that are passed around locally via email. Some I shot inside the SSPF with a cheap POS camera a couple of years ago. Most of the space shots seem to be converted to a lower rez by the Klipsch site but I won't swear to it. As it is we have very little left to send up. One more Truss element, the Japanese Modules ( BIG as @#$%^!! , The European module, the Coupla and then I'm out of a job! ( Seriously, the Japanese module(s) are BIG. One is easily the size of a school bus alone. As far as a my sub panels...I don't know...I have to get w/ State Farm, and have them get w/ the vendor to find out. All I know is, there seems to be enough time lapsed for them to be here.... One more shot before I sign off... A pict of one of my engineers. GAWD! I miss her......... In back of her is a Truss element that had the coolant package and heat radiators

One more and I've got to get back to work (house) This is a shot of the end frame of one of the TRUSS elements. What's significant is these frames all started life as one big *** piece of aluminum billet on the order of 6" thick by 10' by 13' approximately. Then they machine away all the excess material. There are NO welds.

I'll have to dig some more out later...I work in the SSPF (Space Staion Processing Facility) at KSC. I'm just one of the many 'hands' that assembles and tests the flight hardware before it ever sees 'Space'. Here's one of the orbiter connected to the (BLACK) PMA (Primary Mating Adapter) I had to do some hatch work on one of the PMA's with some Russians, that seriously needed a bath. It's a comfortable inside for one, but three, two with BO isn't fun.

Thanks Mike for the hint on uploading. BTW, that RT-12D Subwoofer sounds GREAT! I'm still waiting for the dealer to send me the side panels the UPS Gorillas broke off though ( TC

You can enlage any of these photos by clicking on them