jwc Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 will do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 jc, Dean and I do the litz in entirely different ways! I wait until after the inductors is mounted to the board and the lead is cut to length. I start by laying the iron tip square against the end of the wire like it's sticking out of the iron to just heat up the exposed copper at the very end. As soon as a drop adhears to the end I turn the iron 90 degrees side against the wire like the pictures shows then move down the wire drawing the drop along by feeding solder.Dean is 100% right about one thing: The iron has to be clean! A black scum forms on the iron as you move along the wire. You need to clean the iron before you tin each lead.BTW: I get the braid from Mouser. You have to buy a 100 foot spool and it AIN'T cheap!Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEC Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Al, If you are paying a lot for that braid, you may also want to check out The Wireman. http://www.thewireman.com/wire.html Bob Crites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 I'm gettin ready to try this now. Al. I am PM you also to get your address to cut back this Jantzen inductor to the appropriate 1.6 mH value. jc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 7, 2005 Author Share Posted December 7, 2005 Bob, you forgot the part about making sure you don't tell them it's for audio.[] Al, I've tried getting all the enamel off like that before, it doesn't work for me that well. The Litz of course has multiple strands, and if I tin it that way it doesn't remove the enamel that's buried beneath the twists. I have to get it all off because I don't use standoffs -- I actually use the end of the tinned litz to wrap the leads from caps around. If I don't remove it all -- when I reheat to solder the leads a little more enamel melts off and contaminates the joint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted December 7, 2005 Author Share Posted December 7, 2005 Just peel off two turns and that's it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Bob, Thanks for the top on a better source for that braid. I bookmarked that site. I just got a fresh roll of the stuff a little while ago, so I'm fat and happy with it for now. Dean, I have had no trouble getting the solder to flow between strands. Since the wire is fully tined there is really no way I can see to know if it fully clean or not. I just have to assume that it is. Once the black crud is removed the wire looks like normal tined stranded wire. I figure that's all that is required. Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Just gave it a run. No problem with it running off now. Will practice some more to see if I get it all off all strands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockbobmel Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Q. Why can't you just steel wool the tip? You would have to un-twist about 1/2", wool it, then twist it back, then tin it an heat shrink wrap it if cosmetics are an issue. Just my unexperienced organic thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Q. Why can't you just steel wool the tip? You would have to un-twist about 1/2", wool it, then twist it back, then tin it an heat shrink wrap it if cosmetics are an issue. Just my unexperienced organic thoughts. that is a good question. I had the same thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Klappenberger Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Two big reasons not to use steel wool would be: An extra unnecessary step since you will need to tin the end anyhow. Steel wool makes metal shavings that will get all over the place and may sort things out. Al K. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsons Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Al, I used sandpaper when I did mine. It was messy. I tried using the soldering iron like you said, but I wasn't sure if it was working for me. Dean, I did something different with the transformer connections. I never liked push on connectors (a car electrical fire caused by a loose push on connector back in the 80's) so I terminated each xfmr tap at a 10 tb terminal board. It turned out I was one one terminal short, should have used an 11tb. Tap selection is done at the board by moving the midrange connections. Here's a shot. (Al has seen this). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsons Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 That is the high frequency section. I splitted Al's A into low and high sections so if I need a different xover point for a different driver, I don't have to rebuild the entire xover. I plan on building another set with different xover points. I can swap sections depending on what driver I am using at the time. Al said I can also upgrade a section (like to ESN), if I want to. Here's the 400 hz section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsons Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Another shot, the whole enchilada, with tap selection chart.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsons Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Last one, top view. I had fun building these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Another option for the Litz wire would be a chemical stripper problem is finding one. I have yet to find a source for the consumer so I have opted to use Al's technique. Seems to work OK for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwc Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 All I can say is Damn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrestonTom Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Artson, That is a very clever way to access the different taps. will be upgrading to an ALK universal this coming year. I know I will want to go back and forth testing the different squawker settings. You have just saved me a bunch of time. Good Luck, -Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajsons Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 Thanks, Tom. Here's a shot of the label plate for the terminal board. There is no "0" connection point, which is really not a problem, since it is the same as (-). A separate terminal will be really convenient, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Mobley Posted December 7, 2005 Share Posted December 7, 2005 we have a swimming pool, so I have muriatic acid for adjusting the pH. it turns out it's really just a 30% solution of hydrochloric acid. works wonders on the tips of that Litz wire. Of course, thorough rinsing is required, but no big deal. Sloder flows really nice on the chemically clean wire. I do see the point about just doing it right on the spot though. Saves time. When I first did this back when I built my ALKs for the LS I built the iron I had wasn't hot enough to do the trick. I bought a big fat one just for this type of stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.