[Viscouse]

At least that's what I think they are. Can't find a matching picture anywhere. I know R is in the name cause there's a ribbon tweeter.

I intend this to be a project thread, looking for help along the way. There are 6 drivers (plus the passive one in the base) that I have to replace or repair. I have no idea which ones work & which don't.

I'm going to start with reading the stickies, and replacing the 2 drivers I know are shot: the lowest woofer and the passive both have seals that are completely falling apart.

Anyone able to help point me in the correct direction of repair or replace for these?

[duck851]

Don’t replace the drivers, refoam them. There are videos and posts about it, I’ve used kits from Simply Speakers and there are other sources and services too. 

[Jstower]

Those are Tower II. Here is the brochure from the 80’s. Good luck.

Link:  https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ixvf72l261w5wwd/AACFEDE3y4G7P2_dIU4rhlf4a?preview=VMPS_Tower_II_Brochure_B%26W.pdf

[Jstower]

  Millersound  will refoam them if you don’t feel comfortable. Or find someone local.

Link:  http://www.millersound.net/infinity-kappa-polydome-repair.html

[Viscouse]

Thanks all! Found a refoam kit for the woofer.
I'm confused a little on the PR. Looking at this: https://www.midwestspeakerrepair.com/product-category/speaker-repair-kits/passive-radiators/
Is it supposed to replace the paper cone since it doesn't seem to be the traditional foam rings.

Also, on these speakers there are small arcs made from plastic(?) that hold the seal on. I have a few missing. Where the heck do I find those?

[Jstower]

These are the refoam kit I used, but you need to measure to make sure it will work. Also I used rubber surrounds on the passive radiators , they will last much longer.

Simply speakers   # FSK-12F








Also on the passive radiator you can vitrify the paper cone.

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=47927.msg479067#msg479067

[Viscouse]

Thanks Jstower!
I took some measurements and this is what they suggested:

[ST86]

I suggest cleaning each L-pad with Deoxit.  A short spray into the L-pad then fully turn left and right twenty or thirty times.  Repeat if needed.  You should feel the L-pad get easier to turn and a bit quieter.

https://www.parts-express.com/CAIG-D100S-2-DeoxIT-Spray-2-oz.-341-205

Consider replacing the crossover capacitors with new ones, same values as current ones.  I'd say replacing the crossover inductors (same values) would be beneficial but optional.  Parts Express has a good selection.

If you are replacing the passives I suggest a cone passive, not a disk passive.  That model is set up for a cone passive.  You would need that type to add putty and tune it.
You might be able to just refoam the passives you have.

Check the internal cables for corrosion, replace as needed.  Monster Cable for woofer connections can oxidize and turn green as it ages.  Green Monster Cable is bad.....

Happy to help if you have more questions.  Reply here or PM me.  Replies might be a bit delayed this week, will be offline a bit due to the holiday week but will reply when I can.

Ed

[davidc1]

I suggest cleaning each L-pad with Deoxit.  A short spray into the L-pad then fully turn left and right twenty or thirty times.  Repeat if needed.  You should feel the L-pad get easier to turn and a bit quieter.

https://www.parts-express.com/CAIG-D100S-2-DeoxIT-Spray-2-oz.-341-205

Consider replacing the crossover capacitors with new ones, same values as current ones.  I'd say replacing the crossover inductors (same values) would be beneficial but optional.  Parts Express has a good selection.

If you are replacing the passives I suggest a cone passive, not a disk passive.  That model is set up for a cone passive.  You would need that type to add putty and tune it.
You might be able to just refoam the passives you have.

Check the internal cables for corrosion, replace as needed.  Monster Cable for woofer connections can oxidize and turn green as it ages.  Green Monster Cable is bad.....

Happy to help if you have more questions.  Reply here or PM me.  Replies might be a bit delayed this week, will be offline a bit due to the holiday week but will reply when I can.

Ed

Remember though that Brian used to hand-select and measure each capacitor to get its exact value. So, replacing it with a "standard" cap may be 5-10% different in value. Also, if the model had a capacitor upgrade to the "high-end" kind, that may be of significance. Lastly, do non-electrolytic caps really need to be replaced?

[Viscouse]

Thanks for the advice all! I'm in the process of refoaming the woofers & PRs. I'll get some of the Deoxit. I'm not keen on replacing anything if it's not broken. Just haven't gotten that far into it. I need to be able to test them first to see what else is needed. For now I'm just replacing what I see visually is broken.

Believe me, you guys are a boon of advice and the first I will come to for help!

[ST86]

Suggestion. Be sure you get the can with the straw or the straw adapter to spray in small spaces.

https://www.parts-express.com/CAIG-ACT-SS-2OZ-Actuator-with-Stainless-Steel-Extension-341-239?quantity=1

Ed

[Viscouse]

So, as I am prepping my woofers & PRs, I am discovering the PRs are in worse shape than I think can be repaired with new foam. The paper cone just literally fell off as I turned it over. Ok, I said, I can probably use extra glue to put that back. I touched the ribbed part behind it and that began cracking & threatening to fall apart. I feel if I repair this to the best ability, I offer it only a couple of serviceable years.

Think I'm going to replace them. Anyone done that? I found these at Parts Express:

[ST86]

Ideally you would need to know the TS parameters of the original passive and find a replacement with the same or nearly the same parameters or get really lucky and find someone that has replacement passives from VMPS for that model.  That said, when I rebuilt my Tower ii's I replaced the passives with the cheaper one shown on the left in your post (or a Parts Express model very similar to it, I'd have to check my Parts Express purchase history to be certain).  I am certain I did not buy the one on the right.  I was pleased with the results.

By the way, if there is the typical fiberglass insulation in the cabinet be sure it is away from the passive.

Ed

[duck851]

I would think you could get new cones for a lot less than that - are there spiders on those passives that deteriorated too?

[ST86]

https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-DS315-PR-12-Designer-Series-Passive-Radiator-295-496?quantity=1

This one is similar to the DSA315 above.

Ed

[Viscouse]

Thanks guys!

[Jstower]

Here’s another one. The nice thing about this passive is you don’t have to remove to adjust the weight, the center cap unscrews to add or remove weight.

Link:  https://meniscusaudio.com/product/css-apr12/

[davidc1]

CSS, creative sound solutions, is the company that VMPS used for their passive radiators. I have two spares, I will pull them out of my garage to see exactly what model they are and take pictures of them so you could try to match it up.

[Viscouse]

Well, everything worked out stellar until it didn't. One of the speakers only plays the midrange. I can't tell if the high range & ribbon are active, even with a paper tube test. I'm guessing the crossover is toast due to age. Does anyone see anything wrong with this? The caps don't look burst.

[HAL]

If you have an ohm meter, check the switch.

It maybe broken or melted from the look of it.  The crossover looks to be wired across the center terminals, so that would mean in one position it is not connected from the way the DPDT switch is wired.

With the switch up position (toggle away from input terminals), the cap and inductor are connected to the input terminals.  You should see a very low DC resistance across the two sets of contacts connected to the input terminals and components.  If not, the switch is broken.