Recent content by Jazzman53

I want to add to the above information: The double-sided tape adhesive on the front stator forms two bond lines. One being stator-to-adhesive and the other being adhesive-to-diaphragm. The separation method most likely to save the diaphragm is to cut thru the adhesive tape with a sharp...

Actually, you want the tape on the front stator to remain bonded to the stator but you want it to release from the diaphragm. When I did the Theater panel, I inserted a butter knife between the diaphragm and front stator tape. Unlike your Sequel panel, the Theater panel's stators were...

You may not need any tape at all. If the stators were only bonded together at the top & bottom edge bands, then the only tape that would conceivably be needed would be the tape along the top & bottom edges of the front stator (only). If that tape is intact and still tacky after separating...

It will be interesting to see if the front spars are bonded to the diaphragm in your Sequel panels. There is no compelling reason why the front spars would need to be bonded to the diaphragm, or for the stators be bonded together at all. Functionally, the stators need only be constrained...

Yes, I get the tapes from McMaster-Carr. At the end of my write-up for the Theater panel is a parts list for all of the materials. Different speaker models may use different tape thicknesses but I'm guessing they would be the same. You would want to measure before ordering, to be sure...

Yeah I see Bob every year at CarverFest. He's a smart guy who thinks outside the box. We affectionately refer to him as the Bobfather. Regardless of whether ML used a full periphery charge ring or a local contact only, I would add a full-periphery charge ring on any rebuild.

The sketch shows how the diaphragm was coated in the Theater panel. I understand why ML did it this way, and I would guess most panels are configured this way. There's no real loss of output where the coating was omitted because the diaphragm is anchored and can't move at the spars. The...

Yes, you would have coated islands connecting to the charge ring on both sides, as shown in the sketch below. Note that the spars are unevenly spaced to breakup the diaphragm's drum-head resonance into multiple smaller peaks. When you are measuring the deflection to gauge the diaphragm...

As a weak panel loses output over time, there is a tendency to compensate by cranking up the amp. If pushed hard enough, the transformer will short-out, and possibly take out the amp with it. A string-saw made from 50-lb braided fishing line will cut thru an acrylic adhesive glue-line with...

I'm over 70, retired from building ESLs and have moved on to other things. I was happy to post the Theater panel rebuild but I don't want to make a business of it.

I don't know what you have. If you deem your panels unusable as-is, then there is not much to lose by dis-assembling one to find out what it needs for restoration. No one can advise you on that... it's your call. On the Theater panel, the stators were bonded together around the entire...

Hi Mark, I've built quite a few flat-panel ESLs but my experience with curved panels is limited to the one Theater panel I recently refurbished, so keep that in mind when considering any advice from me. If the panel still plays, but it's volume decreased slowly over time, you can rule out...

Yes, the owner removed the Theater panel from its speaker and shipped it to me for a rebuild, which is documented on my website here: https://jazzman-esl-page.blogspot.com/2011/11/compensating-diplole-phase-cancellation.html That was my only experience with an ML panel. I've never removed one...

On the Theater panel I recently refurbished, I noted that the diaphragm coating was omitted over the spars, and about 3/16" on either side. Those areas had been masked off before the coating was applied. I think the reason ML did this was to prevent charge from migrating to the spars and...

I almost hate to bring this up because I'm not certain it's do-able in every case, but... here goes: The periphery spacer tapes are the predominant expense in rebuilding a panel ($348). That is; if you replace them. On the Theater panel I recently refurbished, I was able to separate the...