The Vintage Altec Codex

[fjn04]

"Yeah, you connect your A23 speaker wire to A+ and A- using your spade adapters, And connect your LF driver to B+ and B-. Then the strip tab on the right is where you set the HF crossover point? And there is an L-Pad for level?"

*Very straight forward with the A23> A+ & A-. Same with the B+/B- for the 9497 going to the woofer. Where my thinking was OFF is that I was figuring
the UNUSED sets were for the hookups. But Werner's actual markings are on sets which he has used. I assume then, that I will stack with the Belden and A23.

The last part, I still can't wrap my head around.... I realize it's for the HORN,
but where on the LONG/RIGHT strip do I hook up from the Horn? Is that also
a choice, like the L-pad? (-:

[junker]

Omodo and your instruction sheet pretty much filled in the blanks. Where you connect on the right strip is your horn level - they are different taps on the auto former.

And apparently, the dial is a "parallel" resistance on the horn to set the impedance the amp sees from the horn (i.e 16 ohms). The stock crossover has this too. It's set at 20 ohms + (0-25 ohms from the stock l-pad. I guess this kinda affects the crossover point on the horn only so not sure what to say other than try it out. Also, start centered on the dial as shown on the instruction sheet.

You seemed like you were trying to tame some highs in that room so I would probably start with the horn set middle-of-the-road or a bit more dialed down... i think that was to the right more. Then break-in and play with the L-Pad. Then you can go back and fine tune which HF tap you want to use. Hope that helps!

[fjn04]

I am hoping to get more refinement and liquidity in the upper registers.
Think I gotcha now. Always figured there would be the one adjustment
knob like the stock unit, and that would be the only thing to play with.
Now I realize with the WJ, that both come in to play. Now I need to
drill those backs, and start playing with the crossover. (-:

[junker]

Hey just FYI I wouldn't try to match the existing holes... Those old holes are worn and were originally straight drilled. And the L and R right speaker will be slightly different. I would recommend confirming the width of the internal framing, measure carefully, mark with pencil, and drill holes 1/2 of that distance from the edge. And I would probably add 1 hole per side - I have 5 holes in the x and y.

Also, when drilling I would highly recommend using a countersink tapered tool. I think you are using the stock #8 screws? They are 1 1/4" 1 1/2" is actually a better length and won't punch through the internal frame... at least on my Flamenco... The tapered bit is WAY better than a straight drill bit. Tapered wood screws get a good bite at all depths and will be much stronger for the long-term.

Here is an example the tool I like a lot for this... This one is from Rockler but I bet you can find something similar else where. You can set the length of the screw hole and how much you want to bevel the head so it lays flush or slightly counter sunk. Then you can just rip out the holes that you marked as per above with the back mounted so that the cover and frame holes are perfectly aligned.

[fjn04]

Hey Josh- My buddy and I started tonight. He is anal retentive, which why I asked for his help. I picked up the brass screws. They had the counter-sink bit, but we grabbed the #8 finishing brass washers instead. We won't be drilling till tomorrow night, but honestly, I like the looks of the washers. They look nice and flush w/ the #8 screws. I can't see the disadvantage versus countersinking. I like both methods. What do you think? Not a bad alternative…?

[junker]

I think washers could look awesome with round or pan head screws! What kind of head do they have?

[junker]

If you want to do washers then I would use this:

McMaster-Carr

[omodo]

I imagine he means something like this?

100 #8 Countersunk Finish Washer Black Zinc Plated Brass: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

[junker]

Haha yeah good point. Maybe...

[junker]

This is what it looks like with countersunk #9 1 1/2" brass screws...