purplesyrup Posted May 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Had wondered the same thing about metal conductivity. My technical school said aluminum wasnt a very good conductor but by the posted chart, its better than the brass that I am using. I have a sealed box so I pretty much had to use bolts. Getting replaced with aluminum asap. thanks guys. In a situation where everything counts, Aluminum is as good as we can get, aside from running the wires straight through the wall. I just dont want to be taking the sub in and out, in the past you eventually strip out the holes and have to start twisting the sub around, and with the amount of time and cash i've put into this thing I want it to stay looking nice, while being able to switch the ohm load fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassface Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Is there a benefit to using one bolt over another? Here would be the simplest way to determine this: Install bolts (one for positive, one for negative) in a piece of wood that is the same thickness as the enclosure Wire amp to bolts and bolts to subs with ring terminals as you would normally Grab TWO quality DMMs, each with a MIN/MAX scale and set both to measure AC Voltage METER 1 - Put the red probe on one side of either bolt (at the point the rings contact it), the black probe on the other METER 2 - Put the probes on the speaker outputs of the amplifier (be sure to set the range to it's maximum setting) Crank the system, then enter the MIN/MAX mode on both meters to record voltage over time Play the system at near maximum output for at least 30 seconds on bass heavy material End the MIN/MAX recording session and then reduce volume accordingly Note the MAXimum voltage each meter recorded over this period of time: - METER 1 shows the voltage drop across each bolt - METER 2 shows the maximum voltage the amplifier made Voltage recorded via METER 1 *2 / Voltage recorded via METER 2 = %age of voltage drop across the bolts Repeat for as many different kinds of bolts as you like and log the data. Is this meaningful? My hunch would be to say NO, but why not find out for sure? Guys, isn't it time we all stop guessing at this kind of stuff when it's SO easy to know the answer with certainty? You have to be able to find the bolts first before you can test them. Have you tried this site yet? http://www.pin.ca/premiere/capab.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplesyrup Posted May 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Another person that was with us works for a metal shop that can make anythimg, he said they wouldn't even make them because you couldn't torque more than 10 pounds on it without them stripping. Best bet would be to get a blend of aluminum and copper, but would probably have to be a 75/25 or so mix to keep some strength, they are looking into it to be sure the combination will work. If its successful I can get some made, and anyone wants to go in on it and we all get 4 bolts each, im sure we can get a quantity discount. I will keep posted if it works and how much they think the per bolt cost will be. They would be the best electric connection for this situation not available anywhere. if it works and once I get a price I will post it. And a note- I will post the price they give me, im not trying to make money off anyone. i would have to ship from my house so plan on an honest shipping price also. the more takers, im sure the less the cost will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplesyrup Posted May 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Is there a benefit to using one bolt over another? Here would be the simplest way to determine this: Install bolts (one for positive, one for negative) in a piece of wood that is the same thickness as the enclosure Wire amp to bolts and bolts to subs with ring terminals as you would normally Grab TWO quality DMMs, each with a MIN/MAX scale and set both to measure AC Voltage METER 1 - Put the red probe on one side of either bolt (at the point the rings contact it), the black probe on the other METER 2 - Put the probes on the speaker outputs of the amplifier (be sure to set the range to it's maximum setting) Crank the system, then enter the MIN/MAX mode on both meters to record voltage over time Play the system at near maximum output for at least 30 seconds on bass heavy material End the MIN/MAX recording session and then reduce volume accordingly Note the MAXimum voltage each meter recorded over this period of time: - METER 1 shows the voltage drop across each bolt - METER 2 shows the maximum voltage the amplifier made Voltage recorded via METER 1 *2 / Voltage recorded via METER 2 = %age of voltage drop across the bolts Repeat for as many different kinds of bolts as you like and log the data. Is this meaningful? My hunch would be to say NO, but why not find out for sure? Guys, isn't it time we all stop guessing at this kind of stuff when it's SO easy to know the answer with certainty? You have to be able to find the bolts first before you can test them. Have you tried this site yet? http://www.pin.ca/premiere/capab.htm I found out tonight that any copper bolt is either plated steel, or a blend of steel and copper, which the copper content is minimal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassface Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Yeah as far as people saying aluminum is a good conductor, thats only in its pure form, once alunimum is exposed to air it instantly forms a thin coating of rust called aluminum oxide which is not a conductor of electricity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplesyrup Posted May 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Yeah as far as people saying aluminum is a good conductor, thats only in its pure form, once alunimum is exposed to air it instantly forms a thin coating of rust called aluminum oxide which is not a conductor of electricity. They make electrical contact grease that prevents this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassface Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Also be sure to pierce through the aluminum oxide coating when hooking it up, or you may have resistance which can lead to heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplesyrup Posted May 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Also be sure to pierce through the aluminum oxide coating when hooking it up, or you may have resistance which can lead to heat. how would you go about doing it? Here's one, do you think a copper terminal could be soldiered to the aluminum bolt? From the inside if the box so its more permanent. I choose these because through hours of research, they are used in industrial applications Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snafu Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Guys, I had hoped to make a point - evidently I failed. Let's say that I told you that one kind of balloon could be inflated faster than all others due to the unique material it was made from - which was incredibly difficult to find. Would you take that for gospel, and then spend a ton of time helping me to find a balloon made of it? Let's say it was true - just how much faster can we inflate the balloon? How much faster equates to superior? If you refuse to allow science to assist you, then you're simply guessing. But what do I know? Tony Candela - SMD Sales & Marketing Email me at [email protected] to learn about becoming an SMD Partner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplehaze Posted May 29, 2012 Report Share Posted May 29, 2012 Guys, I had hoped to make a point - evidently I failed. Let's say that I told you that one kind of balloon could be inflated faster than all others due to the unique material it was made from - which was incredibly difficult to find. Would you take that for gospel, and then spend a ton of time helping me to find a balloon made of it? Let's say it was true - just how much faster can we inflate the balloon? How much faster equates to superior? If you refuse to allow science to assist you, then you're simply guessing. But what do I know? **** Purplehaze likes this *** Kickin' Cruiser Seller Feedback Stage 3 Dash, Door Panels,4th Order wall 4 - 15'son a DC 5.0K 2 DC 5.0K'sSolo X 15 (v.2) Sub Build Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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