Enclosure design advice

[Joe X]

Also I dismissed your calculation for the corners, went for 8 2" wide corners since the 9th is in port airspace + the center brace. I will add that you have put some real work towards you goal.

[thethriller]

That is about 3 cubes @34hz, 42 square inches of port area which on the power is ok, on 2kw would be a little low. You will need 3" of free airspace in front of the port for proper operation. If you are placing the amp on the top of the box it's recommended that you use some form of damping to install it to avoid possible long term reliability issues.

Yep, the figures I came up with are:

4.08ft³ gross
0.72ft³ port volume (14" x 3" x 26" port)
0.2ft³ woofer volume
~0.1ft³ bracing volume
-------
3.06ft³ net volume tuned to ~33.5 Hz

Currently there is much more than 3" of air space in front of the port (5" with this design) and thanks for the heads up on mounting the amp with some dampening material, though I haven't decided on where to mount it for sure.

Would it be recommended to use 2" wide corners instead of just 3/4" MDF triangles? (Would slightly raise tuning into the 34+Hz range)

Also would it be wise to tune slightly lower?

[bbeljefe]

I'd use wider corners on the wall opposite the port wall. And you don't have to change tuning... just recalculate port length. It'll only add a small bit of length to keep it tuned at 33.5. You need just a hair more than 26" for that tuning anyway so if you take the port to 26.75 that should keep the tuning at ~33 while accommodating the added braces.

Nice mock up, btw!

[Joe X]

That is about 3 cubes @34hz, 42 square inches of port area which on the power is ok, on 2kw would be a little low. You will need 3" of free airspace in front of the port for proper operation. If you are placing the amp on the top of the box it's recommended that you use some form of damping to install it to avoid possible long term reliability issues.

Yep, the figures I came up with are:

4.08ft³ gross
0.72ft³ port volume (14" x 3" x 26" port)
0.2ft³ woofer volume
~0.1ft³ bracing volume
-------
3.06ft³ net volume tuned to ~33.5 Hz

Currently there is much more than 3" of air space in front of the port (5" with this design) and thanks for the heads up on mounting the amp with some dampening material, though I haven't decided on where to mount it for sure.

Would it be recommended to use 2" wide corners instead of just 3/4" MDF triangles? (Would slightly raise tuning into the 34+Hz range)

Also would it be wise to tune slightly lower?

Tuning depends on the music you play, the vehicle and personal taste, usually you find out what's best for you after some tests.

The use of 45 corners is controversial, some are against their use, some for, they have little effect either way, they will help stop some leaks if you did really bad cuts, that's for sure.

[CarAudioFab]

I always love when I see someone using Solidworks. Haha.

One of my super old videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFwof0rXfuw

Also I would rethink your brace design. You have a mostly solid wall pretty close to the port.

[thethriller]

I always love when I see someone using Solidworks. Haha.

One of my super old videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFwof0rXfuw

Nice Yeah had a class in SolidWorks a couple semesters ago and thought it would be pretty handy to design a box with it.

I also thought about the center brace and have decided I'll probably just run it about ½ to ¾ of the way through the box. I'm probably also going to do at least one, maybe two dowel rods top to bottom; maybe just one behind the right sub. It should be sufficient bracing as I'm not running a couple k watts here.

[thethriller]

I really appreciate the input on this thread, big thanks to Joe X, bbeljefe, and mklett33 for ideas and/or reinforcing plans

I cut the MDF this evening and so the box size is set, heh... basically used around 2/3 of a 4x8 sheet of MDF as they fit super nicely with very little waste hehe. Here's what we're aiming for as a SolidWorks nerd porn example (As I've already bought the red paint! I doubt it'll be this brilliant of a red, but it'll sure be sexy.)

*QUICK EDIT*:

Anyone have an idea of something that one may have lying around for amplifier vibration dampening? We had a search around and came up with some packing material that is kind of a packing foam; not styrofoam but something foam-like (Around 2.5-3" thick, I plan to slice it in half) that if compressed about 50% and screwed down would still provide a decent cushion. The best place to put the amp would be on top of the box, or attached to the back of the car trunk area, either way would be subject to very similar vibrations and the alternative is lying on the floor.

[thethriller]

Finally got this job completed! (Basically) About 6 hours of sanding later I'm sure most everyone doesn't care to see a build log of a square box with a slot port, so I took few pictures, but here are a few:

After sanding the box smooth on all edges/corners, painting on a double coat of diluted Elmers wood glue (to seal all edges mostly but helped on flat sides too!), sanding that to a smooth buttery surface, and one coat of primer:

After sanding smooth and first coat of paint (rolled on, so the final product isn't glassy smooth but orange peeled):

And finally a snap of the box installed:

3/8" Speaker terminals, amp lying around until I decide where to put it... As I said the paint is nothing amazing with its orange peel texture but it is a fingerprint magnet LOL. The color is lots more red in person, may get another shot of it outdoors on a sunny day later! How close did I get to my SolidWorks pre-design?

[bbeljefe]

Looks great man! And please... never underestimate the minutia that will interest a bunch of bass nerds.... ;-)