Loudspeaker Kit M3 User manual

Designed and manufactured in Australia by The Loudspeaker Kit
www.theloudspeakerkit.com
Email: [e-mail]
M3 Assembly
Instructions

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You will need:
 Phillips head screwdriver
 Woodworking glue
 Damp cloth
 Good quality masking tape
 Ratchet tie down strap (optional)
 Brick or other weight (optional)
Preparation
Lay the contents of the box out and check you have everything you need to complete the kit
(see parts list on back page). Find a suitable work surface and make sure it won’t be ruined if
you spill some glue. If covering the work surface, avoid using newspaper as newsprint may
rub off onto your kit. Baking paper is a good choice.
Easier assembly with mitres
LSK kits now employ mitre construction, which offers greater ease of assembly with much
less sanding. Butt joints are eliminated, avoiding visible hairline cracks that often appear after
painting. Mitre construction puts the join right on the edge where it is less visible. Most
constructors avoid using mitres due to the difficulty in getting the angles correct. Our
manufacturing process provides a level of accuracy that is very difficult to achieve in a home
workshop.
Masking tape
We recommend avoiding cheap masking tape, which tends to break when applied under
tension. If you aren’t using the weight and ratchet strap, you are relying on the masking tape
alone to apply pressure to the join as the glue sets.

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Lay out the rear, side, top and bottom panels as shown with mitres facing the work surface.
Align carefully and arrange so that all panels are touching at the edges, with no gaps.
This includes the ridge of the side panels
Tape all four joints where the rear panel meets the side and top panels. It’s a good idea to
avoid covering the corners so that you can ensure all panels remain aligned during taping.

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Lift the panels using the hole for the terminals, turning them over to the other side so the
mitres are exposed.
Apply a bead of wood working glue to the bottom of the mitre join.

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Apply a second bead. Since the glue will tend to run down towards the bottom, it’s a good
idea to apply the glue above half way up to ensure even coverage.
Confirm the amount of glue applied by folding up the first panel. The glue should cover the
entire surface in contact. It’s preferable to see the glue ooze beyond the join slightly. This
provides visual feedback on whether the glue has set. Once set, PVA glue becomes
transparent.

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Apply a single larger bead of glue to the remaining sides on the top and bottom panels.
Lift up the panels and hold together with pressure, securing them in position with masking
tape. Apply the masking tape with firm pressure so that the panels are held together with
moderate pressure.

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Wipe off any excess glue with a damp cloth.
Apply a thick glue bead around the internal surfaces of the mitres. You may prefer a zig zag
pattern with a thinner bead. It’s a good idea to remove the panel and confirm even coverage.
Note: the orientation of the front baffle is determined in the next step. Before gluing the
baffle in place, please check the instructions carefully.

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Baffle orientation
The orientation of the front baffle relative to the terminals on the back is important. The port
and speaker terminals are both located towards the bottom of the enclosure.
Press the front baffle into place. The glue should ooze out around all joints.

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Wipe off any excess glue at the join. Then apply tape with tension to firmly hold the baffle in
place. Tape should first be applied perpendicular to the join.
All joints should be covered. If pressure is applied when taping, no further clamping is
required.
Clamping could be used but we advise caution since incorrect techniques can cause damage
or force the panels apart.
An alternative option is to use a ratchet tie down to apply pressure to the top/bottom/sides.
Care is required to avoid undue pressure and we recommend protecting the MDF with a
cardboard strip where metal parts come into contact with the enclosure.
Here we’ve also used a brick to apply extra pressure on the top. Note also the use of
cardboard as protection.

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Drying time
Typical wood glues can achieve moderate strength in as little as 30 minutes. If you are using
PVA glue then a good indicator that it has set is the transparency. PVA becomes transparent
once set. Ideally it’s best to leave the enclosure clamped over night before moving on to
assembly or finishing.
Grille assembly
This kit uses a clever neo magnet attachment system that avoids the use of traditional grille
clips. Neo magnets are recessed into the front baffle and grille frame. For full details on how
to assemble the grille, please refer to our grille manual.
Note: The cable with the white strip
goes to the negative terminal
Sequence tip
Final assembly should be done after you have applied
your chosen finish. Otherwise, drivers and terminals
will get damaged and the internal lining will be
covered in MDF dust.
No ugly grille clips!
Concealed neo magnets
in the baffle and grille
provide a minimalist front
baffle. Our kits come with
the magnets already
installed for a quick and
easy build.
-+

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Installing terminals
Push faston speaker connectors onto the speaker terminals. It’s often necessary to open out
the connector slightly with a flat head screwdriver, since the fit is quite tight.
Screw in the terminals with the wire loom already attached.
Safe installation tip
We recommend using a Phillips head screwdriver, as some powered drivers are more likely to
cause damage if the head slips off the screw head. Impact drivers should be avoided. If using
a powered driver, it’s best to use one which has a clutch, so that once the screws are
adequately tightened, the driver will not over-tighten. This avoids stripping the MDF pre drilled
holes or damage to the screw heads. If using a screwdriver, your left hand can hold the shaft
to avoid slipping.

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Before inserting the acoustic lining, cut an opening in the shape of a cross with a sharp blade.
The cross should be centred 205mm from the top end.
into the enclosure, the
125Now insert the black polyester acoustic lining.

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Insert the lining, feeding the cable through the cross shaped cut out.
The lining covers the top and rear internal walls of the enclosure, as shown in the sectional
drawing below. You may choose to secure the lining in place with contact adhesive or a hot
melt glue gun.
It’s important to check that the lining does not block the clearance around the internal opening
of the port. If this occurs, bass extension will be restricted.
Note: the clearance around the port is essential to retain the correct tuning.

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It’s now time to install the driver. Push the connectors onto the driver tabs. Correct polarity is
important but this is made easy by using faston connectors that are sized to avoid mistakes.
The larger negative connector goes to positive and the smaller negative connector goes to
the other. Avoid excessive force, which can damage terminals. If you find the fit is tight, you
can use a small flat head screwdriver to open them out slightly.
Now lower the driver into the recess. Rotate the driver so that the terminals are aligned with
the cutouts as shown below.

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Screw the driver into place with a Phillips head screwdriver, securing the shaft with the other
hand. Pushing the port into place completes the assembly. Your new kit is now ready to rock!
Wire up the speaker to your amplifier and you‘re ready to rock!

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Grille assembly
Lightly sand the grille frame so that the edges are slightly rounded over. This provides a more
appealing effect when the grille fabric is in place. Shown below is the original grille prior to
sanding (bottom) and then the grille after sanding (on top).
Painting
Although the grille frame will be covered with black cloth, it’s best to paint it black to ensure
the lighter colour of the raw MDF won’t be seen. You can use any paint that is suitable for
MDF. In this manual we show the use of a very handy paint which many DIYers use as a
finish for their speaker boxes as well. It is a textured paint which can be applied direct without
any priming. It can be brushed, rolled or sprayed. It’s also a very fast drying paint, which
allows you to move on to gluing the cloth to the frame much quicker than other options.
If you prefer to use a spray can, don’t skip priming as most spray paints won’t provide a very
good finish when applied to raw MDF. For best results with a spray can, we suggest two
prime coats and then two top coats, being careful to observe the recommended time between
coats. Typically spray painting will take longer than 4 hours. By contrast, the texture paint we
use allows you to start gluing on cloth in as little as 30 minutes. This can vary depending on
climate.

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Lay out the grille on a suitable covering to protect your work surface. It’s a good idea to use
disposable gloves for rolling the grille. The paint we use here is Acry-tech DuraTex which can
be purchased through Cannon the Australian Distributor. The ideal roller has a 5mm short
nap – and is small to avoid soaking up too much paint into the roller. Here we’re using a
sample roller. Although you can purchase a texture roller designed for Duratex, we don’t
recommend it for grilles as the texture is quite coarse.
Handy tip: Avoid extra clean up and paint waste by dipping the roller directly into the paint
tub. You can use a scrap of cardboard as shown above to ensure the paint is even spread
around the roller.
A few points to note:
 If you are painting a number of grilles at a time, start with one side for all of them. By
the time you have done one side for all of them, you may be able to progress to the
underside.
 Avoid applying the paint too thick – thinner application with a low nap roller provides a
smoother finished result
 Texture can be improved by rolling over previously applied paint that has not yet dried
– as the paint starts to become tacky the texture can be better controlled
 Two coats are ideal for grilles
 The second coat can be applied when the first is touch dry. If the first coat is thin,
often the first grille will be ready for the second coat as soon as you have painted the
other.

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Masking
On the backside of the grille, you will notice a trench inset from the edges. This is the cut line
and defines the area where the cloth will be glued to the frame. The area inside this line
needs to be masked. This allows you to use spray contact adhesive, which provides flat and
even coverage in addition to a fast application. You can measure and cut your own masking
or download the PDF template file (print 100% scale on an A4 sheet). Or you may prefer to
simply use masking tape.
A few features of our mask:
 Masking tape tabs to lift the mask after glue application
 Sticky tabs where the masking tape holds down the mask to the frame
Spray contact adhesive is the simplest and quickest to use and it goes on evenly. Be sure to
carefully follow the instructions on the can as each one is slightly different.

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Glue is only required on the back surface as shown here – no glue is required to the sides.
Allow a suitable setting time for the glue. This is different for each product. If you attempt to
attach the cloth too soon, the results may be less than ideal.
At this point, the advantage of using the mask becomes clear. You can quickly remove it with
the masking tape tabs and move on to the next step, without excess glue causing problems.
Now press the cloth onto the glue on the back of the frame. Start with one side and then
follow with the opposing side, stretching the cloth. When stretched with adequate tension, you
will see ripples in the fabric between the two points of contact on the frame. These will be
stretched out when the cloth is attached to all sides of the frame. Without adequate tension,
the grille cloth may tend to sag. Too much tension applies undue stress on the glue holding
the fabric in place.
Avoid contact of the cloth around the corners. It’s important that these are done last.

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Repeat with the other pair of sides. When the final end is pressed into place, all wrinkles
should be removed.
Always be careful to avoid contact between cloth and frame around the corners.
Wrinkle free corners
The biggest challenge in assembling a grille is the corners. If not done correctly, these will
bunch up with many wrinkles. The secret is to stretch the fabric into place.
Hold the cloth with both hands, then pull it back over the frame. Stretch it firmly, pulling back
into the correct position. After stretching it into place, press down to the glue area.
If you find that you have wrinkles on first attempt, you can remove it and try again. It’s
important to work without interruption at this stage, as there is a limited work time involved
with the adhesive.