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Author Topic: Finished my LABs  (Read 18769 times)

lawrencemueller

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Finished my LABs
« on: July 10, 2008, 03:54:18 PM »

Thanks a TON (actually, about one-half ton of bass) for all the kind, patient advice on the build and the setup. Kevin Pippen, especially. We launched them two days ago and the results were exactly what I was hoping for.

Drum N Bass is awesome with these, but will be better once we get the super mid-bass that we'll get from the X-TROs that I'm about to build. I will need help understanding how they are wired and amped. After seeing the build pics with 4+4 speakon plugs on the back, my head started to spin. (I have just learned how to calculate impedance and wire accordingly for the LABs, this is a bit more complicated and dependant on a few variables.)

We're powering them with one QSC PL380, but I realized that I can run each pair of off one of these, so we're planning to buy one more to get the full effect.

I think if I had it to do again, I would use a black veneer instead of liquid finishes, at least for the inside of the mouth, where it's likely to gather dust and start looking rough. I used Duratex speaker coating on the outside, and it is really nice. I was able to extend it by first priming with flat black latex and letting it dry for 12 hours. On a test sample, dry-to-touch (1 hour) latex caused crackling and lift-away when coated with duratex, but fully cured latex (12 hours) worked as a primer and extender without reducing adhesion of the duratex. (Duratex isn't cheap.)

Heavy duty handles, two on the top and two on the bottom, along with four heavy-duty casters on the back is a GREAT combination. You can pull on the handle with your foot at the fulcrum point and all 250 lbs goes right onto two of the wheels. (This can be made easier with 3/4" rubber feet on the bottom, which I thought of beforehand.) It's easy to maneuver without any help at all. You can lower it onto all four caster to move it longer distances. Tha handles help for loading or stacking them on their sides.

Notes on mounting the wheels:
1. Inset them enough so that the wheels will never pass the edge of the box at any position. I made a template for consistency.

2. I used 4" caster (swivel and/or fixed) with 1/4-20 deluxe T-nuts from parts express.

3. Before you assemble the outer box, (but you've got the pieces routed and ready to go) mount the T-nuts on the back panel with some epoxy where the teeth go in. Then bolt the wheels on and torque them down. You can avoid a few problems this way, and it's nice to have the wheels so early on.

Thanks again!


index.php/fa/16748/0/
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lawrencemueller

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Re: Finished my LABs
« Reply #1 on: July 10, 2008, 03:54:57 PM »

more pics:
index.php/fa/16749/0/
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lawrencemueller

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Re: Finished my LABs
« Reply #2 on: July 10, 2008, 03:56:00 PM »

more pics:
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Rain Jaudon

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Re: Finished my LABs
« Reply #3 on: July 11, 2008, 12:24:16 AM »

They look GREAT but I think you need more tie downs before you can fit them in that car. HAHA!
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Josh Billings

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Re: Finished my LABs
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2008, 05:57:00 AM »

They look awesome man

a few suggestions

lose the corner pieces and get them sprayed with bed liner. May seem expensive now, but worth every dime in 2-5 years. SPRAYED with bed liner though, not roll on (not nearly as good).

I like the handles for sure, but think about cutting out the bottom corner. Makes it really easy for one person to set up. Just tilt back on corner and then put back on wheels and roll.

The way your brace is cut really looks good though, probably my favorite touch.

-Josh Billings
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lawrencemueller

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Re: Finished my LABs
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2008, 09:36:20 AM »

Thanks! The braces took some work - filler and sand, repeat - ad nauseum.

I wanted to get spray on bedliner, but this set didn't have the budget for it. I did settle for Duratex, which got some high reviews on this forum. Definitely the next best thing, but not even close to the durability and overall awesomeness of spray-on bedliner, for sure. BTW, those corners don't crack (as many people complain) if you seat them properly by routing out the edges of the box where they mount.

I explored cutting the lower back cavity to put wheels there, but decided to keep it.

Besides, with rubber feet on the bottom and casters on the back, mine have the same functionality you're talking about - pull it back onto two of the wheels and roll it around. I moved these things between the shop and the carport probably 7 times while building them, and I didn't need assistance a single time, even though the entrance to the shop is elevated by a foot or more, followed by a tight 90 degree turn.

(Thick rubber feet provide traction so that it's not sliding around on the corner of the box as you're getting it up to the equilibrium point.)

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Josh Billings

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Re: Finished my LABs
« Reply #6 on: July 12, 2008, 10:51:52 PM »

No i mean cut out the corner and put 4 wheels on the back.

I originally did it like that (cerwin vega style wheelbarrow design) but i hated having to keep it balanced the whole time and it was a bit of a pain. I stumbled across the awesomeness of having that back corner cut out though

It makes it AMAZINGLY easy to tilt them back and move them by yourself. Seriously so glad i did it with mine and will definitely do it in the future.

Well if you're sticking with paint, do as many coats as you can afford / have time for. It's just one of those things you wish you would have done a year or two down the line

They look super good man, you should be proud. I could see them selling for $2,500-3,000 or so. Just loving that cross brace Smile

-Josh Billings
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lawrencemueller

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Re: Finished my LABs
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2008, 12:42:08 PM »

You're right, cutting out the corner AND putting four wheels on the back is probably the best way possible for maneuverability.

In hindsight, I really do wish I had some truck bed liner sprayed on 'em. They would definitely look perfect, then...

I'm going to consider getting some sprayed on over the current finish later on, if they think it's compatible. Hopefully so!

I bet truck bed liner completely covers the grain of b-grade plywood - you know, where the density of the wood fibers varies, so the texture of the paint on top of it varies in sheen level as a result... probably doesn't happen at all with truck bed liner

I'm thinking a truly professional look could be achieved by using black veneer on the inside of the visible parts of mouth and truck bed liner on the outside of the entire box, along with black anodized access panels. Of course, I'd have to have the cross brace and the motor panels CNC'd in order to achieve the necessary precision for a surface treatment like that.

Man, this makes me want to build some more!

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jeffhtg (Jeff Kenney)

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Re: Finished my LABs
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2008, 05:22:49 PM »

Nice... Have you ever heard 6 of them?? That is truley the magic number for your type of music.

get back in the shop!
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lawrencemueller

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Re: Finished my LABs
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2008, 05:50:32 PM »

Yessir, I will! and I'll run one PL380 per pair.

If you're into bass, Klute sounds amazing on these. There's lots of really low stuff, and it's got all kinds of interesting variations in the way the bass resonates. It's some of the cleanest, clearest bass around...
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