Just some general questions about remaking something from the past

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Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
623
Thank you bertus I did not know this. I've been looking on the internet and that's why I keep asking questions here. It doesn't explain everything or I can't raise my hand if I don't get it.
 

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Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
623
Just a little something for you to read.
As I said I was in the drafting department of the company I worked for " just what we called it", It was more than that though. We were often gave assignments to design products and produce drawings for my boss that would solve problems when he didn't have the time. Before that for ten, twelve years I was the machine shop supervisor of that company. I ordered parts, supplies and such for the machinists. I also repaired any broken machines that went down except for the electrical part of it. Later after leaving the company I got into maintenance but, that's another story. One day a man approached me after placing an ad in the paper for a machinist. He was young only 19 years old and all he told me was "Look I NEED a job", I'll do anything you ask "I JUST NEED A JOB". We needed the help and so I hired him. I took him to the side and said here I'll help you make this part "I did". I showed him how to use calipers and micrometers and gave him a few pieces of scrap we had laying around and watched as he learned the ins and outs of the movements on a lathe. how to read the dials, which handles made what work, engage the feeds and everything. after a couple of days I gave him a print and said here make this for me. I walked away and after about 3 or 4 hours I watched him gathering up his stuff and head for the clock. "I stopped him and asked what are you doing?" his answer was I just don't get it, I don't understand. I told him now is not the time to give up, Now you ask questions. we returned to the lathe and I answered all the questions he asked and helped again. To make along story short he is now a Master Sergeant in the National Guard. and every time I see him till this day he tells me "If it hadn't been for you stopping me and helping me I don't know where I'd be". You never know what a helping hand or act of kindness will do.
 

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Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
623
and if you ever take a trip to Machu Picchu and ride the train trolleys up to the top I designed about 90% of the drive train . And had a part in the design of the car itself.
 

Thread Starter

Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
623
I can't help but ask cos this is what is on the board. now I'm still learning Diptrace and which end is what on a component. The GRN to the left is GRN to the chassis, the GRN on the right is to the speaker. Now I might have the poles on the components backwards but, I am trying to learn.
The GRN for chassis goes in between the capacitor and the first diode. The GRN on the speaker goes as shown to the right. I'm not understanding why this was done. If the 1's and 2's on the components don't make sense just reverse them. Again "I don't understand" been trying to figure it out all day. Yes I am looking at the courses on the website and watched several of them and been reading the tuts also.
Here's what I see:
 

Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
Your schematic has a capacitor, a resistor and two Zener diodes. You say it has a speaker (not shown) connected to its GND wire.
The two GND wires are usually connected together.
The simple circuit has no power supply and no signal input so it does nothing.
 

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Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
623
Thanks again Audioguru. This is the ground side of the PCB board and does not connect to anything on the +12VDC side. The +12VDC comes in on the other side of the two transistors " Which I have learned are only a OFF/ON switches" I will try to update my schematic as I learn what to place in Diptrace. The component I thought was a converter at first and did not know what it was, now I know it has to be. Transistors are not magic and act like transformers on AC voltage. This is why I said it could only be described it as a floating ground.
 

Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
If the two transistors are only OFF/ON switches then their outputs would be rectangular waves and speech and music would sound like buzzers.
Instead, the two transistors operate linearly, conducting a little or a lot or anything in between.
Transistors do not operate like transformers, they apply some of their power supply power to the load.
 

Thread Starter

Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
623
Audioguru said:
If the two transistors are only OFF/ON switches then their outputs would be rectangular waves and speech and music would sound like buzzers.
I think you described it correctly as a loud speaker or horn. If you can remember or ever seen a pair later they came out with coaxial speakers and tri-speakers. the others taking up the mid and upper range while the main speaker took up some voice , music, bass, and some of the mid. Trying to work on a circuit in Diptrace you can understand. The reason I said they were acting like a OFF/ON switch is there was a toggle switch for power on the mindblower and what I call a (rheostat) on the treble, mid, bass knob that you could adjust to get each. the speakers never went loud until you hit the toggle switch (ON)? once you applied +12VDC then you got the amplifier. this was a little box that was screwed under your panel below the your steering wheel were you could reach it.
 

Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
The patent of the MindBlower speaker did not show the "boost" switch that was added later. Someone who has one said it simply turns off the high frequency tweeter so that the bass sounds louder. Was the later speaker a coaxial with a tweeter in the center? I think the original speaker was a woofer with a cheap "wizzer" cone) attatched.
 

Thread Starter

Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
623
Even the first pair I bought had the power (boost) switch, when off the sound only came through as your normal volume. Yes the first ones only had a wizzer cone. Later you could buy them with either a two or three way speakers. The last set I bought had the three way in them. Now there are only the amplifiers left the speakers disintegrated after a board malfunction.
 

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,049
The reason I said they were acting like a OFF/ON switch is there was a toggle switch for power on the mindblower and what I call a (rheostat) on the treble, mid, bass knob that you could adjust to get each. the speakers never went loud until you hit the toggle switch (ON)? once you applied +12VDC then you got the amplifier. this was a little box that was screwed under your panel below the your steering wheel were you could reach it.
Having never seen or having one of these, it is sounding more like a cross over net work than an amplifier. Or a cross over network with an amplifier.

Instead of concentrating at this stage on what components do and how they work, would it make more sense to learn what the total package did? May be one of the forums on this Google would get you more help? Then after learning more about audio, you could come back here to work out what you want to do? Not trying to steer you away from AAC, the best electronics forum on the web, but to make you more able to get your project to completion. Who knows maybe someone on one of those forums actually is doing the same thing? https://www.google.com/search?q=audio+design+forum&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1-ab
 

Thread Starter

Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
623
Thanks shortbus. I do like it here and I know me asking so many questions gets taxing. I will check it out. And I appreciate you pointing me towards Diptrace that was a great help.
 

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,049
Thanks shortbus. I do like it here and I know me asking so many questions gets taxing. I will check it out. And I appreciate you pointing me towards Diptrace that was a great help.
Not trying to run you off, but really want to help. I know when I started in electronics it seemed like you got better help if you ask the right questions.This stuff is the hardest thing I've ever done.
 

Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
I learned about electronics from magazines then learned the details in university. It was easy. You need a teacher who knows how to teach.
 

Thread Starter

Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
623
I did check out the website shortbus they were mostly into musical amplifiers for guitars,mics and such from what I read. only a few posts on car amps when I searched the database. And it just didn't feel right if you know what I mean. I think I would have been way out of place.
Yea Audioguru I been looking for somewhere or someone closer. I also read that you can pay people to design for you but I would like to reserve that as a last option cos it could get expensive. Not that the money bothers me but I am a hands on person and could say "it's mine" a I did it thing.
 

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,049
I learned about electronics from magazines then learned the details in university. It was easy. You need a teacher who knows how to teach.
But people like me and him that come into doing this later in life have to rely on places like this to learn. Or just not do it, which speaking for myself is not going to happen. You know this stuff, but forget what it was like when you didn't.
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
35,018
Like AG, I learned from reading magazines as a teenager then picked up some theory in university. Everything after that was self-taught and simply doing it.
 

Thread Starter

Berzerker

Joined Jul 29, 2018
623
Now we have the internet and it's a great tool "But" again when something don't make sense in your mind you can't raise your hand and get the answer your looking for. Like my trying to understand Transistors and their function. In one place you get one answer and the other you get another. For example a transistor is:
Livescience said:
A traditional mechanical switch either enables or disables the flow of electricity by physically connecting (or disconnecting) two ends of wire. In a transistor, a signal tells the device to either conduct or insulate, thereby enabling or disabling the flow of electricity.
A off/on switch?
Then when you lookup audio amplification transistors you get this answer:
google search said:
Introduction: Simple Audio Amplifier Using Single Transistor. Audio Amplifier is a device which strengthen the weak signal. Usually in audio systems we use amplifiers to drive the speakers of high power rating .
They are both only transistors right? one place I read you can't put more current on collector than the input current "it would feed back through the wrong way on the transistor is my only guess" Or are these transistors two different types of the same item.
 

ebeowulf17

Joined Aug 12, 2014
3,307
Now we have the internet and it's a great tool "But" again when something don't make sense in your mind you can't raise your hand and get the answer your looking for. Like my trying to understand Transistors and their function. In one place you get one answer and the other you get another. For example a transistor is:
A off/on switch?
Then when you lookup audio amplification transistors you get this answer:

They are both only transistors right? one place I read you can't put more current on collector than the input current "it would feed back through the wrong way on the transistor is my only guess" Or are these transistors two different types of the same item.
Transistors can be used in linear or "saturated switch" applications. It just depends on how you build the rest of your circuit around them.

Not sure what you mean with the last question about input current. I'll leave that for someone else.

Have you tried reading about transistors in the textbooks on this website? I could've sworn they covered the difference between on/off and linear transistor applications.
 
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