JBL 4406 - 035ti tweeter repair question

donj1

txaudiophile
Hi, I recently acquired a pair of JBL 4406 Studio Monitors and I found the tweeters don't work. After some research I found the problem. .... now I just need to fix it. I have read in some other post about this problem but I am not sure about how to go about fixing it. As you can see in the pics , the voice coil wire is completely corroded. So I was going to take a strand of a speaker wire to "jump" the corroded part. The question I have is ..... do you solder the wire (jumper) ? I have never tried to solder anything this tiny .... or what? Can someone who has done this please let me know. Any tips & trick would be greatly appreciated !

Thanks a bunch, Don

035ti-tweeter-3.jpg

035ti-tweeter-1.jpg

035ti-tweeter-4.jpg

035ti-tweeter-2.jpg
 
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I have not done it on a JBL tweeter, but I have on other models. Just watch your heat close to the diaphragm so you don't warp it and you will be good to go. A strand of speaker wire will work just fine.

EDIT: paint the new piece with clear nailpolish once installed to prevent future corrosion issues.
 
I'd splice the wire after cutting out the corroded section to keep from having to solder right at the diaphragm. Make sure you have good continuity at the connector as that's where most 35ti open-circuits occur.
 
I have not done it on a JBL tweeter, but I have on other models. Just watch your heat close to the diaphragm so you don't warp it and you will be good to go. A strand of speaker wire will work just fine.

EDIT: paint the new piece with clear nailpolish once installed to prevent future corrosion issues.

Thanks for the reply .... I guess I'm going to have to invest in a better soldering Iron. Mine has one setting ... HOT as Hell !

I'd splice the wire after cutting out the corroded section to keep from having to solder right at the diaphragm. Make sure you have good continuity at the connector as that's where most 35ti open-circuits occur.

Yes , but how .... it looks like this tiny wire would just break if I tried to twist it together with another wire. Any pointers in splicing these tiny wires?
 
This may help.. alternative for parts or repair considering the cost of a decent temp controlled soldering station.

http://www.simpyspeakers.com/jbl-speaker-replacement-diaphragms.html

Not to open a can of worms..
for soldering: http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/aoyue-9378-vs-aoyue-2930-vs-hakko-fx888d.102607/

I got an Aoyue 9378.. (no affiliation) more than I'll need for tips and service and very happy and I've shaped tips, too. there are lesser cost models in the Aoyue line. I went by transformer weight. Opened mine up and nice inside, good connects and all. Spend the 10 bucks if you don't have a brass solder dip versus the sponge is a must.

My old weller analog.. not bad and I could do fine work died.. so try the digital. the analogy was night and day in performance with kester which is all I use. I can walk away and it goes into off mode and recovery to 680f is a few seconds or any setting you want to use by recall.

but I still own the heavy artillery guns, too. :D

happy fourth.. :D
 
I've done it with a cheap Rat Shack soldering iron. Be quick. You can't really hurt something that's already ruined.
 
Thanks for those links Binkman .... very helpful. And , yeah , i just bought a cheap Iron from harbor freight today that might do the trick. I will practice on some tiny strands of speaker wire first! But I think I will go ahead and get a digital soldering station as well.

Thanks for all the reply's , Don

PS.... I will post an update with some pics when I get it done. :thmbsp:
 
Melt little metal on soldering rod. Apply flux on wire and pass that wire through molten metal starting from its open end. It will tin the thin wire. Then prepare new piece of wire same way. Just hold them together in joining position using tape and do quick job within 5 sec.


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Melt little metal on soldering rod. Apply flux on wire and pass that wire through molten metal starting from its open end. It will tin the thin wire. Then prepare new piece of wire same way. Just hold them together in joining position using tape and do quick job within 5 sec.

That really helps .... Thanks !

Melt little metal on soldering rod.

I's assuming you mean "solder" not "metal"
 
Glad you're considering a new solder setup; don

Just replaced a couple of caps on some short but heavy towers and had to work off the floor. Half the time I was watching a classic movie and checking on a chicken in the oven.. spent more time putting the screws back etc than soldering. caps out & little wire tinning etc. like an hour or so actual time on including screws and up and testing an amp. the on/off feature is a safety feature too if the tip is cold.
 
Glad you're considering a new solder setup; don

Just replaced a couple of caps on some short but heavy towers and had to work off the floor. Half the time I was watching a classic movie and checking on a chicken in the oven.. spent more time putting the screws back etc than soldering. caps out & little wire tinning etc. like an hour or so actual time on including screws and up and testing an amp. the on/off feature is a safety feature too if the tip is cold.

Yes, I have so many speakers, amps, receivers, etc that need to be re-capped and worked on.... I have just been buying stuff (when i find a great deal) knowing that they will need work. I just haven't got the time (or the right tools) to get it done. I KNOW a good soldering station would help. Also, I am learning as I go because I am NOT a repair tech or anything .... I just enjoy tinkering with this stuff.
 
I have three working 035Ti and two not working with the same problem as yours.

BTW I don't think the foam is supposed to be stuck to the diaphragm. Im pretty sure (at least two of mine that I have taken apart) have had the foam stuck to the magnet. Can someone confirm this?
 
Done ! ~}:)

Well, I got it done (at least one of them, I still have to do the other one) and it sounds GREAT !!!
It really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
I hope the other one goes this good THANKS for all of y'alls help.
Here's a couple of pics ....

035ti-tweeter-5.jpg

035ti-tweeter-6.jpg

035ti-tweeter-7.jpg
 
Well, I got it done (at least one of them, I still have to do the other one) and it sounds GREAT !!!
It really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.
I hope the other one goes this good THANKS for all of y'alls help.
Here's a couple of pics ....

035ti-tweeter-5.jpg

035ti-tweeter-6.jpg

035ti-tweeter-7.jpg

Nice, wanna practice on some others?:thmbsp:
 
Yes, I have so many speakers, amps, receivers, etc that need to be re-capped and worked on.... I have just been buying stuff (when i find a great deal) knowing that they will need work. I just haven't got the time (or the right tools) to get it done. I KNOW a good soldering station would help. Also, I am learning as I go because I am NOT a repair tech or anything .... I just enjoy tinkering with this stuff.

I was thinking about using some of my GI Bill for some electronic engineering classes. Would only be used for a hobby not a career.
 
BTW I don't think the foam is supposed to be stuck to the diaphragm. Im pretty sure (at least two of mine that I have taken apart) have had the foam stuck to the magnet. Can someone confirm this?

Yeah , I wasn't sure about this either. But it just falls apart when you touch it, so I just left it like it is. It looks like it would be very easy to get some of it wedged down between the voice coil & magnet! BTW, it was a chore to get that mag back on without damaging the voice coil ... It has to line up just right.
 
There is ton of education material online free including the stickies on various forums. As in taking a class and driving and all? I think I missed a lot of lab time in class over theory. AK to me was a big refresher and still is. You have links to all types of projects, service manuals (note some have errors) to become with familiar with circuits and all 'gems' of tested experience.

There is not one question you can't ask at AK regardless of your experience including non electronic topics :D

there's a lot more expensive hobbies that you can't listen to. :yes:
 
There is not one question you can't ask at AK regardless of your experience including non electronic topics :D

there's a lot more expensive hobbies that you can't listen to. :yes:

Yes .... I just love this place. I read and learn a LOT more than I post. You Guys & Gals on here are greatly appreciated !!!
 
Congrats on your repair! Oh man do I know about repairing 035TI. I bought 4 L20T (the consumer version of these 4406) for cheap. 2 had dinged corners like they had been dropped, and had dead tweeters. The other 2 sounded awesome! Opening the boxes up revealed the magnet/pole had FALLEN OFF the front plate leaving the front plate attached to the diaphragm/coil. The motion of the magnet falling off ripped the coil off the diaphragm on both. I have an old thread somewhere with a couple pics. Then my 4 year old knocked one of the good ones off the stand causing the magnet to shift and pinch the coil. That one ended up destroyed.

The best repair candidate was the one with the fallen off magnet and voice coil. The coil fit back on the diaphragm like a puzzle piece in the hardened glue, I then ran a bead of gel super glue to secure it. The wire broke too close to the coil, so I simply unwound the coil a couple turns and soldered to the terminal. 2-3 turns changed the impedance by a miniscule amount, well within tolerance. For a repair like yours this is the easiest solution.
Then I set the top plate on the magnet and then had to pry and shim it till it was centered, ran a bead of epoxy around the joint of top plate and magnet. Then screwed the diaphragm to the top plate. Turned out good. I haven't tackled the other repairable tweeter yet since the 4th is unsalvageable.

Here is something to keep in mind. The only thing holding the magnet and pole to the top plate is some old dried out adhesive. A sharp bump can easily cause the magnet to shift. If they are still properly centered you can run a bead of epoxy around between the 2 pieces to secure it.
 
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