The Loudspeaker Crossover Part II The Brains of your System. Do Better Quality Parts Really Matter In part one of Crossover, Brain of your speaker system, we introduced the concepts of inductance, capacitance, and resistance. We then examined how these three basic passive elements relate and combine to create frequency selective networks called High pass and Low pass sections, the building blocks of the crossover network. We also considered in part one, the effect of real loudspeaker impedance, and how, unlike a resistor, its amplitude and phase vary with frequency to complicate and frustrate the function of constant resistance type crossover networks. These real loudspeaker impedance variations result in frequency and phase responses which end up being very different than what our textbook equations would have us expect, because they assume a speaker behaves like a simple resistor. We also made the assumption that the parts used in our crossover networks were theoretically perfect and without flaws. In part two, we will discuss how in the real world, capacitors, inductors and resistors exhibit behavior which is neither ideal nor perfect. We will determine if better quality parts truly yields better performance. Some of my more recent efforts. Real world parts, the kind you will actually find in your own crossovers, suffer from many flaws. In part two, we will discuss and illustrate the effects of some of these. We will also examine how simple mistakes, like the physical orientation and location of inductors on the crossover board can result in non ideal behavior like cross talk. This article will allow the reader to gain some insight into the kinds of mistakes made by amateur and professional crossover designers alike, and allow us to recognize compromises in crossovers by simply looking at the networks. We also hope to gain some understanding into flaws which are not quite so easy to see with the naked eye. While this article is not going to be an exhaustive study of crossover component parts, it will touch on most of the major flaws present in the three basic components used in all real world crossovers, resistors, capacitors, and inductors. This article explores the differences between capacitor and inductor types utilized in the crossover designs and how they may affect measurable and sonic performance. The inductor calculator presented on this page is unique in that it employs the n0 sheath helix waveguide mode to determine the inductance of a coil, irrespective of. I am hopeful this light shed on crossover networks will make you all better and somewhat more cynical consumers, ones who understand the importance of the passive crossover parts used in their speaker system. Free Download Deadly Boss Mods 3.3 5.0. Reading some of the more ardent audiophile press, one can be left with the opinion that there is all sort of magic going on in this network. In fact the enemies of these passive components are basically the same as the enemies of all electronic parts hysteresis, loss, tolerance, insufficient power handling capacity,  insufficient space, and compromises made on behalf of cost. Resistors Tolerances. Lets start by considering the simplest of the three electrical components used in our crossover, the resistor. It will, in combination with inductors and capacitors create time constants used in frequency selective circuits, although by itself the resistor does nothing other than to consume power. In a crossover network, resistors are usually used in combination with other components to control either impedance magnitudes or the relative levels between different drivers in a system. Resistors are most often used in padding a tweeter which is more efficient than the woofer, so the overall system frequency response will be flat. The resistor, in series or parallel with capacitors andor inductors, is often used as part of a Zobel or impedance compensation network. A good Meter is the best way to Trust, but verify Of all flaws with which we must deal, the simplest to understand is tolerance the allowable variation of the components value, whether that component is a resistor, inductor, or capacitor. No surprises here, everyone can understand how a part with a small 1 tolerance will lead to a more uniform and reliable frequency or amplitude response performance than a part with a 1. The tolerance issue, while seeming obvious, becomes more critical as we increase the order of the network. Remember, a first order network has one part with tolerance, while a third order network is going to have 3 which vary with tolerance. It is for this reason that the higher order the network, the greater the need for a tight component tolerance. Said another way, for a given amount of  allowable variation in response, plus or minus 1 db for example, a second order network requires tighter tolerances from its components than does a first order network, and a third order network requires tighter tolerances than a second order network. As we increase the complexity orderof the network, the sensitivity of the network to component tolerance increases. So, as we increase the network order, not only do we add additional parts, for a given crossover frequency, we require both larger size value components and tighter tolerance in those components in order to keep the frequency response window tolerance the same as the simpler network. This is often a hidden and un calculated cost in using higher order networks. This exponential rise in part size and cost should explain why crossover networks are almost never found in complexity above fourth order. Resistors normally deviate from their design values within a window of anywhere from 0. If you buy a 5 1. Air Core Inductor Design Program' title='Air Core Inductor Design Program' />You will find neither the highest or lowest tolerance parts in most crossover networks, as the typical tolerance specification is either 1. The letters K and J on the part will indicate if it is 1. Air Core Inductor Design Program' title='Air Core Inductor Design Program' />The effect of this variation is one of magnitude and is important to hold close enough so that there is not much variation from one speaker system to the next. Lets consider an example. We have an 8 ohm tweeter which is 6 db hotter than the woofer in the system. If we put an 8 ohm resistor in series with the tweeter, the combination of the 8 ohm series resistor and the 8 ohm tweeter presents 1. Since power V2 R and since we have doubled R, we have halved the power the entire network resistor plus speaker consumes from the amplifier. The amp is delivering 12 the current to the loudspeaker load. Now half of the power that is delivered is consumed in the series resistor, the 8 ohm resistor in series with the tweeter. So, we have cut the power in half twice, and therefore get 3 db 3 db 6 db attenuation. Lets say we pick a 1. This generally defines a 2. We are making a stereo pair, and the two resistors we use are 8. In the first case, 8. This means we have a mismatch between our pair of 0. This same magnitude variation tolerance when the part is used in conjunction with a capacitance or inductance will also cause a shift in the frequency corner of the network. Many people have asked me for a copy of this program. It is not for sale it remains a free service of this Web Site. This Web Sites goal is provide solutions for. Avnet is a global leader of electronic components and services, guiding makers and manufacturers from design to delivery. Let Avnet help you reach further. This instructable will tell you how to make a simple small air core inductor, specifically for Niftymitter. Niftymitter is an open source FM transmitter based on. The term high voltage usually means electrical energy at voltages high enough to inflict harm on living organisms. Becoming Colette. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage. Wireless Energy Transmission Coils as Key Components. Presented By Wrth Elektronik. Why is wireless energy transmission gaining importance now even though the. Another very well documented issue with resistors is inductance. While high impedance, small wattage resistors are most often made from a metal film, higher wattage parts of low impedances the kind most likely to be used in crossover networks are often wire wound parts. This web based application allows the user to design simple radio frequency filters. These filters are most effective between 5. Hz and. 5. 00 m. Hz. Below 5. 0 k. Hz active filters are usually more cost effective and above. Hz strip lines are generally used. Inductor sources Coil. Craft Digi. Key Wind your own Inductor Calculator for hams DIY Audio inductor calculator Multilayer air core inductor calculator Inductor calculator for Windows. Use Google to find more. Formulas and tables used in this program are from Electronic Filter Design Handbook by Arthur B. Williams. Open source code is here. The user selects the basic type Lowpass or Highpass, number of poles, 3 DB cut off. IO impedance. The application. Butterworth, Bessel. DB ripple Chebyshev. Two different configurations with schematics. The frequency response plots are approximations which assume perfect components and construction. Real world results with not be as good. The Bessel plots are only accurate to 2x the cutoff frequency 12 for highpass. The user selects the basic type, Bandpass or Bandstop, number of poles, 3 DB bandwidth and the IO impedance. The application generates the parts values for three response shapes Butterworth, Bessel. DB ripple Chebyshev. Two different configurations with schematics. Note These filters are sensitive to stray capacitance and inductance and the Q of the components. Keep in mind that capacitors have series inductance and inductors have parallel capacitance which in some cases can be very significant. I have received emails from people having issues with the program computing inductor or capacitor values that are zero or very low. This is caused by the user specifying parameters difficult or impossible to achieve with LC filters. You may have problems with center frequencies higher than 2. High frequencies require small value capacitors and inductors. Stray inductance and capacitance in the circuit add to the component values and in extreme cases may even exceed them. Band pass filters with narrow bandwidths require components with high precision and Q. Bandwidths less than 1. LC components. Your milage may vary. Games American Army. If an LC filter cant do what you need because the frequency is too high I suggest looking at an interdigital bandpass filter. This program underwent major additions and changes on 1. May, 2. 01. 0. Please report bugs on my contact page.