2014 Speakers PHILIPS FB815 Digital, ready for foam surrounds replacement

[Kiriakos GR]

This is an ordinary story of speaker refoaming (foam surrounds replacement) of my speakers PHILIPS FB815 Digital.

Intro:
At 1994 I worked as electrician and seller assistant in a local business which was selling Hi-Fi Audio, televisions, and electric home appliances etc etc .
This company actually was an official PHILIPS products reseller  but in our Audio department there was equipment also from Panasonic & AKAI.
At that time I was in the age of 26 years old, and my job was to demonstrate the equipment to new customers and also to offer customer's technical support if needed.

When I was performing the most unpleasant task which was keeping the dust away of the Hi-Fi Audio equipment, I was using this opportunity to test amplifier’s and speakers, all wired up in a basic console with push buttons which this alloying you to choose different speakers set, so them to play with specific amplifier and you may also select the sound source.

By benchmarking everything available, that PHILIPS FB815 Digital series stolen my hart and ears, among with one Technics Amplifier model SU-A600, and I got them both among with a PHILIPS 5xCD player and one AKAI FM radio.

When installed everything at home I did realize that SU-A600 was not enough, and a year later I did replace it with a KENWOOD KA7020 which was and is a true animal.

At about 2003 my lifestyle changed, my available space for dedicated sound listening room changed, and the speakers got in storage for a later use.

In 2013 I did note the first pieces of foam which was coming off, and today I did decided to make the necessary arrangements so me to receive and install foam surrounds replacement in all four damaged drives, mostly because FB815 has an remarkable sound performance, especially for naturally produced sounds, as for example piano, violin, guitar, trumpet, and vocals.

I did read a comment over the internet that FB800 series is for old guys .. And this comment is almost understandable and almost acceptable, my FB815 has a neutral behavior that is close to a Monitor speaker and therefore heavy bass (sub woofer) and ultra high treble is out of the picture.

I like electronic music too and even added as a test, Motorola piezo horns at the top of my boxes so to see if they can help any?  But I did remove them. 

Today I did bring out of storage my FB815, and my plan is a bit of cleaning, and to take measurements so to order the exact foam surrounds.
And by this thread my plan is to offer some emotional support and information’s to other FB815 owners, mostly because there is no chance in the current market to find speakers with equivalent design and performance as the FB800 series, them are a small miracle which deserves to stay in action.

Bellow is many pictures of the speakers, and I will add soon my own measurements too.
As it seems, many foam surrounds sellers they have generic replacements and not 100% compatible.
 
For the history I will say that FB800 series got the description as Digital because this series of speakers was the first designed by PHILIPS so to take full advantage of the acoustic range of CD players.

[Kiriakos GR]

Close up pictures of specification labels and the speakers. 

Philips AD80629/W8DC Woofer (2422 257 48003)
Nominal Impedance: 8 Ω
Coil resistance: 7.20 Ω   
Magnet: 73 x 15 mm
The diameter of the mounting hole spacing: 195 mm

Philips AD40409/SQ8DC Mid (2422 257 34608)
Nominal output rms: 20 W (IEC) 80W
Efficiency SPLref: 90 dB
Frequency Response: 1000 - 9000 Hz
Resonant frequency: 1500 Hz
Nominal Impedance: 8 Ω
Coil resistance: 7 Ω
The diameter of the coil: 20 mm
The height of the coil : 6.4 mm
Weight: 0.5 kg
Dimensions: 102 x 50 mm
Magnet: 60 x 13 mm
The diameter of the mounting hole spacing: 115 mm

Philips AD 11600 T8 Tweeter designed by Dr. Wm. Marshall Leach (Georgia University USA)
Frequency Response: 2500 - 20000 Hz
Resonant frequency: 1300 Hz
Nominal Impedance: 8 Ω
Coil resistance: 6.3 Ω
Max output rms: 50 W / 4KHz ( C= 3.3uF &  L=0,35mH)
Magnet: 73 x 15 mm
The diameter of the mounting hole spacing: 108 mm

[Kiriakos GR]

After removing the woofer speaker I become adventurous by watching the magic that is called as PHILIPS crossover ... you may build a DIY speaker easy but you will never have an PHILIPS crossover in it, which always makes the difference.

Give a curtsey to the King     

PHILIPS 3104 203 3029.1

[Kiriakos GR]

My thought of using my LCR so to verify the quality of the capacitors in this crossover shown as smart thing to do.
Two capacitors shown severe signs of damage, and both are responsible for med and high frequencies.
What I was not expect to see is larger capacity than the expected, especially in this 8.2uF that is far from any reasonable explanation of how it become an 96uF ?? 

Naturally I will buy new capacitors for both crossover and all will be inspected before they get payed , I will visit a local shop by my DE-5000 at hand. 

[Kiriakos GR]

PHILIPS FB815 Crossover schematic available for any one interested, as aid so to repair your crossover capacitors, resistors, PPTC speaker protection.   

Regarding the specific PPTC fuse resistor is very old stock and the manufacturer has replace his parts coding with new.
I did try to contact them so to get the actual specifications, the listed specification on my datasheet is approximately what it should be, so to handle 120 - 150W.
For what there is no dough is the voltage as 55V but today all new ones are at 60V which is no problem to use as replacement as long the trip Ampere is at the wanted limit.

[Kiriakos GR]

TE connectivity corporation answered my question by identifying the old part as RDE185A, which has been replaced with the RXEF185.
http://www.te.com/catalog/pn/en/RF2635-000?RQPN=RXEF185

Now I can finally say that there is no unknown parts over this crossover. 

[Kiriakos GR]

This project is going to move ahead soon.
With great difficulty I did locate and order capacitors so to repair my crossover networks.
The ROE 8.2uF are old new stock in China, and the smaller 1.5uF will come from Germany.

And also thanks to Audio friends NL in about two weeks time I will have my FB815 repair kit with everything needed for my speakers at the cost of 29.93 Euro Shipped.

Therefore beginning of October I bet that all parts will be have arrive so to make the repair.

For the capacitors responsible for my tweeters I found those 1.5uF which is plan to use as  two in parallel so to raise the capacity at 3uF, this solution is better than using new dry capacitors which is more strict as filters and they would influence negatively the frequency response of my speakers.
And so I ordered six of them by the thought to create two pairs of the ones who are matching best in capacity according to my requirements. 

[giorgos]

I have many multifuses like this type you want (185).
It would be my pleasure to help you by sending you some of them.

[Kiriakos GR]

Thanks for the offer giorgos, what I did was an  product specifications hunting than spare part  search, because there is no damage in my speakers.
As a joke I will say that if I did not manage to blown these pair of speakers in my young hood?  Those days are no more in danger. 

[Kiriakos GR]

By this message I am celebrating the end of my hunting for replacement capacitors.
I will recommend for any one looking for 8.2uF 60V AC (possibly 150 VDC) high quality bipolar with tremendously Low ESR, this eBay seller.
http://stores.ebay.com/jims-audio-store/_i.html?_nkw=bipolar&submit=Search&_sid=26814015

The specific ROEDERSTEIN 8.2uF EGW series is by far superior compared to TONEFREQUENZ W-W6 series.
ESR is much less at almost 1/2, small downsize could be their larger dimensions.
ROE 8.2uF EGW (Gold Elco) has diameter 18mm VS 14mm and also a length of 40mm VS 30mm (TONEFREQUENZ W-W6).
Therefore it dimensions are larger and this cause a small problem about easy fitting over the crossover network.

Regarding the 3.3uf capacitors, I am going to use my old TONEFREQUENZ L-X5, the reforming did miracles on those two.
Unfortunately these ROE EBT series that I got as new replacement, has much higher ESR by their specifications at 6 Ohm, when my old ones are at 1.5 Ohm.

The reforming of these new ROEDERSTEIN 8.2uF EGW series at 100VDC helped them by just 1% regarding capacitance correction which is now at 8.6uF instead of their named value of 8.2uF, possibly they did not need any reforming in the first place.
In conclusion they seem to have larger tolerance by % but the point is that they are by far much better capacitors.
I have the feeling that acoustically these new capacitors they will further improve midrange driver’s performance, Midrange frequencies’ will become more vivid due a small boost in all their range.


The next stop in my journey is the installation of the foam surrounds which is not here yet after two weeks of waiting.
AudioFriends NL send their products in a pizza box for ultimate protection.
I hope my pizza to arrive tomorrow so to do this job over this weekend.

[Kiriakos GR]

Foam surrounds KIT arrival ....      

By looking this KIT my only advice that I like to share is to wash those brushes well with water before using them.
They have some glue over them as protection layer which needs to be removed so the brush to become soft and easy to use.

I have not prepare (clean) my drives from the old glue and foam residue at their back side, but this is my next step.

This topic was not intended to be a How-To of speakers surrounds replacement,  but to offer some hints and info about this very nice sounding pair of speakers. 
 

[Kiriakos GR]

THE HAPPY END  !!!!