Double Quad ESL-63
Frame dimensions
cutting frame members
use jig saw with fine wood (#1351) blade
use only B&D blades - others (e.g., Vermont Standard) don't fit
blade is exactly 1.25" from outer edge of jig-saw baseplate
mark cut line on wood - ruler and set-square
mark out 1.25" jig-saw offset on inside of cut line, on wood to be cut
clamp wooden straight-edge exactly on this line
use the straight-edge to guide the jig-saw
works for short cross-grain cuts
doesn't seem to work for along-the-grain cuts (e.g, plinth cut-out)
if cut from both sides toward centre, there is always a "notch"
very difficult to hold blade vertical
cut along wide side
cut identical members (e.g. pickets) together with jig-saw
cut them along long side
simplifies alignment of wood and of saw
ensures symmetry
mark each piece once cut
"front" "top" etc. so that don't get disoriented later
make sure that members palced in frame in same alignment as cut
if cut is not true, and one member reversed relative to the other, frame will be warped
inner frame [panel assembly support]
patio pickets [pressure-treated maple hardwood] - about $2 each
cut length 30 7/8" (original length 42")
width 7/8" (confirmed)
height 1 3/8" (confirmed)
inner frame located exactly 1/2" from front edge of outer frame
screwed to outer frame with 1.5" #8 screws,
side screws lay on a line exactly 1" from front edge of outer frame
top/bottom screws
lay on a line 1.5" in from front
holes are aligned exactly between panel mount-screws, located at
8 3/8"-8.5"
16 1/8"=16 1/4" (no need to drill as this is in plinth cut-out space)
23 7/8"-24"
screws go from outer-frame to inner (from softwood to hardwood)
if go from inner to outer, screw doesn't hold
pre-drill holes in inner frame before mounting
pre-drilled panel mounting holes : -
face to rear
are on edge furthest from outer frame
use screw-holes in Quad extruded metal vertical frame of panel assembly as template
pre-drill holes through template, using smallest drill-bit
remove template, re-drill to accommodate #6 1.5" screws
drill holes to exact size, otherwise wood splits
centre-bar pass-thru holes
bass panel wire (end of delay line)
drill in centre of bar, 3/4" in from front
top bar speaker wire holes
drill 8 holes in front of bar
align with delay line
pre-mount delay line assembly on top inner frame, and mark out
mark out location of speaker wire holes
outer frame
ALWAYS assemble frame with one Quad panel as a template
even 1/8" of deviation causes panels stress and installation problems
3.5" * 3/4" * 72" soft wood [pine], about $3.00 per length
hardwood [maple] preferable - check price
top 32 3/8" [ 30 7/8" + 2 frame edges @ 3/4" each]
side 48 3/4"
I.e., total height 50 5/16" less 2 @ 3/4" thick top members
1/16" free-play
top & side joined with 2.5" #8 screws
side and centre cross-bar joined with 2.5" #8 screws
pre-drill hole to hold cross-bar
hole located in exact centre of side-frame
24 3/8" from outside top/bottom of side frame member
25 1/8" from top/bottom of entire frame
1" from front edge
placing panel assembly in frame
viewed from front, wire contacts are on outer edge of each assembly
viewed from rear, they are in centre
EHT-side of assembly goes in rear
installing panel assembly
lay in place while still fastened to extruded metal frame
unscrew quad metal extrusion
remove extrusion
let panel slip down onto its new frame
attach with #6 1.5" raised-head socket screws
Plinth Cut-out
plinth is 3.25' thick [including Quad wooden base]
frame is 3/4" thick
two together provide 4" allowance for delay line assembly
delay line assembly is 3 3/4" thick (??? Confirm)
Cut-out is exactly 2.5" wide
leaves 0.5" margin in the pine base
Use Quad wooden or plastic base as template
centred when outside located 3 3/8" from each end
centred when inside of cut-out located 9 1/8" from each end
mark out area to be cut out
ensure that cut-out is not too generous
pierce holes in each corner of cut-out with hole-borer
cut holes free-hand with jig-saw
the saw wandered when I tried to use a 1 1/4" offset ruler as a guide-rail
Plinth to Frame Bolt-holes
align Quad wooden baseplate with cut-out
drill bolt-holes exact size to accommodate Quad bolts
only 6 of 8 holes can be drilled - 2 holes fall outside my frame
mark out the 2 holes to be counter-sunk
these are the two holes on the front outside, as they fit between Quad's baseplate and my outer-frame
Delay Line Assembly
assembly appears symmetrical, but is not
wires to delay line from transformer face to the rear
assembly is attached to my frame with #4 3/4" raised-head socket screws
preinstall assembly, mark out where to drill
screws which attach assembly to inner frame
drill with exact-size bit, as head of screw strips easily
holes feeding speaker wires from delay line to panel
Stand Connections
Arcici frame is 49.5" tall
lower compression point is at 14.25"
upper compression point is at 45"
32" distance between them
panel is 50 5/16" ( I.e., 50 1/4") tall
raise it 2" off ground
with plinth on top
Cut 4 blocks 1.5" high
Plinth Removal
remove base of plinth
lay frame + speaker face down on workbench
minimizes stress on fragile upright components
pull EHT wire back into plinth from base of frame
test EHT voltage
cut wires from +ve and -ve (red + white) transformers to delay line assembly
remove 4 plastic guide clips, free wires
pull "sniffer" wire out of delay line assembly
unscrew nuts from 8 bolts
use screwdriver with nut driver attachment - gives a long-reach
4 perimeter bolts
4 central bolts
Note : can't remove bolt itself as locked into frame base
plinth & frame are now separate
lift frame assembly off plinth
be careful - delay line assembly is screwed to bottom extruded metal frame member
remove wooden baseplate,
remove cloth sock
unscrew all upright metal extrusions
unscrew 8 bolts
they are locked into plastic base plate
check plastic base plate for cracks
it doesn't handle stress well, and cracks easily
unscrew delay line assembly from metal frame member
held by 8 #4 screws - Philips head
use long-necked screw-driver
Panel orientation in frame
run EHT wire around inside edge of frame, connect to edge of outside-most panel
attach to inside of frame with wire guides
this way, no speaker wire crosses the EHT wire
panel orientation is no longer important
Soldering Wires to Delay line Assembly
wires need not be shielded
original Quad wires - even EHT wire - passed through tight holes in earthed metal frame
remove the top outer member of my frame to simplify access to delay line assembly
avoid having rear speaker wires cross each other, as gap between frame and assembly is tight
install the 6 plinth-attachment bolts before replacing the frame member
feed EHT wire into gap between end of cut-out and end of delay line assembly
screw wire guides into front edge of frame
guide EHT wire around frame perimeter
guide speaker wires into inter-panel gap
ensure soldering iron tip is sharp
clean and sharpen frequently
makes soldering much more effective
use 900 V wire to inter-connect bass panel segments
no voltage diferential - no likelihood of arcing
pre-prepare 2" lengths of panel interconnect wires
these replace the original Quad naked and looped inter-panel connect wires
strip 1/2" off one side of thses wires
speaker wires atach to this stripped section
when soldering
use metal splash shield
respect the natural curve of the wire
wire is rigid, doesn't flex easily
scrape wax off delay line contact points, otherwise cannot solder
measure wires
ensure adequate spare length to bend wire into inter-panel "Channel"
solder first to panel contact points, pre-cut length to delay line, but do not solder
once wires are attached to panel, can align them as elegantly as possible for feed into plinth
solder wires onto delay line to maximize separation, avoid arcing
with wax removed, must take special precautions
hold lines in place with cable ties
see them