Rebuilding a Quad ESL 57

[northwest]

Well, this has been a project for a while now. The plan was - assemble all and every possible part/component/instruction and when the missus goes off to see her sister - rebuild the pair of ESL's
Like they say, "the best laid plans of mice and men"...... NOTHING prepares you for this. I have lived with them and listened to them for several months now and this was the worst looking one. Okay, I had already taken the feet off and the side rails, but that was because I was making replacements and needed to draw templates.

http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/01.JPG

I had bought the complete kit from Rob out in Australia and I had read a re-read all of the instructions and the rebuild guides on quadesl.org. I was/am very comfortable with the whole process and obviously plenty of pictures as I am going along would help. So I started by unscrewing the backs, DUST! DUST! It does say, everywhere, be prepared for a lifetime of dust. This is quite incorrect. This stuff is NOT dust, it is grime. It sticks to you as black as the ace of spades!

http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/07.JPG

Nothing else for it, remove the staples retaining the aluminium front and ease it off the frame. The fronts were worse if that's at all possible. It turns out, from a sticker attached to the power supply that these were serviced by Quad themselves on the 19th of November 1977 and they are an early pair distinguishable by the all white internal stator wiring. You can see it here better in this photograph and you will also notice one of the high tension wires loose off the power supply, the moment I moved it the wire came away, they were certainy ready for some attention:

http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/06.JPG

You can clearly see the damage to the dust covers in these photographs, the biggest tear had caused the rivets in the bass panel to start to corrode so it was just as well I start the rebuild now.

http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/02.JPG
http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/04.JPG

You can also see from this photograph where someone has spilled beer (more than likely) onto the front of the speaker and it has ran down the dust cover.

http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/03.JPG

No matter what, nothing prepares you for the sheer magnitude of the task. I will say that during the "service" by quad, and I have no doubt they were responsible, for the rather agricultural repair to one of the bass panels. The next job is to seperate the stators but I am happy to have them apart really, ready for me to tackle the panels. I am also rebuilding the power supplies and I will be incorporating a protection circuit into the build programme too. There are sixty rivets per Bass panel, and there are four of them, plus the two treble panels. Yes, sure, I could probably 'get away' with just doing the treble panels but whats the point in that. These speakers last saw service thirty five years ago and I intend keeping them, so I will just do the whole thing and then I will never have that brain worm that says "whit if" or worse "if only!".

More to follow..........

[realysm42]

You're a brave man, good luck.

[Wakefield Turntables]

stick with it mate, I've rebuilt loads of stuff over the last year, biggest thing being a Garrard 301. Cant wait to see your final pics. :popcorn:

[Audio Al]

I have a pair of these speakers that need looking at so I will be viewing this rebuild with interest :)

[Macca]

So you got these finished yet, Graham?

[northwest]

So you got these finished yet, Graham?


As a matter of fact Martin, they are not much further on than this. I have started drilling out the rivets and contrary to popular reports, there are not sixty rivets per Bass panel, but sixty six so a total of 264 plus the treble panels. The drill to use is a 9/16" and the trick is to buy a box of them and the second there is resistance to the drill, throw it away and get a new one. As I am paying 35 pence for cobalt coated ones it isn't that bad.

What I have been doing is repairing the frames and actually they are ready for painting right now so if the weather stays fine I will paint then this afternoon. There was some delamination of the ply the frames are made of so I have repaired this damage and fillede the holes, gaps and places where the chunks are out with Cataloy (two part car body filler).

I am trying to source some replacement Neon's and although I wrote to QUAD ESL in the Netherlands I haven't had a reply yet. The other thing I am looking for is a decent set of instructions to build a pair of clamp circuits because there is NO WAY i am paying 44 Euros each for a couple of diodes on a bit of breadboard.

I have the black smoothrite for the transformer and power supply cases but I need to decide whether or not to put the binding posts in that I have or buy individual ones. The binding posts on the bench are in pairs with plastic bridges so it requires a new hole to be drilled - but the hole will take up half of one of the existing holes so I need to make a jig to run the step drill down.

Meanwhile, I am busy building the Lenco, you may have seen the pic of my platter and that had me as black as the Ace of Spades so I am trying to do "clean jobs" this weekend as the washing machine has gone tits up and Whirlpool can't get the part until Thursday:-(

[Macca]

Ah well, keep at it - not that you need any encouragement ;) - the platter looks very bling I think you should get the SME gold plated to match lol

[Mr Kipling]

Hi Graham,

Looking for clamp protetion info I found this:
http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/MUG/messages/13/138264,html

A Sheldon Stokes (www.quadesl.com) is mentioned in one reply. Have you heard of him? He advises using a gas discharge instead of zener diodes. There's some pdf downloads:
http://www.quadesl.com/pdf/esl_protection.pdf

Kind Regards,
Stephen

[northwest]

Hi Graham,

Looking for clamp protetion info I found this:
http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/MUG/messages/13/138264,html

A Sheldon Stokes (www.quadesl.com) is mentioned in one reply. Have you heard of him? He advises using a gas discharge instead of zener diodes. There's some pdf downloads:
http://www.quadesl.com/pdf/esl_protection.pdf

Kind Regards,
Stephen

Thanks for that Stephen and actually, I know Sheldon quite well, we are in regular correspondence. Sheldon did do a batch of boards but has none left so I was just going to use breadboard and circuit dope - or even just dip the boards in beeswax. Recently, Sheldon has decided to design a surface mount board and I have told him to put a pair aside for me but this could be a while, as is the way with things when your day job is taking up your time!
I am going to look at this circuit but probably the easiest, fastest and simplest thing is for me to contact Kieth Snook (DC-Daylight) and ask for his help. As the author says in in of the links - I am not spending £90 for £6 worth of components!

[northwest]

Well, the "Clamp Protection Saga" grinds on. I have had an email back from Sheldon and he even took the trouble to link to tje diodes I need annd quantities. These are from Mouser UK:
http://uk.mouser.com/ProductDetail/ON-Semiconductor/1N5388BRLG/?qs=y2kkmE52mdNojpnOcIVBmjjqIxHgYwRhlxVbSyBg8PI=

and

http://uk.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Vishay-Semiconductors/GP02-30-E3-73/?qs=AvlKB63p5SlLAQhDNfzHSp1hLCed5pIg3n2eLfUR8wU=

The toatal cost of the parts is £7.71 BUT the delivery charge is £12 :stalks:

I am going to have to look for an alternative supplier.

[stokessd]

I have started drilling out the rivets and contrary to popular reports, there are not sixty rivets per Bass panel, but sixty six so a total of 264 plus the treble panels.


It feels like there are 264 million of them after a while.




I am trying to source some replacement Neon's and although I wrote to QUAD ESL in the Netherlands I haven't had a reply yet.


I take the existing neon lamp assemblies and carefully disassemble them and replace the actual neon bulb. I clean up the lens and body and re-assemble. The neon bulbs are standard issue



The other thing I am looking for is a decent set of instructions to build a pair of clamp circuits because there is NO WAY i am paying 44 Euros each for a couple of diodes on a bit of breadboard.


I feel your pain. You need something that will clamp voltages below ~3300 volts (this arc-over voltage varies due to differences in treble panels). There's gas discharge tubes, strings of zeners, etc. You are really paying somebody else to hand you a turn-key product, not just for the handful of parts.



I have the black smoothrite for the transformer and power supply cases but I need to decide whether or not to put the binding posts in that I have or buy individual ones. The binding posts on the bench are in pairs with plastic bridges so it requires a new hole to be drilled - but the hole will take up half of one of the existing holes so I need to make a jig to run the step drill down.


I have been replacing the crappy quad banana jacks with nicer ones (naim makes some that are very nice, and extra expensive).

Along those lines, do you have the bulgin power connectors? Those are impossible to find here in the USA. I replace a lot of those round power connectors with IEC connectors.




Well, the "Clamp Protection Saga" grinds on. I have had an email back from Sheldon and he even took the trouble to link to tje diodes I need annd quantities. These are from Mouser UK:
http://uk.mouser.com/ProductDetail/ON-Semiconductor/1N5388BRLG/?qs=y2kkmE52mdNojpnOcIVBmjjqIxHgYwRhlxVbSyBg8PI=

and

http://uk.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Vishay-Semiconductors/GP02-30-E3-73/?qs=AvlKB63p5SlLAQhDNfzHSp1hLCed5pIg3n2eLfUR8wU=

The toatal cost of the parts is £7.71 BUT the delivery charge is £12 :stalks:

I am going to have to look for an alternative supplier.


There's nothing magical about those parts. The clamp circuit uses 4 3KV diodes, and 10 220V 5watt zeners in a string. Try farnell or maplin or one of your domestic parts suppliers. Mouser is easy for me because I live in the states.

If you'd like, I'll put together a little kit of the 28 diodes and drop them in the mail for you.

Sheldon

If you feel like

[Marco]

Hi Sheldon,

Welcome to AoS :)

Before going any further, please go to the Welcome area and start a new thread, telling us what system you use and what music you like, as this procedure is required of all new members.

Cheers! :cool:

Marco.

[northwest]

Right, just in case you all think I have had a chance to sleep, herewith the fruits of my labour. Decided to do the bodyfiller stuff this weekend. For those of you unaware, two pack car body filler (I prefer Isopon P38) is terrific stuff, you can fill all manner of cracks, chips and holes with it, especially on plywood or MDF. So I firs off prepared the two main frames:

http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/frames01.JPG

And while I was at it I filled the holes in the Lenco Turntable I am rebuilding. Before I filled the holes I layered fibreglass mat on the underside. If you don't do this and you just fill the hole the chances are it will just fall out as there is no backing, no support. Okay, you maybe could have put a big blob of filler on the back where the little holes are but the tone arm hole is too big. Apart from anything else, the sheer quantity of filler means ther would be a good chance of shrinkage - never pretty.
No - I know it is tedious but it is needed:

http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/turnable01.JPG

Now the face surface after two goes with the filler and sanded to 320 grit:

http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/turnable02.JPG

Yes I know, we are doing ESL's so getting back on track, the frames as they are now, quite lovely. I used very good quality paint and it covered beautifully. Not full gloss either but with a nice sheen to it:

http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/frames02.JPG

http://immersible.co.uk/eslrebuild/frames03.JPG

So there we are. Frames all ready. While doing the frames I have had an idea about fastening the fabric. Something I will share with you all as we continue with the rebuild.

[Alex_UK]

Looking good so far Graham. :)

[Wakefield Turntables]

Looking at your lenco deck reminds me of when i did a similar thing on my 1210 plinth. I remember filling in the strobe, slider, and on/off switch. Make sure you sand this down as much possible with ever finer grades of sand paper, and yes shrinkage does occur. :(