• Restoring the speaker housing. DIY computer speaker repair. For this job I needed

    What do we have? Active multimedia speaker system Microlab Solo 3 MK3, noise from the speakers during operation, which increases with increasing levels of high and low frequencies, as well as a 50Hz hum that begins to appear when the audio signal disappears (the computer is turned off). We solve the problem simply. =)

    To solve the problem, we need several electrolytic capacitors, a soldering iron, the speakers themselves, 15 minutes of time and direct hands. The essence of the solution to the problem is to replace the electrolytic capacitors in the power circuit.

    The speaker power supply contains several capacitors. We are interested in the following: two pieces 4700 µF 25 V, 100 µF 25 V. Over time, electrolytic capacitors dry out and lose capacity. Accordingly, the characteristics of the power supply change, voltage ripples are no longer smoothed out, and extraneous noise and hum appear. We replace the capacitors with new ones with the same rating or higher capacity. I chose the second option and installed 6800 µF capacitors instead of 4700 µF capacitors, and replaced 100 µF with 220 µF.

    I also wanted to replace all the other electrolytic capacitors, but the person I ordered the capacitors from made a mistake and brought the wrong ones. As a result, I replaced only one capacitor not from the power supply circuit.

    We solder the old capacitors. Don't forget about rosin. =)

    We install new capacitors.

    By biting too much. =)

    Well, everything is ready. =) Below is a photo of the old capacitors removed.

    By the way, before replacing the capacitors, I tried to use ferrite rings as filters to eliminate all kinds of interference. One filter is on the power wire, the second is on the audio wires. However, these filters did not help me at all.

    After all the manipulations carried out, it was possible to completely get rid of noise, even with the high and low frequency controls turned up to maximum. And also, significantly reduce the hum from the speakers when the audio signal is turned off - we can say that the hum is almost inaudible. I'm happy, now I don't have to turn off the speakers at night. I think the old Solo 3 will serve me for a long time. Excellent speakers for their price.

    Microlab Solo3 repair - eliminating noise and hum from speakers


    The cases of my speakers were in very poor condition. One was completely broken, and on the other a piece of wallpaper was pasted, apparently for beauty... I stock up on glue and patience, straighten my arms and forward...

    I visited the nearest hardware store and bought three large tubes of instant glue, a couple of medium-sized PVA, wood sealant, putty, paint, varnish, wooden dowels and other small things.

    First of all, I took up the broken body and glued the torn side wall

    Each rib was reinforced with furniture dowels, driving them in at an angle of 45 degrees, having previously been smeared with PVA glue

    I also glued the peeling chipboard underneath and left everything to dry, pressing it with a clamp.

    While the glue was setting, I took the muzzle of the speaker. Damn it! The chipboard of the front part has swollen in places due to moisture, it’s good that only on the inside

    The photo shows that the right corner is thicker than the left, I correct it with a plane and put it aside. The glue grabbed hold, and the dowels did their job, they hold tightly. I take the sealant and coat all the corners

    This is the aquarium

    I grab the front panel again, coat it and the body with glue, wait 5 minutes (all according to the instructions on the glue) and glue the face into its rightful place. I put a load on top - the live weight of my comrade

    While he was standing, I drilled the body and hammered in the dowels, now at an angle of 90 degrees to the side wall

    On the wide sides I scored 3 dowels, on the narrow sides 2. I turn the column over onto its face and leave it to dry.

    I take the second one, tear off the paper, just like on the first column, I strengthen all the edges with furniture dowels


    I thought for a long time about what to do with the decorative gap between the body and the muzzle

    Well, it doesn’t bring beauty, not one bit. We will get rid of it, but how? If you just putty, then over time the gap will definitely appear again, the putty will simply fall out. I take a drill and drill shallow 1-2 cm holes, every 4-5 cm

    I hammer the dowel halves with glue into these holes.

    Now I pour PVA glue over the entire gap and tamp the sawdust obtained from drilling holes into it. Then I pour glue on it again and leave it to dry. The result was a monolithic wood-chip structure.

    Since it is the cheapest, and I considered it bad manners to spend more than $30 on acoustics, since I am not a music lover, I mainly looked for them on online flea markets. Then I came across, for next to nothing, a partially working acoustic system from a D1-012 stereo; the bass and one high-frequency heads did not work. The problem in the low-frequency section was in the supply wires (between the terminal and the diffuser), they simply frayed, and after replacing the wires, they worked fine. The problem with the tweeter was the oxidation of the wire on the diffuser; it simply rotted in one place. I soldered it with a jumper of a suitable cross-section, but replaced the head, just in case. When I disassembled the speakers several times, I really liked the design of the case, and especially the speaker grille, and when I came across dead speakers, I, without hesitation, bought them for experiments.

    These speakers had one burned out and bloated casing. Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the original condition of the cases. At first I wanted to just throw out the cases and make new ones, but I found it expensive to order from a carpenter, and I didn’t have the necessary tools for making them, so I decided to try to repair the old ones.

    For this job I needed:

    1. belt sander
    2. spatula
    3. hammer
    4. penzel
    5. stationery knife and putty grater
    6. jar of wood putty
    7. wood glue
    8. jar of primer
    9. sander belt, size 60
    10. mesh for grater, size 80
    11. self-adhesive film 100x205 cm.

    To begin with, I disassembled the speakers - removed the covers, grilles, took out the speakers, and removed the front and back walls. I did not remove the filters, which are assembled directly on the back wall. Here is a photo of the back wall before renovation:

    Then, using a sander, I removed all the swelling of the chipboard. This is what the back wall looked like after sanding:

    Then I blew off the dust from the parts and applied putty:

    A few hours later I sanded the housings with a putty float:

    (The photo shows a case with a screwed front wall; the whole point is that one case, already covered with paper, was exposed to rain and swelled in one place. I then decided not to remove the wall, but to repair it, so I took a photo.)

    If necessary, the puttying process must be repeated. Then I screwed the front walls and putty the screw spots. Use a float to remove excess putty. Afterwards I primed the housings. I used nitro varnish, as it dries quickly, but you can also use a regular primer.

    I cut the self-adhesive into pieces: two 155x40 cm and two 48x28 cm. I started gluing from the middle of the bottom wall, the film should protrude three cm from the back, the rest from the front (5-6 cm). I took a long piece, peeled off the protective layer by 15-20 cm, applied it to the wall, aligned it behind the back side, and gradually peeling off the protective layer, pulling it, pasted it over the body in a circle. When pasting, be sure to rub the film on all corners with a soft cloth. Afterwards, on the back side, on the protruding film, I made cuts in the corners to the body, and first bent one side (either), rubbing it with a rag, cut the ends at the corners at an angle of 45˚, and near the inside of the wall, and bent the excess inside the body . I did the same with all sides. Then I placed the body on the back and did the same with the front. I carefully cut off the excess film that extended onto the front wall with a knife. Then I glued a short piece to the front wall, adjusting the corners with a spatula, trimming off the excess, rubbing it in with a rag, and cutting it out along the holes. After pasting the cases look like this:

    Although this acoustics does not have legs in the factory version, I decided to make them, for this I used a timing belt:

    Then I replaced the ONC connector on the rear wall with speakon:

    GEDSC DIGITAL CAMERA

    I painted the speaker baskets black and assembled the speakers. Since, at that time, I had several pairs, and they all looked terrible, I decided to sacrifice one pair and painted the diffusers white. As far as I understand, making the woofer cone heavier will only be beneficial, although I can always replace them with original ones. After assembly, the speakers look like (next to, for comparison, the original ones):

    (On the top column, on the woofer, the cap was crushed, but it later fell into place) These speakers look great as is, and can also be used with the original grilles.

    It was necessary to equip a computer workstation. In order to save money, I decided to restore and repair old “Genius” computer speakers. The speakers are strong, in a durable case and with a decent acoustic emitter, but the electronics gave rise to criticism. Using affordable and cheap electronic modules purchased from online stores, I was able to make loud speakers with clear sound with my own hands. Computer speakers turned out to be cheaper in their parameters than similar acoustics purchased in a store. Detailed step-by-step repair instructions with a diagram, photos and videos are presented.

    Do-it-yourself Genius computer speaker repair

    Computer speakers “Genius SP-16” were taken for restoration and repair. Speakers began their life from the days of 14″ computer cathode-ray monitors. The cases are made of durable plastic with sufficient internal volume. Inside the speakers there are speakers with high efficiency and good playback performance. But there are complaints about the electronics, which were partially eliminated during operation (replacing electrolytic capacitors). Unfortunately, the sound of the speakers was not of high quality, especially at high volumes; nonlinear distortions were clearly visible and annoying.

    The following restoration scheme was used for repairs:

    1. Replace the existing low-frequency amplifier with a Class D amplifier.
    2. Save the main controls for the operation of the speakers.
    3. Use an existing transformer to power the speakers.

    For the repair, a ready-made 5 Volt 2 Ampere switching power supply stabilizer and a digital stereo ULF board (3 Watts per channel) were used. This type of ULF was deliberately chosen because of its low cost (~15 rubles) and unpretentiousness. Stereo amplifier purchased on Aliexpress using this link http://ali.pub/1e25ap . And an adjustable voltage stabilizer at this link http://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/i6eamub . Buy 10 amplifiers at once, believe me, they will come in handy, at this price it’s free!

    To work, you will need a long Phillips screwdriver, a soldering iron with soldering accessories and pieces of tinned and insulated copper conductors. Having a solder suction will make dismantling work easier. To control soldering and settings, you will need a tester.

    Genius speakers - diagram

    The photo shows the diagram of the “Genius SP-16” speaker. In the diagram, crosses indicate conductors with parts. All parts to the right of the cross must be desoldered and removed. The numbers show the connection points for the ULF board and power supply.

    Repair procedure for the “Genius SP-16” speaker

    1. Unscrew the screws securing the halves of the active column cover
    2. The board is removed from the open case and the power and speaker connections are unsoldered.
    3. The board is removed from the case and the radio components are removed from it according to the diagram.
    4. On the back side of the board, a power stabilizer is installed using a soldering iron on the conductor legs according to the diagram. Before installing the ULF on the board, you need to supply power to the board and check the output voltage at the +5 Volt stabilizer.
    5. Next, a ULF board is installed on the board in the same way on the tinned conductors. The signal to the jack of the external speaker and the speakers of the speaker is supplied by insulated conductors. See photo.
    6. Before final assembly, we check the operation of the ULF and volume and tone controls.
    7. Assembling the speaker housing. See the video for sound quality.

    Disassembling the case

    Column panel removed

    Conductors are soldered off

    Details removed

    Read more: