[ramenmeal]

My right tweeter is no longer making noise, so I thought It'd take it out and have a look at it. I unscrewed the 4 screws that hold it to the cabinet, but it isn't budging. I see some sort of glue, but it's not rock solid. I can easily rip it at it's kinda squishy. The problem is, I can't get to the glue where it's actually being used to hold the tweeter. I have a picture of the speaker linked below.
 
Is there a solution that will make the glue not work anymore? Like goo-gone? I'm worried that might be a little harsh and hurt the wood. Or should I start prying away?
 
Thanks!

PS, wow, that picture came out bad, but ou can see how the tweeter has a large flat space where I assume the glue is set. Also, the tweeter is inset.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Heat usually loosens glue, but be careful with heat around a tweeter. You might want to apply direct heat with something like a soldering iron.

 

[ramenmeal]

Hmm, good idea. I worry about marking up the tweeter (if it's still any good... loose cable?) with the soldering iron. Do you know of a way to disperse the heat a little bit? Maybe I'm being paranoid though, I dunno what kind of temp's this metal can handle. 

 

[John In Cali]

Try a Hair dryer on its hottest setting it might take a long time but it what i use to get rid of the adhesive that keeps screens on electronics.

 

[jdkJake]

Are you sure it is glue and not caulk?

 

[ramenmeal]

It does seem to be some sort of caulking. Is there a different way to remove this?

 

[jdkJake]

Not using a heat gun, that's for sure.
 
Without being able to cut through it or pry it out, your options might be limited.
 
Have you tried sinking the screws down a few turns such that they are seated in tweeter but not so far that they penetrate the cabinet material. Then gently give it a pull. You could also build a simple "handle" using the two upper and/or lower screws and a small piece of scrap wood. That would help with leverage. Be very careful though. If you are not at all comfortable, please do not attempt to pull it out using this method. I would hate to see you damage anything.
 
You could also see if the midrange driver comes out easier and you can then try to attack the tweeter situation from behind.

 

[ramenmeal]

The midrange has the same situation, although it may end up being easier to take off since it's not inset. I'll try taking it off with some fishing line and see if I can then push out the tweeter from the back.
 
Unfortunately, the screws don't sink into the tweeter. Just the head of the screw clamps it down. 

 

[John In Cali]

try taking out the sub and looking at the crossover the problem might be there.

 

[jdkJake]

The midrange has the same situation, although it may end up being easier to take off since it's not inset. I'll try taking it off with some fishing line and see if I can then push out the tweeter from the back.
 
Unfortunately, the screws don't sink into the tweeter. Just the head of the screw clamps it down. 

You should still be able to take advantage of those screw holes. While I would not tap them (although that is an option) you should be able to use a hook tool to help pry it out without undo damage. (google: "hook tool").

 

[ramenmeal]

Alright! Got the tweeter out by removing the mid range driver. I was able to remove the mid with minimal (and not visible) damage, and then we pushed the tweeter out... using a crow bar!! Scary! So it definitely was glued, and took off some particle wood with it, but nothing some wood glue can't fix. 
 
 
Down to the real business. The tweeter is a Audax/Polydax HD 100 D 25, Now I just need to figure out how to take this apart without killing it. It seems to be a pretty standard design.. Are there any tutorials for fixing tweeters? I tested it and it seems the crossover is fine, but I'll do a more in-depth check soon. 
 
At least I found all the specs and it seems like it will be an easy replacement if I can't fix the tweeter.

 

[jdkJake]

Great news!
 
According to this site, there is a compatible replacement voice coil available:
 
   http://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/audax-rw025a0-voice-coil-tw025a0-hd100d25-hd9x8d25-tweeter.html
 
Being in the states, I would order from here first:
 
   https://www.madisound.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=45_180_405_331&products_id=91
 
Good luck!

 

[ramenmeal]

Quote:

Great news!
 
According to this site, there is a compatible replacement voice coil available:
 
   http://www.falconacoustics.co.uk/audax-rw025a0-voice-coil-tw025a0-hd100d25-hd9x8d25-tweeter.html
 
Being in the states, I would order from here first:
 
   https://www.madisound.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=45_180_405_331&products_id=91
 
Good luck!

Cool! So the other part of the tweeter is just a strong magnet, correct? It's got some rounded foam, but I'm assuming thats to prevent the dome from being pressed in, as well as a cylinder to allow the coil to fit. 

It may be a project to remove the old coil and make this one fit... probably more glue :/ I wonder how different these are than the original, I don't know if it's worth it tearing apart my other speaker to switch out the other voice coil too. 
 

 

[John In Cali]

Try putting a 9v battery to the tweeter to see if it still makes sound.  Does it smell like burnt voice coil?  Did it randomly stop working or did it pop or show signs?

 

[jdkJake]

It won't make sound by hooking it up to a battery. It will only move the dome depending upon how you use the polarity of the battery.

If you want to check it in this way, I would suggest nothing more than a 1.5V battery and only for the briefest of time. Tweeters can be easily damaged this way. Positive to positive and negative to negative and the dome should move forward.