New Sub, Gem 98 Heavy!!!

Latest Grades have Popped/Trimmed????

Last Submission for March

I decided to take full advantage of the March grading special that SGC is offering on the last day of the special and submitted these cards for grading…

CardBoard KINGS!!!

Ok, so I collect sports cards and I am a self proclaimed card nerd, with that being said, I just received the grades for my FIRST card submission to SGC (Sports Card Guaranty).  I really didn’t know much about graded cards until about a month and half ago, my friend Daniel schooled me on the ins and outs of graded cards and with some help from the internets (plural on purpose) I now have a very firm understanding of the “game”.  So I submitted my first batch of cards and here is the report:

I’m overall satisfied with the grades I received but I wished the Johnny Kilroy, Shaq RC, and Shaun Alexander Contenders Auto graded higher.  Oh well, I’ve got 29 more cards that are being graded by SGC at this very moment so hopefully I will get those high grades!!!!

check it

This is the avatar I’m using on the SGCCARD.com forum…Pretty neat, Well after some online research I have come to the conclusion that Image Dynamics would not replace the subwoofer, I know I know, such a tragic ending to a promising beginning but it’s going to be ok, I’ve since then converted the dissected subwoofer into a really neat do-dad on my cubicle hutch for all the world to see.   Be proud Image Dynamics; your product is on display!!!!

~Adventures in Audio~ Dissection of a Driver.

For those of you interested in A/V Home or Car, I recently had the opportunity to “crack open” a virtually new subwoofer that was unserviceable and examine it’s innards!  But first a little background.  Around seven years ago, I was heavily into the car audio scene and briefly into home audio as well.  I spent countless hours researching various car/home audio forums in search of the best components for the lowest price.  Although I didn’t want to build a budget system, I did want to get the best bang for the buck.  For my car audio install I chose the Image Dynamics IDQ12 v.2 D4 sub-woofer.   This sub offered all that I could need for a phenomenal price of $149.99 each.  I decided to purchase two of these gems for optimum bass in my 1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic (LT1 350).  I am a bit of a DIY’er so I definitely wanted to build the box myself and with the assistance of WINisd, I came up with a sturdy sealed enclosure that proved to be more than adequate for my application.  Skipping forward, I was very pleased with the entire setup and performance of these sub-woofers, unfortunately I had just received PCS orders to be stationed overseas.  As soon as the news arrived I started planning the un-install of my entire car audio system.  Everything went back into their original packaging less than 4 months after being opened.  Well, that was in 2003 and it’s now 2010 and I decided it was time to put my car audio days to rest.  I figured I could get a decent return in that operational car audio equipment seems to retain it’s value very well.  Now, I wasn’t expecting to get $300 for the pair but I at least wanted to feel comfortable about parting with these at around $200.

I had success in the past with selling car audio equipment on EBay so this is the venue I chose to start moving the merchandise.  I sold both of my amplifiers, a capacitor, and a distribution block in the same week.  My next challenge was getting my sub-woofers to a good home.  I made arrangements with my co-worker Mark to look them over before he decided to use them in his home theater project.  I brought one of the boxed subs into work for his inspection and to my surprise the cone did not move up and down freely.  This concerned the both of us, and was a bit of a shocker to me because of the limited time they were in use!  After weeks of abuse and jokes (all in good fun of course) I decided to take the suspect speaker to an expert, the shop I took it too was chosen for nothing more than convenience to me because it is located 5 minutes from my house.  They simply said “It’s bad.” Without completely dismantling the unit there really was nothing but speculation at to why it was frozen, it could be a melted voice coil, it could be debris, it could be a colon autopsy, no one really knew…Until today.

First, I cut the surround with a utility knife.  Then I clipped the wires connected to the terminals.  Next, came the spider, I peeled back the cone since it was free from the surround and cut it as well.  This enabled me to pull the entire assembly away from the basket, exposing the inner workings of the driver.  To my amazement the voice coil was not melted, destroyed, or grossly deformed.  What I did find was a manufacturing defect.  Upon further inspection of the voice coil Mark and I discovered the voice coil had a worn section on one side measuring around .5 inch long moving from bottom to top diagonally.  That directed our attention to slot where the voice coil directly fits into the magnet.  It was obvious that this piece was not centered so the tolerance for the voice coil gap was not equal all the way around.  This difference in tolerance is what affected the free movement of the voice coil and the cone in its entirety.  I will take pictures and provide a diagram to compliment the text.  My next move is to contact Image Dynamics and ask if this is a recurring defect or as simple as it slipped through their quality assurance department, updates to come.

30 Days of Paleo DAY 30!!!!!!!!!

09Feb2010

Well today is the last day of the “30 Days of Paleo” campaign.  I highly encourage anyone debating whether or not to try it to go ahead and take the step.  The total weight loss to date is 17.5 lbs, I intended to exercise way more than I have been doing but regardless the loss of weight speaks for itself and regular exercise can only help you along the way.  I do plan on continuing eating “paleo” with a few modifications.  My energy levels are higher, my endurance during distance running is higher and I just feel better.  One of the main differences that I noticed is that I’m not exhausted by 2pm instead I’m sustaining the rest of the work day and gearing up for the evening.  All said, this was a great experience and am very pleased with the result.