Driver connection not marked

ematthews

ematthews

Audioholic General
I replaced my six drivers in my RBH 6300/R towers last night. The plugs on the driver connector are not marked positive or negative. How will I know + vs - side? The drivers that I pulled out had no consistency on hook ups? Does this mean they will work in either position? Help.
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
I replaced my six drivers in my RBH 6300/R towers last night. The plugs on the driver connector are not marked positive or negative. How will I know + vs - side? The drivers that I pulled out had no consistency on hook ups? Does this mean they will work in either position? Help.
NO! You need to make sure you get the polarities right. You should either see + and - markings near the terminals or on the terminal plate or one connector should be bigger or fatter than the other. Look very carefully and make sure you get the polarity right. If in doubt, contact RBH Tech support.

Why are you replacing the drivers? Did you upgrade to their SX/R drivers?
 
ematthews

ematthews

Audioholic General
NO! You need to make sure you get the polarities right. You should either see + and - markings near the terminals or on the terminal plate or one connector should be bigger or fatter than the other. Look very carefully and make sure you get the polarity right. If in doubt, contact RBH Tech support.

Why are you replacing the drivers? Did you upgrade to their SX/R drivers?
Thanks
If you remember they sent my towers with black drivers. RBH sent out the silver ones for exchange. I looked all over for pos and neg markings. Both terminals are the same size too.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Thanks
If you remember they sent my towers with black drivers. RBH sent out the silver ones for exchange. I looked all over for pos and neg markings. Both terminals are the same size too.
Take a 1.5 volt battery and connect it to each driver in turn. When the battery is connected so the cone flies forward when you make the circuit, then the +ve terminal of the battery is connected to the +ve terminal of the driver. You can then mark the +ve.

Now if the wiring is not marked, then you will find the wires that are 0 resistance to -ve and show continuity to each other with 0 ohms resistance will be the -ve leads. The only exception to that would be if a driver, say a midrange, were purposely wired out of phase to avoid a null at crossover. So phone RBH to be certain all drivers are wired in phase.
 
gene

gene

Audioholics Master Chief
Administrator
Thanks
If you remember they sent my towers with black drivers. RBH sent out the silver ones for exchange. I looked all over for pos and neg markings. Both terminals are the same size too.
I've always seen markings on RBH drivers. Make sure you are in a well lite room and perhaps even use a magnifying glass to examine around the speaker posts for polarity markings or even a red dot indicating +. TLS has great advice too. Either way, call RBH.
 
ematthews

ematthews

Audioholic General
I've always seen markings on RBH drivers. Make sure you are in a well lite room and perhaps even use a magnifying glass to examine around the speaker posts for polarity markings or even a red dot indicating +. TLS has great advice too. Either way, call RBH.
Forgive my ignorance... I made a Y jumper with a 1.5v battery. I touched one side and then the other and nothing happens. The only time I can get the driver to jump is with two wires. One wire on negative battery side and one on positive side of battery. I can then touch them to both terminals on the driver and it will jump. Switch the terminal connections and leave the battery side the same and it will still jump. I don't get it.
 
Swerd

Swerd

Audioholic Warlord
Forgive my ignorance... I made a Y jumper with a 1.5v battery. I touched one side and then the other and nothing happens. The only time I can get the driver to jump is with two wires. One wire on negative battery side and one on positive side of battery. I can then touch them to both terminals on the driver and it will jump. Switch the terminal connections and leave the battery side the same and it will still jump. I don't get it.
All drivers have some way to mark the positive terminal. It is essential to know which terminals are positive when attaching the crossover leads.

Usually these terminals are male quick disconnects as in the picture. There may be a + sign nearby the male terminal (look with a flashlight as it might not stand out well), a dot of red marker or paint, or different widths of the male terminal, where the larger one is positive. Often, but not always, the negative terminal is not marked.



To test with a 1.5 volt AA battery:
  • Attach two short pieces of wire, about 5" or 6" long, to each end of the battery with tape. Attach one wire to the positive end of the battery, and the other wire to the negative end.

  • Hold the wire from the negative end of the battery against one of the two driver terminals.

  • Touch the wire from the positive end of the battery to the other terminal.

  • If the driver cone moves forward, you have the positive end of the battery connected to the positive terminal of the driver. Mark it so you can easily see it. I use a dot of red nail polish.

  • If the driver cone moves backward, you have the positive end of the battery connected to the negative terminal of the driver.
 
Last edited:
highfigh

highfigh

Seriously, I have no life.
Forgive my ignorance... I made a Y jumper with a 1.5v battery. I touched one side and then the other and nothing happens. The only time I can get the driver to jump is with two wires. One wire on negative battery side and one on positive side of battery. I can then touch them to both terminals on the driver and it will jump. Switch the terminal connections and leave the battery side the same and it will still jump. I don't get it.
He didn't write that you should make a y jumper, he wrote that you should connect the battery + to one speaker terminal and the battery - to the other. When the come moves out from the frame, mark + next to the speaker terminal that's connected to the battery +.
 
agarwalro

agarwalro

Audioholic Ninja
Might I recommend that you send the whole kit back to RBH and let them take care of this business?
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
I'm just dumbfounded that anyone could make such a fist of a simple straightforward procedure as that. Just incredible.
 
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