Tower Speaker volume

Hey All,

I've seen a few posts regarding controling the volumne of the tower speakers independant from the "boat" system. Some folks have rigged a switch to merely turn the "boat" off or the tower off - does anyone make an L-Pad/potentiometer/volume control that could go in-line between the head unit and a dedicated amp (bridged) for just the tower? I was thinking something like one of the small controls that come with some amps that'll act like a bass boost.

I've searched around and seen some folks use an equalizer for this purpose but that of course means another unit somewhere in/on the dash...I was thinking of just as simple knob...

Whadaya think?

Wes

It is called a PAC LC-1, do a search there have been posts about it on here.

Hey KJ,

Thanks - dunno when I did the first search, nothing came up "under tower speaker volume" or whatever, in fact I searched "PAC LC-1" and nothing, so I googled the dang thing and voila!!!
Looks like just the thing
Thanks again

Wes

Awesome. I have been looking for something like that. I saw a post here the other day taling about it, but I thought it was just another EQ. This is what I am looking for too.

Thanks KJ!

Hey KJ, are you akdoc on tigeowners?

Here's one I made. I used better pots than the LC-1 and modified the taper so it is more logarithmic. I also put in a port for my ipod shuffle. I run the head unit to a Planet Audio 6 channel preamp that ouputs 8vdc to this control, then to the amps.

Ok, how do you use better pots? All a pot is, is an adjustable resistor. A resistor is a resistor. There is no need for tolerance, since the output is adjustable anyway. .... I am confused.

A pot is not a resistor, it is a mechanical device. Why does an M class Mercedes cost more than a Kia Sportage? They are the same, right?

Robb,

Yes, I am akdoc on tigeowners. The pac lc-1 is a great option for simple control I did however buy an eq for our new boat. Glad I could help you all out.

As per Wikipedia:
The present popular usage of the term potentiometer (or 'pot' for short) describes an electronic component which has a user-adjustable resistance. Usually, this is a three-terminal resistor with a sliding contact in the center. If all three terminals are used, it acts as a variable voltage divider.

Your point?

Cyclone,

I did not mean to offend you. I am sorry. I used the wrong words. I meant, "what do you mean by better pots?" Does that mean they have a greater range? ... Again I did not mean to insult you. I honestly didn't know what you meant.


BTW, that thing looks cool. I like how you got the case to say Epic, and everything. It looks very professional.
Robb

(Message edited by boarder_x on April 13, 2006)

No offense take, Robb!

The pots don't have greater range, what they have is a modification to how loud they go based on how far you turn the pot. It's called taper. A half turn on a LC1 is not half the volume because they use linear taper pots. 1/2 turn is 1/2 the resistance but that doesn't take into account how your ear perceives changes in volume. So, I added a simple mod to a linear taper pot that makes it perform like a true analogue taper pot, works better when you are twisting the knobs when the rider falls, etc. 1/2 turn is 1/2 the volume.

Glad you like the looks of the box, I used www.frontpanelexpress.com to make the faceplate. You can get anything you want from them, I used black anodized, engraved aluminum.

I am working (not hard enough lately) on a speed based volume control so we won't need the knobs! (It's coming, I promise, Jim!!)

Pete

Sounds good Pete, the boxes are coming along nicely.

This may be a dumb question but if I have a balance control and the tower speakers are together won't this do the same thing? My boat is new and I only had it out once and never messed with it I just assumed that is how it worked! Nice speaker boxes!

yep but it's a pain to get to the balance control when you are driving the boat, pulling someone, drinking a (pepsi) messing with the ipod, etc. Knobs are easy to deal with, and you don't have to explain how they work to someone new to driving your boat.