DIY WATT crossover network?


I just fried the tweeter part of a crossover in my WATT/Puppy 5.1s (freak accident--don't ask... ;) and need to replace it. A very well-respected amplifier designer whispered in my ear that I might be able to DIY a better one, rather than buying a replacement. Has anyone out there tried such a thing? (I have a good Pace iron & can solder well, but can't begin to design a crossover network myself).
wbpaley
Don't do it. Call Wilson and get a replacement, or send yours in to be repaired. The speaker serial no. is important too, because there are always variations during manufacturing runs, and Wilson keeps very good records of what exactly went into your 5.1s.
As per Ngarch above UNLESS you know someone who can reliably back-engineer the x-over (and also measure the tweets).
IF the latter then, yes, maybe you could SLIGHTLY improve it.
Ngsarch, Gregm, thank for the quick replies. I had hoped someone at Audiogon had already reverse engineered and improved upon it, and was willing to try putting it together if someone had. Would this be the right place to find someone who had?
You could try Eldragon. He DIY'd a pair of Wilson's a couple of years back...
Try the Madisound forum. Lots of talented engineers/people over there and a few Watt clones have been shown in the past.

Enjoy,
Bob
Thanks, everybody for the useful hints and links. It turns out that I overloaded a tuning resistor rather than cooking the whole tweeter part of the crossover network.

Evidently this is a known possibility in these speakers: the crossovers are mostly "potted" (cast in resin, presumably to reduce resonances & sink heat) but these particular resistors are outside the resin. Later speaker versions even had an easy access door in the bottom of the WATT (I had to remove the whole bottom and dismount the crossover to get at 'em). And the new replacement resistors have a big heat sink clipped on.

For anyone who thinks they've blown a WATT tweeter or corssover in the future, check this resistor (value 3.2 in my speakers) before panicking: a multimeter across the leads showed zero conductance. If you show the same (you can test it in circuit) just contact your local dealer for new resistors. A $20 fix, kindly immediately sent out by Wilson (thanks, Jarron!) when requested by Goodwin's High End (Thanks, Paul!). All that's required is an intrepid willingness to venture inside your lovely speakers and the mose basic of soldering skiills (though you may need a pretty beefy soldering iron).

Again, thanks everyone!

Best Regards,
Brad