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Strain relief for these RCAs....

post #1 of 6
6/3/06 at 4:36pm
Thread Starter 
I got these Dayton audio RCA jacks that looked pretty nice http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/pshow...umber=091-1270 but I can't find a way to keep the cables from straining. The design is like the more popular LOK connectors; it has the sort-of housing around it with about half of it open exposing the signal connector. I have a pretty good connection on the signal but I'm worried about the ground as it is lightly attached to the casing. Any ideas on how I can secure the 2 24 AWG wires in it?
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post #2 of 6
6/3/06 at 6:02pm
I think this type of connector was actually designed for coax cables, if these instructions on how to use them are right:

http://www.hollandlink.nl/E_frame.ht...E_grp_8-1.html

I've tried to find a picture of either the LOK or a similar plug that clearly shows how the strain relief works, so I'm unsure if my suggestion will work. But I have used it successfully on some other projects where cable entry points or strain relief diameter was too large for the leads I wanted to use.

If you have a waste piece of some other cable laying around with a 6 to 8 mm diameter, like Canare or Mogami starquad, cut a short piece of the outer jacket off and slit it lengthwise to form sort of a split bushing. Wrap it around your smaller leads, and check the overall diameter to see how it matches up with the strain relief. I usually trim a bit more off that lengthwise cut so that it ends up being a bit small in diameter when wrapped around the leads. I then cover it with a piece of heatshrink to bring the final diameter up to the proper dimension and hold the "bushing" tight to the leads.

Could that work for you?

Sometimes it just takes multiple layers of heatshrink to build up the diameter to the point where a crimp-style relief will hold, or a set-screw can tighten up on the leads to hold them tightly but not damage the conductor.
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post #3 of 6
6/3/06 at 7:00pm
^^ I was going to suggest that to. You could just use many layers of heatshrink, or put adhesive heat shrink over the barrel, but I don't know if you want to do that.
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post #4 of 6
6/3/06 at 8:10pm
Thread Starter 
Ill look around for some extra starquad but am well stocked on heatshrink as well. It has a set screw to hold it in place.
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post #5 of 6
6/4/06 at 12:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by seanohue
Ill look around for some extra starquad but am well stocked on heatshrink as well. It has a set screw to hold it in place.
After looking once again at the pictures on that web page that I linked in my first reply, I realized that the plug shown probably uses a set screw arrangement--that a hole in the connector body that is open in the picture was where the screw would be inserted to clamp down on the coax jacket.

I have a few pair of locking bananas (WBT knock-offs, I guess) with a similar strain relief arrangement, and I found it hard to tell if I was tightening the set screw on the insulated part of the speaker cable enough to hold the cable securely, but not cut through the insulation. It really doesn't matter in that case with a single conductor--but I can well imagine that you would want to be extremely careful if you were wiring an RCA and could short it if the strain relief set screw was overtightened!

With only two 24 AWG leads exiting the connector, you should have space to build it up quite a bit, and avoid any shorting issues, right?
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post #6 of 6
6/4/06 at 7:37am
I've used those Dayton plugs, but with coax, I think. I thought they came with a clear vinyl sleeve that goes between the wire and set screw. If not you could use unheated heat shrink.

I would build it up with heat shrink or a coax jacket is a good idea too.

I think you are discovering why simple twisted pair ICs can be difficult to implement
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