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Working on a CAT5 Interconnect, need help

post #1 of 20
10/15/06 at 9:04pm
Thread Starter 
I started making a CAT5 interconnect today, and since Iam a complete DIY noob, I need some serious help. I (stupidly) stripped the entire casing of of the original CAT5 wiring, which I later realized I could have used to cover the wire after it was done. I made a 4-strand plait using each twisted pair as one strand to organize the wires a bit. This is where I am a bit lost. I know how to solder, so that isn't the problem, the problem is that I am not sure which wire goes to what part of a 3-conductor stereo 1/8in phono jack. Also, since each strand is in a twisted pair, should I attach both wires to each conductor? I will post some pics ASAP.

EDIT: pic:

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post #2 of 20
10/15/06 at 9:25pm
well. for starters...drop a pair of wires. solder 2 wires to each hole there, and then match those colors up with the same on the other side.
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post #3 of 20
10/15/06 at 9:26pm
You can use whatever wire for the L signal, R signal or ground. It just means you will have to solder 4 wires to ground, and 2 to the right channel and 2 to the left.

Use blue for the left channel (Left pin), Red for the right channel (Right pin), and brown and green for ground (Large plate at the bottom).

Possédé
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post #4 of 20
10/16/06 at 12:39am
Thread Starter 
I just finished half of the interconnect. I actually snapped off one of the conductors on the other side, so I need to get a new one and resolder. I did a "cold" test without solder to make sure I got the polarity right, though, and man, it is such an improvement over my old Rat Shack 6 inch interconnect.Could just be placebo, but it really sounds like everything is much cleaner and better articulated. I got some pics of what it looks like right now, can't wait to heatshrink it and be done! I ended up dropping the blue wire since it was added on as an afterthought anyways and thus was extremely simple to unravel:



^I think that will look pretty badass with black heatshrink

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post #5 of 20
10/16/06 at 1:00am
using network cable is a terrible idea for non stationary ICs (since it's a 3.5mm plug, i think i'm right in assuming it's not going to be stationary).
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post #6 of 20
10/16/06 at 1:11am
Thread Starter 
Honestly I have no idea what you just said.
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post #7 of 20
10/16/06 at 1:26am
i don't really either... so i'll ask this instead: how are you planning to use this IC you just made?
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post #8 of 20
10/16/06 at 1:28am
Thread Starter 
Connecting my iPod to my CMOY. Very simple.
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post #9 of 20
10/16/06 at 3:18am
I think that he means that ethernet cable makes for a bad material for this since it's solid core and therefore not very flexible for portable use.
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post #10 of 20
10/16/06 at 3:32am
Basically what he means, I think, is that wince the wire is solid core (as opposed to mutil-filament or whatever), it will be more prone to breaking (the copper wire breaking, not the interconnect) when it is bent time and again. Staionary interconnects just sit where they are placed and never moved so they don't have that chance of breaking.
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post #11 of 20
10/16/06 at 3:56am
So use stranded CAT5? The same rules apply to network cabling as well. You use solid core for infrastructure cabling, and stranded for patch cables that get moved around.
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post #12 of 20
10/16/06 at 7:12am
I don't get it... Where in this entire thread did the OP state he was using solid core CAT5?
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post #13 of 20
10/16/06 at 10:52am
Thread Starter 
I am using CAT5e actually. It is stranded.
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post #14 of 20
10/17/06 at 1:59am
Thread Starter 
Wow...I feel INCREDIBLY stupid. I plugged in my Grados to this and soon realized I had swapped the brown and orange wires on my second plug

Back to the workbench.....
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post #15 of 20
10/17/06 at 10:46pm
Every Cat5 cable I have in the house is 24 AWG stranded.
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