DIY cables - A Variation On a Theme - Page 2

18".

you got it.

you sure you wouldn't want them 12", or 15"?

I'll start work on them tomorrow.

PM me with your address.

hey, I'll even put the rope all the way through. you'll have to burn them in. (can you stand a 40 hr. burn-in?) then comparing them to your present ICs?

you definitely do NOT want to use the Homegrown Golden RCA plugs with the tube MOCCC.

it does not have a good enough grip and you must therefore resort to using heat shrink tubing to anchor the tube.

the Neutrik ProFis are excellent because they use one of two different plastic inserts which applies the clamping pressure.

the Goldens are better used only if you are soldering the cable shield right onto the RCA plug.

are there any other types of RCA plugs which use an insert to clamp the cable?

Obviously the types with the screws / bolts on the outer case should not be used either as there is no way that it can be secured because there is no solid filler in the middle of the cable.

I picked up some (50 feet) 1/8" Vinyl Microtubing in the garden watering (water irrigation) section of Home Depot for $5.00. It's nice pliable rubber-like tubing. There's plenty of room to insert 4 wires, even if they are teflon coated (just in case you decide to use teflon coated silver wire).

I can see where someone could put an outside braid around it. then finish it up with a cloth covering. the tubing is made by www.digcorp.com. I didn't like the brown stuff, so i stuck with basic black. http://www.digcorp.com/comm/comm8040.htm

the 1/2" heat shrink tubing is not bad, either, at Home Depot (versus the Radio Shack 1/2" part).

i am finding out that just scraping the enamle off is much quicker, though a little rougher, than using the acetone. it can be done, but it is tedious. you must somehow secure the wire while you scrape it against your finger. (don't cut your fingers with the blade).

in making Doug's second cable, I decided to try the teflon wrap. it definitely makes it easier to insert the rope into the tube, but it takes much longer. Before, i would twist the tube as I inserted the rope (I secured the wires to the coat hanger, secured the coat hanger, after making a hook to hook onto something, and twisted the wire as it was bieng pulled through. I used my fingers to keep the wires separated). there was minimal untwisting, but I did have to remove the cable more than once to get it right. so, I say, go with the teflon.

on the second cable I decided to use a 1/4" x 1/4" heat shrink to secure the tube to the clamp. like I said, the clamp sucks unless you are using it to solder the body to the shield. you can not solder the tube to the metal, and there is no way that I will add super glue. I then also used a heat shrink on the outside of the RCA barrel for a secure connection.

the Neutrik ProFi's are much easier to use. they are more expensive, but they do not need heat shrink. a plastic piece tightens around the tube (on the inside), the more you twist the barrel on, the tihghter the connection. twist too much and the tube will deform - that's how much pressure it can exert.

hope you like them, Doug.
-wally