New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

DIY cable tips

post #1 of 16
2/16/10 at 4:52am
Thread Starter 
hey all, trying to re cable my grados to make it a little more portable. i just bought some 26 awg cables in assorted colors, i would assume i would need some techflex in 1/4 inch (do they come in an even smaller size?), a 3.5mm plug, Y plug, and some heat shrink

is there a nice guide on how to build a cable? i did a search on headfi but couldnt find anything

if not how do i conjoin the wires around the Y plug? im really new at this but this would seem like an interesting project

thanks
Reply
post #2 of 16
2/16/10 at 7:32am
You need four wires in total. Both cups take two: one positive and one ground.

I like to use Nylon instead of Techflex. Techflex is stiff and microphonic. For 4 26aw wires you can buy the 3/16". I guess 1/8" is a bit too small.
Reply
post #3 of 16
2/16/10 at 9:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by apatN View Post
I like to use Nylon instead of Techflex. Techflex is stiff and microphonic. For 4 26aw wires you can buy the 3/16". I guess 1/8" is a bit too small.
Any hint about where (and under what name) I can find nylon sleeving? (Preferably in The Netherlands.) I was just looking for some for a recabling project of my own.
Reply
post #4 of 16
2/16/10 at 9:38am
I got mine from eBay (seller is called furryletters). He is in the USA but I had a breeze dealing with him.
Reply
post #5 of 16
2/16/10 at 9:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by apatN View Post
I got mine from eBay (seller is called furryletters). He is in the USA but I had a breeze dealing with him.
Thanks, I'll try that then.
Reply
post #6 of 16
2/16/10 at 4:41pm
Thread Starter 
so i was thinking 3/16 for the 4 wires and after the Y split 1/8 for each of the 2 wires. is there such a thing as a y split heat shrink? and can i join the ground wires together for both cups?

edit: what about stress relief on the cables? should i worry about that?
Reply
post #7 of 16
2/17/10 at 12:07am
i can only see fail in your future i will take a lot of pics whenever i get around to doing my grados and make a new post a few days from now.
Reply
post #8 of 16
2/17/10 at 2:48am
Thread Starter 
awesome, got to wait for the wires to ship anyway
Reply
post #9 of 16
2/18/10 at 7:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by vvaffles View Post
so i was thinking 3/16 for the 4 wires and after the Y split 1/8 for each of the 2 wires. is there such a thing as a y split heat shrink? and can i join the ground wires together for both cups?

edit: what about stress relief on the cables? should i worry about that?
If you are talking Nylon then those measurements are good. The 3/16 will fit most cables and the 1/8 is a good one for the leads to the cups.
Reply
post #10 of 16
2/18/10 at 12:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by vvaffles View Post
so i was thinking 3/16 for the 4 wires and after the Y split 1/8 for each of the 2 wires. is there such a thing as a y split heat shrink? and can i join the ground wires together for both cups?

edit: what about stress relief on the cables? should i worry about that?
The need for strain relief is minimal, but a little extra heatshrink can't hurt. For the Y-split you don't need anything fancy, just a bit of heatshrink again.

Here's a re-cable I did for better portability. If you do anything similar and just dress it up in nylon multifilament you will be golden.

Browsing the DIY Cable Gallery thread might give you some inspiration/ideas too.

Reply
post #11 of 16
2/19/10 at 5:23am
Thread Starter 
mmm couldn't find any nylon from furryletters, went with his techflex as it wasn't too expensive anyway. hope it doesn't stiff up in Canadian winters.

now i need to look into cable braiding.

i decided on the Neutrik NYS231, im assuming that the top left pong is Right, bottom left pong is Left, and top and bottom right is Ground?
Reply
post #12 of 16
2/19/10 at 6:32pm
I think the NYS items are made by Re'An now, you have to go to the chinese page to find them. Either way, it's a good miniplug, I have two that will soon be in an interconnect.

You might want to take a look at the 'build an intercannect page' listed here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/how...ep-pics-50729/

I don't have them with me, but I'm fairly certian you can look at it and guess which ones are which. To check, get a multimeter, or make a continuity checker (like a battery and a small light).

For braiding, you might want to look into the litz braid, information here:
Chimera Labs Do it yourself - braiding Audio Cable
Reply
post #13 of 16
2/20/10 at 2:03am
Thread Starter 
thats great stuff, thanks!
Reply
post #14 of 16
2/20/10 at 4:17am
need for strain relief minimal for a headphone recable?? hmm I have to 100% disagree with that. of any type of cable headphone cables need it the most IMO. especially hardwired recables like grados primarily for portable use
Reply
post #15 of 16
2/20/10 at 4:20am
nowhere calls it just nylon. they call it multifilament nylon
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home