Quote: Originally Posted by theSeekerr BTW, can anyone recommend a particular PCB service? ExpressPCB seem OK, but a little expensive for just mucking around, particularly if I wanted a soldermask. Also, their shipping rates to Australia are ridiculous - using their MiniBoard service (3...

To amplify FS2's advice, turn off, or at least down the temp, if the iron is not going to be used for several minutes. JBC solder stations do that automatically and the tips last forever. Also, leave a blob of solder on the tip when it is not in use: That protects the tip from oxidation.

If your cable-making plans include working with litz wire, you'll need a solder pot.

The CS8412 is used in DIY, budget, and high-end DACs. The chip is long out of production but DACs that use it are still being made. So, what can be used as a substitute or upgrade? A popular choice is the pin-compatible CS8414 mounted on a SOIC-to-DIP adapter but the CS8414 is also out of...

Dude, You already have the first half. Create a wave file with the wave form you want and play it through your EZDAC. You mave have to goose the opamps to get the current you want. For the second half, use a digital scope, a recording DVM, or PC sound card A/D.

Twisted Cat5 Speaker Cable Compared to the jumble that is braided Cat5 speaker cable, this speaker cable sounds the way it looks: smooth and coherent. It is also easier and less time-consuming to make. Start by separating Cat5 cable down to its individual wires. Cut all the wires to...

Quote: Originally Posted by FallenAngel I unbraided it completely and separated every twisted pair, guess what, the largest difference in length is about less than half of an inch (that's less than 1%, not 10%). Could be your wire is Cat3, not Cat5. As far as I know, the variable...

Both ICs use Cardas tonearm wire, 33awg copper litz. In one, the wire is woven into a polypropylene hollow braid rope, in the other, the wire is threaded into Teflon tubes that are plaited in a square sinnet.

FallenAngel: You apparently think braided Cat5 twisted pairs sounds good, I don’t. That’s why I went through over 2000 feet of Cat5 cable searching for something better. In my experience, twisted pairs sound bad and braiding sounds worse. My solution was to disassemble the Cat5 into individual...

Start with the four wires side by side. a. Take the leftmost wire and cross it OVER its TWO neighbors. b. Take the rightmost wire and cross it OVER its ONE neighbor. c. Take the leftmost wire and cross it UNDER its TWO neighbors. d. Take the rightmost wire and cross it UNDER its ONE...

Quote: Originally Posted by cyberspyder How big of a deal is it to braid Cat5 cables? Braiding is not a big deal: But why bother braiding at all? Plain Cat5 is bad enough and braiding only makes it worse. The problem is in the twisted pairs. Each pair has a different twist pitch...