[nikongod]

In what can most readily be described in a fit of boredom fueled by caffeine I baked a pair of cables.

22ga magnet wire wrapped TIGHTLY around an x-acto knife handle then stretched over a single strand of 41ga magnet wire (yes, 41 ga, its about the size of a strand of human hair...) inside a nylon shoelace for strain relief.

RCA plugs came from radio shack, 6 for $3.50 WOOT!

Here they are sitting on my platter.

Between the turntable/tonearm breakout box and the Step-up-transformer is a 6 inch cable I made with "some not so clear tape" and 2 strands of 41ga magnet wire. It is not shielded, but the primary of the transformer is wired balanced and floating so there is NO hum, even with the tonearm ground wire removed.

The "peculiar junk" atop the otherwise aesthetically pleasing bottlehead seduction is a pair of binding posts to mount external loading resistors for the SUT. Loading the SUT properly is VERY important. The pot is there until I "settle" on a specific load at which time it will be replaced with a resistor.

A closeup of the new cables.

Version 2 will look more like what they are trying to be, with the coils extending into the RCA plugs... I dont think I will use such absurdly thin wire as I broke one moving it from my work room to my bedroom. Version 2 will also have a tighter wrap for the coils. I dont like how "free" the shoelace is in the cage.

Thus far they sound EXCEPTIONALLY dynamic. If there is a spike in the music level hang onto your earlobes. Anything with strong transients throws you into your seat.

 

[kugino]

here's my first cable...finally got around to it last night. the hardest part for me was stripping the wires to expose the bare copper...need a better wire stripper. other than that, i probably need some alligator clips and a better way to put on the heatshrink. but it sounds good so i guess i did it correctly. it's a 4-pin XLR to 2 3-pin XLR adapter for use with my GS-X. i did not ground the 3-pin ends...it's using canare star quad, some techflex, and neutrik connectors.

sorry for the crappy picture, too...just did a quickie in bad light on the camera phone.

 

[nrwilk]

This may have been asked before - in fact, I'm sure it has. But, I couldn't find anything after searching.

I'm planning on making some ICs (mini-to-mini, mini-to-RCA, and RCA-to-RCA) with some wire I have already. I also want to try some with CAT-5. What can I use to shield these ICs since the CAT-5 and the other wire is not shielded? I notice that many of you seem to order wire that comes with rubber tubing on it already, but is there any tubing like this available by itself? Or, will techflex work by itself?

Thanks for any tips and help!

EDIT: How about cotton or nylon tubing?

 

[Fungi]

"Shielded" doesn't mean that it has a material cover over it. The shielded mic cable has shielding inside the tubing, around the wires.

 

[nrwilk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fungi /img/forum/go_quote.gif "Shielded" doesn't mean that it has a material cover over it. The shielded mic cable has shielding inside the tubing, around the wires.

Ok, thanks for the correction.

Any more info? Will I be ok with only the stock CAT-5 rubber on each individual wire, or would it be wise to cover it in addition? Either way, I'd like to cover it with nylon or some other type of sleeve.

 

[Fungi]

Techflex: strong, light, a little stiff, variable size, microphonic
Nylon multifilament: somewhat strong, light, flexible, not microphonic

I can't say I know too much about actual shielding, but I think certain braids/twists of CAT5 minimize the effects of interference. Putting some sort of sheathing is mostly just for cosmetic/practical purposes. Techflex is the sleeving they put on most computer power supply cords nowadays.

 

[threEchelon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrwilk /img/forum/go_quote.gif This may have been asked before - in fact, I'm sure it has. But, I couldn't find anything after searching. I'm planning on making some ICs (mini-to-mini, mini-to-RCA, and RCA-to-RCA) with some wire I have already. I also want to try some with CAT-5. What can I use to shield these ICs since the CAT-5 and the other wire is not shielded? I notice that many of you seem to order wire that comes with rubber tubing on it already, but is there any tubing like this available by itself? Or, will techflex work by itself? Thanks for any tips and help! EDIT: How about cotton or nylon tubing?

I haven't read good things about CAT5 for use in interconnects. You can get away with CAT5 in speaker cables because the capacitance doesn't matter that much, but I'd use it as a last resort for interconnects. Don't worry about what to cover it with; It's not worth it. Sorry to be a downer.

 

[Zorander]

Didn't like the previous recabling job I did on the Sextett so I re-did it with much more satisfactory results this time:

p.s. Can we please get back to picture-fest instead of discussions now?

 

[Zorander]

A mini-to-RCA interconnect made from "unwanted" materials (spare plugs, techflex and SPC wires from a spool not long enough for headphone recables):

 

[kugino]

zorander, that's a very nice job! how do you heatshrink the left and right wires to look like that? what size heatshrink and what's the technique? mine looks awful...

 

[Zorander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kugino /img/forum/go_quote.gif zorander, that's a very nice job! how do you heatshrink the left and right wires to look like that? what size heatshrink and what's the technique? mine looks awful...

Use heatshrink size that just matches (or a step larger, no more) the wires you are going to cover. You also need to apply the appropriate (high enough) amount of heat or the heatshrink will not shrink like it is supposed to be. I have a hairdryer with a heat setting that can turn any hair brown and crisp so that does the job nicely.

 

[nrwilk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by threEchelon /img/forum/go_quote.gif I haven't read good things about CAT5 for use in interconnects. You can get away with CAT5 in speaker cables because the capacitance doesn't matter that much, but I'd use it as a last resort for interconnects. Don't worry about what to cover it with; It's not worth it. Sorry to be a downer.

Thank you for the info!

 

[Mr.Sneis]

I have a phobia with shrink and techflex

But here's the latest:

1/4" -> 1/8" Adapter

for... SR-80

I wish now that there were cooler local shops in Phoenix, AZ that carried other brands of stuff.

 

[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorander /img/forum/go_quote.gif Use heatshrink size that just matches (or a step larger, no more) the wires you are going to cover. You also need to apply the appropriate (high enough) amount of heat or the heatshrink will not shrink like it is supposed to be. I have a hairdryer with a heat setting that can turn any hair brown and crisp so that does the job nicely.

thanks for the tip! gotta get more kinds of heatshrink...more colors, too

 

[Lil' Knight]

Sorry for my off-topic question but where do you guys buy those Jena cables? I'm looking for stores that ship internationally.