[Dyaems]

sorry if it is the wrong thread, but im trying to make an RCA to 3.5mm cable (and it is my first time doing it) and everytime i put the cables and their respective plugs together, they become mono. am i doing the correct thing? or theres something wrong with my cabling?
 
what i did is the following, sorry if it looks weird haha:
 
left ground rca--------------------------3.5mm ground (joined together)
left channel------------------------------3.5mm left
                                                                                   
right ground rca------------------------3.5mm ground (joined together)
right channel----------------------------3.5mm right
 
any advice are appreciated, thanks!

 

[samsquanch]

Quote:

sorry if it is the wrong thread, but im trying to make an RCA to 3.5mm cable (and it is my first time doing it) and everytime i put the cables and their respective plugs together, they become mono. am i doing the correct thing? or theres something wrong with my cabling?
 
what i did is the following, sorry if it looks weird haha:
 
left ground rca--------------------------3.5mm ground (joined together)
left channel------------------------------3.5mm left
                                                                                   
right ground rca------------------------3.5mm ground (joined together)
right channel----------------------------3.5mm right
 
any advice are appreciated, thanks!

 
Do you have a picture of your 3.5mm connector with wires soldered to it?
 
Both rca grounds will be landed together on the sleeve of the trs, left signal wire will be soldered to the tip, and right to the ring.

 

[ardgedee]

The wires should connect like this:
 
Right RCA pin -> TRS ring
Right RCA ring -> TRS sleeve
Left RCA pin -> TRS tip
Left RCA ring -> TRS sleeve
 
If you have the RCA pins and rings reversed, the left and right signals are joined at the sleeve of the TRS plug. This means that if the RCA device is upstream of the TRS device, the TRS plug delivers a mono signal in reverse phase.
 
This is assuming you've confirmed with a continuity tester that nothing is bridging.

 

[limpidglitch]

The sleeve is always ground/return, on both TRS and RCA plugs, so they should all be connected together.
Other than that I use the three Rs to remember the rest: Right, ring, red.
What is then remaining must by logic be the left channel.
 
Oh, three people ready to help, that's not bad.
Hope we do not just confuse you further.

 

[Dyaems]

sure, heres the pic:
 

 
yeah the cables are all red but i marked them before attempting to braid and solder, maybe i interchanged one of the wires during labeling or something? if that might be the case, what should i do, should i remove everything and do it all over again?
 
also, changing different colored wires is not an option because this the only wire that it is available right now xD
 
thanks for helping!

 

[FraGGleR]

Quote:

 
 
 
yeah the cables are all red but i marked them before attempting to braid and solder, maybe i interchanged one of the wires during labeling or something? if that might be the case, what should i do, should i remove everything and do it all over again?
 
also, changing different colored wires is not an option because this the only wire that it is available right now xD
 
thanks for helping!

Do you have a multimeter to check continuity?  That should give you good clues if not the answer to what might have been crossed.  Also check to make sure none of the connection points are touching each other.

 

[samsquanch]

do you have a multi meter that you can use to check continuity with?  I have a feeling you have your signal (tip and ring) on your TRS connected to the shields of your RCA's, which when plugged into your piece of gear would short them together and effectively sum the two channels, and if your shield lines on your trs are connected to the signal pins of your rca's it would also be inverting your signal, or putting it out of phase.
 
if this is the case, then I would switch them at the rca end, which would probably be the easier side to fix.
 
Good luck!

 

[limpidglitch]

 
In case you were wondering.
As sam's saying, the problem is likely at the RCA end.

 

[Dyaems]

ardgedee is correct, as well as you guys! i had the RCA pins and rings reversed, so I resoldered both RCA cables and reversing the wires as well, and its working fine now. 
 
lesson learned: dont use wires of one color if youre doing it the first time xD

 

[Johnsonr520]

What is a good flexible wire that I can buy for doing litz braiding for headphone cables that wont be too expensive. 
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sennheiser-HD650-HD600-HD580-8ft-OCC-Cryo-Copper-cable-by-Toxic-Cables-/120981522255?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item1c2b0f874f
 
This is basically what Im looking for but I cant afford to spend $2 a foot since that will add up to like $50. Anything like a dollar or less would be preferable.

 

[Mad Max]

Canare or Mogami starquad cables.

 

[rsxboy]

Quote:

 

 
 

did you really solder the jack with the wires on the outside? how did the jack housing even thread on?

 

[Mad Max]

Quote:

did you really solder the jack with the wires on the outside? how did the jack housing even thread on?

 
It just does?  lol
 
So long as the solder joints are not too big.

 

[Johnsonr520]

Quote:

Canare or Mogami starquad cables.

Arent those 4 conductor cables so you cant braid them?

 

[Mad Max]

Who doesn't strip them and braid them like everyone else here?
Besides me.  =p
 
Or buy stiff, microphonic single wire from navships on fleaBay.