[MrEleventy]

Pick two, doesn't matter, still 7-8 hours of your life gone.

I bought some cables from Wal-Mart, ugh, because I forgot to order some from monoprice. 2 months in and they're going bad already. Who would've guessed? :rolleyes: So I made my own by cutting up a cat5 cable, works great. Going to roll some nicer ones now. diy is addictive.

 

[Blurpapa]

Is 550 paracord big enough for a 4-cable braid of 24 AWG?

Hi guys. Same question too.
I've decided to use a Neotech 24awg wire which has a PVC jacket. It has an OD of 2.18mm.
May I know if 550 paracord will be too baggy if I were to sheath each of these wires before braiding them together?
Would anyone know what's the internal diameter of 550 paracord?

Thanks.
John

 

[PETEREK]

Quote:

Hi guys. Same question too.
I've decided to use a Neotech 24awg wire which has a PVC jacket. It has an OD of 2.18mm.
May I know if 550 paracord will be too baggy if I were to sheath each of these wires before braiding them together?
Would anyone know what's the internal diameter of 550 paracord?

Thanks.
John

I used 550 Paracord with 26 AWG wire, one strand in the paracord and did a 3 strand braid and it didnt seem too "baggy" to me. If you braid each wire separately like I did and the braid is tight like it should be, you should be fine. Also, I think it would be kind of tight running more than 2 wires at 24 AWG through one strand of 550 paracord, it's pretty thin.

 

[MetalHealth30]

Quote:

I used 550 Paracord with 26 AWG wire, one strand in the paracord and did a 3 strand braid and it didnt seem too "baggy" to me. If you braid each wire separately like I did and the braid is tight like it should be, you should be fine. Also, I think it would be kind of tight running more than 2 wires at 24 AWG through one strand of 550 paracord, it's pretty thin.

I kid you not, I fit a 4-cable braid through 550 paracord. Looks terrible hahahaha

 

[liquidzoo]

2 24awg wires, twisted together or not, should fit in a strand of 550 cord.
 
I use Type 1 paracord for individual wires and it works really well, though it is a pain to get sleeved without snagging the wires.

 

[Blurpapa]

Thanks for all your comments and advice guys. Really appreciate it.

Problem with cables is that even though the conductors may be rated 24awg, the ODs differs from manufacturer to manufacturer and from the types of material used for its jackets. From previous comments in this post, I've figured that type I micro paracord can fit cables with ODs of around 1.5-1.7mm, generally anything under 2mm which is what led me to wondering if I should be working with 550 or type I for the Neotech cable that has a 2.18mm OD.

I have a shipment of Type I paracord coming soon so I guess I will wait till both cable and paracord are in hand and make a decision from there. Worst case scenario, I will put in another order for the 550 stuff.

Here's the cable I have in mind. https://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopexd.asp?id=1421
Lovely 24awg UPOCC and cryo'd for less than a buck a foot! The only snag is its PVC insulation which makes it a little thicker than what I'd like to work with.

 

[FraGGleR]

Quote:

Thanks for all your comments and advice guys. Really appreciate it.

Problem with cables is that even though the conductors may be rated 24awg, the ODs differs from manufacturer to manufacturer and from the types of material used for its jackets. From previous comments in this post, I've figured that type I micro paracord can fit cables with ODs of around 1.5-1.7mm, generally anything under 2mm which is what led me to wondering if I should be working with 550 or type I for the Neotech cable that has a 2.18mm OD.

I have a shipment of Type I paracord coming soon so I guess I will wait till both cable and paracord are in hand and make a decision from there. Worst case scenario, I will put in another order for the 550 stuff.

Here's the cable I have in mind. https://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopexd.asp?id=1421
Lovely 24awg UPOCC and cryo'd for less than a buck a foot! The only snag is its PVC insulation which makes it a little thicker than what I'd like to work with.

If you haven't ordered yet, I would advise you not to use that wire for headphones.  For one, as you have mentioned, the PVC insulation is thick and will be stiff.  Also having only 7 strands will add to the stiffness (and potentially be less durable in the long run).  For an interconnect, it would be a great wire.  For headphones, it probably won't work well for you (I'm thinking it won't fit into Type 1 Microparacord).  
 
If budget is a concern, something stripped out of Mogami cable is great.  If you can pay a little bit more, UPOCC wire from Doublehelixcables, Toxic Cables, or Plussounds will be better for headphone cables.
I

 

[Ferminx]

Mini to Mini using Neutrik 

 

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

Hi Fraggler. Thanks for jumping in to rescue. I procrastinated to shop around a little more, so I've not sent in the order yet.

I have a DHC Nucleotide cable and had wanted to experiment with some other wires. Plussounds seems like a good alternative but Toxic Cables are really pricey! Wow!

 
If you want to economize, the great standby is miniquad cable from Canare or Mogami. Some of the best copper you can get if you can't afford higher-end offerings. Seriously -- this stuff is cheaper than zipcord and is better quality. The only downside is your added labor in stripping the cable housing to get the wires out.
 
Some of the cheaper ($1.00 or so per ft) copper wire you'll find is basically Mogami. The added charge is reasonable; you're paying for the convenience of getting your choice of wire insulation and not having to do all that cable stripping.

 

[roadcykler]

Quote:

Sweet... Is that a Boxing or MMA movie?

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk 2

Sounds like WWE.

 

[TrollDragon]

Quote:

Sweet... Is that a Boxing or MMA movie?

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk 2

Sounds like WWE.

Yes indeed, WWE for sure, it just oozes machismo...

Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Blurpapa]

If you are sticking with UPOCC copper, I don't think you will find an audible difference in the wires. They might handle slightly differently depending on strand count or thickness of dialectric. I am fairly certain Artemis cables got wire from Neotech which is one of the oldest and well known manufacturers of UPOCC wire, so it should be good..

 
Thanks again Fraggler. You are very generous with the time you spend on providing succinct advice to us beginners and I am sure I represent the rest of us by saying a great Thank You! To be honest, on top of the need for a longer cable, it was the sight of your beautiful Ron Burgundy cable which inspired me to build a copycat for this new project (I've also contacted Clint).  

 
If you want to economize, the great standby is miniquad cable from Canare or Mogami. Some of the best copper you can get if you can't afford higher-end offerings. Seriously -- this stuff is cheaper than zipcord and is better quality. The only downside is your added labor in stripping the cable housing to get the wires out.
 
Some of the cheaper ($1.00 or so per ft) copper wire you'll find is basically Mogami. The added charge is reasonable; you're paying for the convenience of getting your choice of wire insulation and not having to do all that cable stripping.

 
I know I am such a sucker for falling into the UP OCC + Cryo trap but I just cannot help it. It's a disease methinks. The cable I am planning needs to be 5m long for me to chill out on my sofa, which is why I am trying to scrimp a buck or two off the 75ft of wire which I will need for the project. I had contemplated building an 8-braid but eventually decided that money should be more wisely spent elsewhere. BUT! I do have some interconnects I made out of some Belden wire and Neutrik XLR plugs! I think there is hope for me still......after this project.

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

I know I am such a sucker for falling into the UP OCC + Cryo trap but I just cannot help it. It's a disease methinks. The cable I am planning needs to be 5m long for me to chill out on my sofa, which is why I am trying to scrimp a buck or two off the 75ft of wire which I will need for the project. I had contemplated building an 8-braid but eventually decided that money should be more wisely spent elsewhere.BUT! I do have some interconnects I made out of some Belden wire and Neutrik XLR plugs! I think there is hope for me still......after this project.

 
Don't let me discourage you from getting high-quality wire!
 
It seems to be a problem with many people starting out, that they try to build their first cable with expensive top-shelf parts, but they haven't got the experience yet to do a good job, so they either ruin things or psyche themselves out of it. Far better to build a bunch of cables on the cheap, learn the craft, and work your way up. You'll end with more cables than you can use, but there are always other people who want cables.

 

[Blurpapa]

Don't let me discourage you from getting high-quality wire!

It seems to be a problem with many people starting out, that they try to build their first cable with expensive top-shelf parts, but they haven't got the experience yet to do a good job, so they either ruin things or psyche themselves out of it. Far better to build a bunch of cables on the cheap, learn the craft, and work your way up. You'll end with more cables than you can use, but there are always other people who want cables.

It's the good guys like you and Fraggler who keep the craft going

 

[Kamakahah]

So I'm going to build a cable for another member, but he's looking for a specific detail that I'm not sure how to control : resistance.

He wants to keep the resistance as low as possible. So what changes to a build will help me keep the resistance low?