DIY Cable Questions and Comments Thread

[NTK1]

I would contact plussound for a replacement. They have good stuff

They only offer a 5 day warranty if damaged and all sales are final is listed for DIY parts.

 

[MikeJSmith]

Oops, didn’t add the photo!

Second attempt looks a bit better! Only really needed two wires so that’s easier. And this one works too!

 

[Paladin79]

That is a decent looking mono cable, I am glad it works for your purpose.

 

[Allanmarcus]

@MikeJSmith

Wire looks nice, but what's it more. As @Paladin79 notes, it's a mono wire. Were you trying for a mono wire?

 

[Paladin79]

LOL I was trying for a more indirect approach but I was certainly curious as well.

 

[MikeJSmith]

Ha, yes I wanted a mono wire. It’s connecting up my iBasso dx80 and chord mojo which both have mini coaxial sockets. It works so hopefully that’s right!

 

[Paladin79]

If it works, how could it possibly be wrong? I imagine that is a mono 3.5 mm connection and oftentimes you can get away with using a stereo plug as mono if the rings match up properly. The only major difference in the wire type is you are using a different form of shielding by using twisted pair instead of coaxial cable but it can be done. Good job all around! Generally I would think that the coaxial cable in question would be for a digital signal and a quality copper center conductor is needed but on a short run of cable, you can often times MacGyver it.

 

[MikeJSmith]

and a quality copper center conductor is needed but on a short run of cable, you can often times MacGyver it

I think this is it. A bit Heath Robinson but works over a short distance. Maybe I’ll make another using proper cable another day. I’m mainly doing this for a bit of fun, practice and exploration so all good learning.

 

[Paladin79]

If you decide to use some proper coaxial cable there is some miniature cable I can recommend.
Belden makes some that has all the specs of their RG 6 and RG 59 but only about an eighth of an inch outside diameter. Smaller coax fits easily into 3.5 mm connectors.

 

[Allanmarcus]

LOL I was trying for a more indirect approach but I was certainly curious as well.

Well, at least I didn't ask "What are you doing?"

 

[Paladin79]

Once I learned what was going on it made more sense. Basically if someone says it is working and they like the results I would rarely argue the results. Sometimes manufacturers use different audio or video jacks for other purposes. A 3.5 mm connector to coaxial cable is not real far fetched.

Right now my folks are building HDMI to RJ 45 connector cables. The customer has specialized test equipment that uses an hdmi jack for something other than digital audio and video. I even know of a manufacturer that switched hdmi from digital to analog within the equipment itself and sold hdmi to component video cables. Without knowing the applications my first thoughts were both cables could never work lol. I have built about a dozen cables for one brand of headphones that ran the left and right channels together on each 3.5 mm trs connector so replacement cables were not so easy to find; that is not common but it made for a redundant connection that holds up quite well.

 

[Whitigir]

I love seeing people working on their own cables and can listen and observe the result. Hell, even if it was just for practicality. I was told that Kimber Axios cables Silver for 3m would cost $4500 or so....Woooo

 

[Paladin79]

I hesitate to say much of anything about products other than there are plenty of cable types I know and trust that are rarely more than a few dollars a foot.

 

[MikeJSmith]

Thanks guys! Now hooked up to some DIY headphone cables, again mainly just playing before I go ahead and try something that looks a little neater. Practicing to create new cables to replace the overly long stock cable terminated in the bigger 6.35mm jack for an easier to handle one.

Any tips / resources for advice on keeping the braiding tidy? I struggled getting a consistent tension and also lost the sequence a couple of times.
I’ve ordered a load of paracord so next time I’ll try that too.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Well, I've made a few cables! As for braiding, it's all about concentration, which is easy to lose. Your braids look pretty good. Using two or more colors helps too. I haven't tried to make a color color cable yet.

I'm curious how you are going to wire up the pinouts on the tips. Fostex is the opposite +/- than Sennheiser.

I usually post my results on the DIY Cable Gallery!!, with is different from the DIY Cable Questions and Comments Thread