[Paladin79]

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 always found it important to keep consistent pressure on the braid. I generally use Panavises to hold the ends of the wires to be braided. It is possible to knot them together on that end and let the vise clamp them down. I also use a wire holder with the panavise that can be very handy.

 

[MikeJSmith]

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

Yes, I've wired them sup the opposite way round to the Sennheiser layout and trimmed down the connector to fit. Gotcha - Results in cable gallery for the future!

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 always found it important to keep consistent pressure on the braid. I generally use Panavises to hold the ends of the wires to be braided. It is possible to knot them together on that end and let the vise clamp them down. I also use a wire holder with the panavise that can be very handy.

Nice set-up! I have a small vice, but as it isn't fixed to anything it wasn't ideal. I'll find a way of securing the other end for future.

 

[Letmebefrank]

The panavise setup is very nice. @Paladin79 set me up with a full kit and it has been fantastic.

 

[Paladin79]

Frank lives close to me so I was able to help out. I also value his knowledge of headphones and amps and his hearing has got to be superior to my tired old ears so I always value his opinions there as well.

Anyway the wire holder works very well on cable tension once you either knot or clamp the cables together so each maintains the proper length. I have used some panavises enough to wear out the threading and all parts are replaceable but occasional cable builders will never have to buy such things.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Speaking of panavises, I just got PTFE jaws as a replacement to the plastic jaws that I've destroyed with poor soldering. The PTFE jaws seems to withstand the heat of an accidental solder tip touch much better than the plastic. Also, the heat being transferred from the solder to jaws through the connector being held in place is not melting the jaws.

This is what I got:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SSTQE0

 

[Paladin79]

Very nice attachment! I personally only use the 350 model panavise with rubber grips over metal jaws and only have to replace those every few years on vises used daily. The tricky thing to find on panavise is the curved sponges that go in the base unit. They come as a kit with a few other panavise parts but I have yet to find them available by themselves. I can find plenty of square and rectangular sponges that I can cut to shape but never the originals for sale as such.

I call the grips on the model 350 rubber but they are probably some plastic compound that wears like iron but retains a bit of flexibility. They will grip without marring.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

I just got 72' of BELDEN 8423 i wonder if i did good or i got ripoff ($32 Canadian Peso for 72').This cable is a PITA to work with it have braided copper shield,cloth then another cloth wrapped inside the conductor.Maybe this is nice for interconnect or input signal for tube amp build,What about speaker wire?

 

[Paladin79]

List price on that cable is $2.63 per foot American so about $15.23 retail here but that is if I buy 1,000 feet at a time. When people cut short lengths there is labor involved (but not a lot of labor.) My cost is less. You could certainly use it for interconnect wire within an amp but at 20 awg that is a bit light for most speaker wire that is run at a decent length. 3 feet to each speaker can be doable if you are not running much power.

oops sorry you said 72 feet I was thinking 72 inches. 72 feet of that cable can be $189 American.

That cable is highly shielded and would certainly be pain to work with but they use high quality copper equivalent to ofc I suspect.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

I just don't know what to do with it,When i saw the BELDEN name i didn't think twice i just grab the dang thing now i'am stuck with it
Nice workshop BTW.

 

[Paladin79]

LOL it is not something I would use very often myself and I do this for a living.

I used to run my own electronics business so I have multiples of many pieces of equipment so my home shop is a bit more extensive that you might imagine. I still build some cables at home when my people get behind and as you probably know I build an occasional amp, or modify headphones or repair audio equipment if time allows.

If you got 6 feet of that cable for $32 that is a little pricey, if you got 72 feet, then the copper value alone might keep you from losing out on it. I paid $32 for a six by ten inch copper plate 1/8 inch thick and if you do indeed have 72 feet, that Is a lot of copper and even scrap value should be very good.

 

[Allanmarcus]

My wife just sent me this. Enjoy

 

[Paladin79]

Funny! Most of the things my wife sends me are NSW even though she works for a university.

I will have to show that to some employees, a couple of them just got finished making 400 shielded patch cables. Most of them listen to books as they work so the monotony does not become overwhelming; technology allows me to listen to 4-5 a week myself depending on length.

Back to cables, I never did learn if LUV has 6 feet or 72 feet of the Belden cable. That stuff has a dual braid and wrapped shield from what I can tell. If you think opening up star quad is hard for the four wires inside, that stuff would be a nightmare. Quality cable though, made maybe 75 miles north of me.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

LOL it is not something I would use very often myself and I do this for a living.

I used to run my own electronics business so I have multiples of many pieces of equipment so my home shop is a bit more extensive that you might imagine. I still build some cables at home when my people get behind and as you probably know I build an occasional amp, or modify headphones or repair audio equipment if time allows.

If you got 6 feet of that cable for $32 that is a little pricey, if you got 72 feet, then the copper value alone might keep you from losing out on it. I paid $32 for a six by ten inch copper plate 1/8 inch thick and if you do indeed have 72 feet, that Is a lot of copper and even scrap value should be very good.

Not 6ft for $32CAD it's 72Ft for $32CAD.I guess i did good.

 

[Paladin79]

You did very well then lol. If I had a reason to buy that cable today it would cost me $144 US.

When you started talking speaker wire, length of run is very important. Running 20 feet at 100 watts could well require 14-16 awg. I see Fullcompass is dumping some for $115 for 100 feet but $293 is list, I will have to check outside diameter but it could make some very good XLR cables and perhaps even RCA interconnect cables depending on diameter.

Outside diameter is .272 inches, 6.91 mm not as bad as I suspected.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

I'am going to build another amp for my wife so i will try to use this BELDEN for the input or maybe i will use it for the whole build,Spec for this cable is as follows 3 conductors,20awg,600V,4A.90C. it should be ok for a build.