DIY Cable Questions and Comments Thread

[Paladin79]

https://www.amazon.com/BNTECHGO-Sil...21140692&sr=8-7&keywords=silicone+wire+26+awg

There is plenty of silicone wire on Amazon but you may be running into similar problems with shipping costs.

I checked some shipping rates and you are not needing a lot of wire. I could most likely put some in an envelope, mail it, and see if it gets to you, no charge. As long as it is not in a package, I doubt customs would be very concerned. I just have no way of knowing if it will be as flexible as what you are hoping for.

If the Chinese will ship there free, here is 3 meters for 99 cents.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/10Feet-3M-...696084&hash=item2116f8466c:g:EgAAAOSwYIxX2Kzg

I did not see Estonia on the list of countries they would exclude from shipping.

 

[CoiL]

I`ve gone through amazon, ebay and others... nothing like IT01 cable. I would like transparent sleeve + OFC (not tinned or silvered) but it seems to be impossible to find such cable, at least I couldn`t find.
I already have some other braided cables like Papri AG+CU 8-strand but it has PVC sleeving and they are nowhere near as soft as IT01 cable is. Have to hold carefully that cable - it`s freaking good.

 

[Paladin79]

Good luck in your search, I do not do much with IEM cables. Most likely the company approached a vendor and had that specific cable built, such things can be very difficult to track down.

I find the IEM's you mentioned for sale for around $99 with cable, it might be a way to get another one if it means that much to you.

 

[CoiL]

No, doesn`t matter SO much but would be nice to make to my other fav IEMs cable with such flexibility. Definitely not buying another IT01 just for cable...
Though, as they say - never say never

 

[Paladin79]

If all goes well, this weekend I will be working with some litz wire and I may be able to post a couple pictures of the use of liquid rosin, a solder pot, and fume extractor. I want to make a four wire balanced cable down to a mini four pin XLR. With that setup i will be able to add pig tails to go quickly from a dual solid state balanced amp setup over to a Bottlehead crack within ten seconds or so. This will keep me from constantly plugging connectors in and out of Sennheiser 650's and save some wear and tear on the headphone jacks.

 

[CoiL]

Give us pics!

 

[Paladin79]

Easily done.

I have also figured out a low cost cabinet for amps, dacs, headphones, switch boxes, etc. I am running out of space and I believe I have a low cost solution that will allow storage and access to eight or more devices, in a minimal amount of space at a cost of around $120. This also involves DIY cable storage so it might pertain to this thread just a bit. I will also make custom length interconnects for all equipment so there is some DIY involved there as well. I shall build in easy access and expandability.

 

[EthanTM]

The page on cable braiding seems to be broken now: http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos.htm
I am pretty sure the link was working just a few weeks ago... Is there another place I can find a guide? There was a pretty unusual 4 strand flat braid that that website had a guide on. I am having trouble finding it anywhere else.

 

[garcsa]

Help me please,
How to twist two cables (Toxic Viper, OD 1.4mm) to remain twisted?

 

[Allanmarcus]

The page on cable braiding seems to be broken now: http://www.seekyee.com/Slings/howtos.htm
I am pretty sure the link was working just a few weeks ago... Is there another place I can find a guide? There was a pretty unusual 4 strand flat braid that that website had a guide on. I am having trouble finding it anywhere else.

works for me.

 

[rwpritchett]

Hello all,

I'm planning my first DIY cable for my HE-500. I have a mix of amps using 3.5mm and 6.35mm jacks for headphones. Ideally, I would like to construct a cable terminated in a TRS that has a twist-off adapter like the stock AKG and other OEM cables have but I'm having a very difficult time finding a source for the part. I'm not even sure what this type of TRS is called officially, that might be why my google-fu is failing me.

I'm about to just suck it up and go with a standard 6.35mm connector and deal with a separate adapter. Every single one of my other headphones has a twist off hiding a 3.5mm and I like having a secured locking adapter.

Does anybody know a source for this part? I'm planning to go with sheathed Mogami W2534, so it needs to fit the 6mm cable diameter though I could step down to W2893 4.8mm OD if needed. An example is below, although this isn't necessarily the exact TRS I'm looking for:

Replying to my own forum query here to help anyone else looking for a source for a quality threaded 3.5mm TRS DIY connector. B&H Photo sells the connector used on Sony phones part # SONY18TRSMV2. I don't care for the orange lettering and haven't found a non-abrasive way to remove it. Acetone does nothing to it so might have to live with it. Anyway, here's the link.

 

[Paladin79]

If that connector works well for the application except for the lettering or the black finish, I have used a buffing pad on a bench grinder and jewelers rouge to remove finishes without damaging the metal underneath but I am not sure it would not damage the black finish. I started with black connectors but wanted to take them down to a brass finish. You could also just spray paint over the existing body of the connector with black lacquer and a clear coat, or even gold or silver paint.

They are available on EBay out of China.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20set-Self-locking-stereo-plated-6-35mm-revolution-to-3-5mm-self-locking-nut-tak/162814359803?_trkparms=pageci:af5f9eb5-29ec-11e8-8166-74dbd1807c12|parentrq:344a70c21620abd8d48e8e4dfffaa50d|iid:1&_trksid=p2481888.c100675.m4236

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-1-8-3-...738316?hash=item284d03108c:g:RlgAAOSw6-hYm4FY

 

[Paladin79]

This is my quick home solder pot setup for working with litz wire. To the left the black object in the first photo is a fume extractor, I have cut bar solder with a jigsaw (thanks to Highflyin for that suggestion), in the small black container next to the litz wire is kester liquid rosin. Second photo shows how easy it is to melt more solder once the first small piece starts flowing. Third photo is litz wire after I dunked it in the liquid rosin, then the molten solder. I dunked it in both the rosin and the solder several times to achieve the desired tinning. Final photo shows the brown remnants of the litz coating, it is visible in the white portion of the melted solder in the solder pot. That is 26 awg litz wire with a nylon jacket, the solder is Ultra Low Dross Kester brand. The solder pot is available at Digikey for around $30 or so as I recall, they have less expensive models but the higher the wattage, the more quickly it will melt the solder; this one has a fairly large bowl compared to some. Once the solder pot is going, the process of tinning one end of the litz wire is probably 20 seconds or so. I am fairly ambidextrous but I did not feel safe trying to take a photo with my right hand as I dunked the wire with my left. The black container with the green top is from 35 mm film, (some of you might recall when such film was used), it gives you an idea of the size of a spool containing 100 feet of litz wire.

 

[ostewart]

Help me please,
How to twist two cables (Toxic Viper, OD 1.4mm) to remain twisted?

 

[buke9]

Just bought some generic 60/40 solder from Amazon and boy is it dross filled. Got some of the Kester liquid flux you suggested and thanks for that good stuff. Other than just skimming it off the top is there other things to do to get rid of the dross?