DIY Cable Questions and Comments Thread

[Paladin79]

Custom built USB 2 A-B cables with poly mesh. These are only six foot or so but they work perfectly and there is plenty of room inside the connectors for soldering 22awg wires. We plugged them in to a dac and computer here. I will take one home and try it with other systems. We have a couple testers with these inputs so initial continuity tests were quick and easy. Getting the mesh on the cable was the most time consuming part, everything else is very easy.

After two hours of testing on various devices, the results are quite good. Now to try for longer lengths.

 

[TidalWave]

I'm trying to find a wire diagram (which wire goes to which part on a connector) for a simple balanced cable (two 3.5mm single pole connectors to go into my headphones--Audeze SINE--and then terminating in a 2.5mm TRRS connector to music source.)

Looks like I need something like this for the TRRS end:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Gol...e-Male-Plug-Jack-metal-Audio/32814070681.html

And something like these for the plugs that go into the headphones, not sure if these are right. A recommendation for nicer ones would be welcome.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10p...adphone-Male-Plugs-with-Tail/32831580394.html

Not sure which wire to use and which constituent wires to connect to which portions on each connector. Is there a guide for such connections? I've been looking and so far mostly see guides for female TRRS connections on youtube.

 

[ramenmeal]

Looking to make/buy a 2.5mm trrs FEMALE to 3.5mm trs MALE adapter. I'm having trouble finding 2.5mm trrs female terminations. Any recommendations? I found a metal one on aliexpress and some cheap plastic things around the net.

 

[Allanmarcus]

I'm trying to find a wire diagram (which wire goes to which part on a connector) for a simple balanced cable (two 3.5mm single pole connectors to go into my headphones--Audeze SINE--and then terminating in a 2.5mm TRRS connector to music source.)

Looks like I need something like this for the TRRS end:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Gol...e-Male-Plug-Jack-metal-Audio/32814070681.html

And something like these for the plugs that go into the headphones, not sure if these are right. A recommendation for nicer ones would be welcome.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10p...adphone-Male-Plugs-with-Tail/32831580394.html

Not sure which wire to use and which constituent wires to connect to which portions on each connector. Is there a guide for such connections? I've been looking and so far mostly see guides for female TRRS connections on youtube.

The easiest way is to just use a multimeter and figure what connects to what. Use continuity setting in the multimeter. Multimeters are cheap, and you need one if you are going to build cables.

 

[TidalWave]

The easiest way is to just use a multimeter and figure what connects to what. Use continuity setting in the multimeter. Multimeters are cheap, and you need one if you are going to build cables.

Thanks, I do have and use a multimeter, but I still wouldn't know which should be signals and which should be ground. For instance the Tip|Ring|Ring|Sleeve doesn't tell me anything. Ring / Ring are left and right signal wires? Tip and Sleeve are ground? But which is which? That's the sort of thing I want to know for my particular cable. I have plenty of soldering experience for my other hobby, but I've never tinkered with audio cables before.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Thanks, I do have and use a multimeter, but I still wouldn't know which should be signals and which should be ground. For instance the Tip|Ring|Ring|Sleeve doesn't tell me anything. Ring / Ring are left and right signal wires? Tip and Sleeve are ground? But which is which? That's the sort of thing I want to know for my particular cable. I have plenty of soldering experience for my other hobby, but I've never tinkered with audio cables before.

Do you have an existing cable to test? I may have assumed you do.

 

[TidalWave]

Do you have an existing cable to test? I may have assumed you do.

I only have 2 standard cables terminating in a 3.5mm TRS connector. I'd like to make a balanced cable terminating in a 2.5mm TRRS connector. I assume if I cut off the 3.5mm connector and wire a TRRS connector to the end, it's not going to do anything good--I need to make a new cable from scratch, right?

 

[Allanmarcus]

I think this is it

 

[TidalWave]

I think this is it

Thank you! I guess I'll have to ask in Audeze SINE thread which is right for that headphone--I know some people have built their own cables.

 

[Allanmarcus]

I only have 2 standard cables terminating in a 3.5mm TRS connector. I'd like to make a balanced cable terminating in a 2.5mm TRRS connector. I assume if I cut off the 3.5mm connector and wire a TRRS connector to the end, it's not going to do anything good--I need to make a new cable from scratch, right?

You should be able to cut the old cable and re-terminate it.

The only 2.5 mm line on the chart I posted is most likely the wiring you need.

 

[TidalWave]

You should be able to cut the old cable and re-terminate it.

The only 2.5 mm line on the chart I posted is most likely the wiring you need.

Hrm! That would be an enticing money and time-saving option. I have this cable that I could "sacrifice" to the balanced experiment: https://www.ebay.com/itm/292465171316 It's a pretty nice cable for the price, and I've been using it with a single-ended connection on my phone. Would it have enough constituent wires to split to a 4-pole TRRS connector for a proper balanced result and proper wiring at the headphone end?

 

[Allanmarcus]

Hrm! That would be an enticing money and time-saving option. I have this cable that I could "sacrifice" to the balanced experiment: https://www.ebay.com/itm/292465171316 It's a pretty nice cable for the price, and I've been using it with a single-ended connection on my phone. Would it have enough constituent wires to split to a 4-pole TRRS connector for a proper balanced result and proper wiring at the headphone end?

Highly likely. Can you unscrew the 1/4” plug? If you can and you see four wires, you have enough wires.

 

[TidalWave]

Highly likely. Can you unscrew the 1/4” plug? If you can and you see four wires, you have enough wires.

Yes, the 1/4" converter plug comes off, and there's a 3.5mm 3-pole plug under it, which I've been using with my phone (single-ended). I can't disassemble the 3.5mm plug easily to see what wires are connected to it underneath--just tried, the outer housing is tightly screwed on or some such. I’m afraid two wires were effectively fused early on at the Y-splitter to end up with 3 wires for 3 poles.

 

[antdroid]

Yes, the 1/4" converter plug comes off, and there's a 3.5mm 3-pole plug under it, which I've been using with my phone (single-ended). I can't disassemble the 3.5mm plug easily to see what wires are connected to it underneath--just tried, the outer housing is tightly screwed on or some such. I’m afraid two wires were effectively fused early on at the Y-splitter to end up with 3 wires for 3 poles.

I've made Sine cables before. You want to use a 3.5mm connector that has a narrow barrel housing at the headphone connection. If you use a TRS connector, you want to use ground on sleeve and ring for your audio on both left and right connectors IIRC. The one I have handy, I used a TR (mono) connector so it was pretty straightforward. If you are trying to get to 2.5mm balanced for your input, then follow the standard AK 2.5mm balance connection.

 

[Paladin79]

Not long ago I posted a link to a blog about twisted pairs. Here is one about shielding that I also like by the same gentleman. I had read long ago that in some applications if you hook the shield and ground to the same point on connectors, you can end up with a ground loop that acts like an antenna. This article covers that and other things such as braid and drain wire.

https://www.belden.com/blog/broadcast/ground-loops

He also mentions cables that I use on a daily basis. Belden 1694A, 1800F, and 9451.