DIY Cable Questions and Comments Thread
Jul 3, 2020 at 8:07 PM Post #9,751 of 10,535
i tried soldering one jack at 350c and another at 400c. at 350 it took too long to get the wire/jack heated up and the solder kept just balling up on the iron. on the 400c attempt it melted fine and all but i couldnt get it to stick on because the wire's sleeving kept melting and getting shorted.

just to clarify, its not that the jack itself melted. The plastic (eidolic connector, 2.5mm) between the tip/rings is the part that melted. the metal itself is obviously just fine.

400c is way higher than what should be necessary for this application and is approaching the point where damage can be done.

What solder are you using?

A decent, leaded eutetic solder is the easiest to work with (by quite a bit) and melts below 200c usually.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 1:34 PM Post #9,752 of 10,535
Just wanted to post a warning to all the DIYers in this thread.

I recently purchased a rather expensive modular connector (similar to the Dunu interlocking ones) for a cable build
This is the item in question:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000818042246.html

H2188220151734df598c9cfab5f1679d0T.jpg


It's a Hakugei and it's from Chitty's Store

My issues started when I contacted them to say that the contact pins were attached to a loose plastic sheath that needed to be static and the whole mechanism was poorly designed and wouldn't work. Their reply was to say they'd contacted the manufacture and I should just glue it.
That's right. Glue to correct the design flaw of a £92 termination.

Anyway, after glueing the product and when the cable I needed for the build finally arrived (from a different store) I was outside of the return window, but I thought it would be fine as I still wanted the product.

Having wired and soldered everything in place, I was trying to get the polarities right using my multimeter and it turns out the pins inside the connector don't even make contact with the jack itself properly! Only half of the contacts were live.

Having contacted the store, they insisted I'd soldered it incorrectly.

I supplied them with this video to show that the soldering was fine and that their product was the problem, not my soldering:
Here's the video - you can see all four wires flowing properly (streamable video link)

I've sent them this information, they've since ignored me.

Make sure you don't give this company your business as they're extremely rude and ESPECIALLY avoid this expensive waste-of-time product too.

Happy to answer any questions on this. Thanks for reading :thumbsup:
Hopefully I save a few of you out there from this mistake.
 
Jul 6, 2020 at 10:03 PM Post #9,753 of 10,535
Hi idk if you already did the mod but I'd strongly advice you to replace the 3 wires from the cable with a Mogami or something else. I think the wires are litz. It is incredibly hard to get a clean tin on them. I'd just desolder them and replace with other easier to work wires. I struggled a lot to tin them.
Hi, thanks, yes, I'll be replacing all that I can with the 2893.
 
Jul 11, 2020 at 10:16 PM Post #9,754 of 10,535
ok, took your guys' advice and set my soldering iron as low as it would go. 200C. it wont even melt rosin core leaded solder at that point. increased to 225, same sort of thing but it did start to melt the solder. 250 seems to be the lowest i can go without having to sit there holding perfectly still for 20-30 seconds waiting for parts to heat up.

I bought some 2.5mm female to male TRRS adaptery things on amazon because i wasnt about to place yet another order at DHC just to have them ship it after 2 weeks of twiddling their thumbs. the parts are horrifically bad and WAY too temp sensitive.

Also, while I was able to tin the wires on the amazon chinesium adapters, the DHC cable's sleeve immediately melted right off of the copper wire before the solder could even melt.

So i'm not counting this as my own failure, I think this cable is just really terrible quality with its sleeving. It would probably do a heck of a lot better with some crimp action or something. And the eidolic connectors are similarly horrifically bad. the plastic part that separates the tip/ring/sleeve is what melts away.

Also, weirdly enough, the solder refuses to stick on the DHC cable. its just balling up and falling off no matter how long i hold the soldering iron on it, and by the time the copper gets hot enough to start wicking, the sleeve itself melts.
 
Jul 11, 2020 at 11:55 PM Post #9,755 of 10,535
Also, weirdly enough, the solder refuses to stick on the DHC cable. its just balling up and falling off no matter how long i hold the soldering iron on it, and by the time the copper gets hot enough to start wicking, the sleeve itself melts.
[/QUOTE]
Are you using their 4 core litz wire? It's litz so theres enamel coating(if I remember correctly) on each strand. You'll need a solder pot in order to work with litz wires. Flux then dip for couple seconds and you'll get a perfectly tinned wire. And also I'd suggest to go higher temperature to get a fast joint. Prolonged heat will damage the parts. You should be able to finish within seconds.
 
Jul 12, 2020 at 1:32 AM Post #9,756 of 10,535
ok, took your guys' advice and set my soldering iron as low as it would go. 200C. it wont even melt rosin core leaded solder at that point. increased to 225, same sort of thing but it did start to melt the solder. 250 seems to be the lowest i can go without having to sit there holding perfectly still for 20-30 seconds waiting for parts to heat up.

I bought some 2.5mm female to male TRRS adaptery things on amazon because i wasnt about to place yet another order at DHC just to have them ship it after 2 weeks of twiddling their thumbs. the parts are horrifically bad and WAY too temp sensitive.

Also, while I was able to tin the wires on the amazon chinesium adapters, the DHC cable's sleeve immediately melted right off of the copper wire before the solder could even melt.

So i'm not counting this as my own failure, I think this cable is just really terrible quality with its sleeving. It would probably do a heck of a lot better with some crimp action or something. And the eidolic connectors are similarly horrifically bad. the plastic part that separates the tip/ring/sleeve is what melts away.

Also, weirdly enough, the solder refuses to stick on the DHC cable. its just balling up and falling off no matter how long i hold the soldering iron on it, and by the time the copper gets hot enough to start wicking, the sleeve itself melts.
It must be litz wire and the Eidolic connectors are probably the easiest to work with than any others.
 
Jul 12, 2020 at 2:37 AM Post #9,757 of 10,535
Hi all, just starting out my diy cable endeavours.
Aiming to work with silver plated copper litz wires, or even trying out silver litz down the road
But was wondering if I needed to be using a silver solder? Or would the standard 60/40 tin/lead solder be recommended?
Would there be any sonic audible differences between the two?
Sounds silly I know but it's a question bugging me and if I'm already doing this, might as well do it well 😁👍

Thanks in advance!!
 
Jul 12, 2020 at 7:16 AM Post #9,758 of 10,535
Hi all, just starting out my diy cable endeavours.
Aiming to work with silver plated copper litz wires, or even trying out silver litz down the road
But was wondering if I needed to be using a silver solder? Or would the standard 60/40 tin/lead solder be recommended?
Would there be any sonic audible differences between the two?
Sounds silly I know but it's a question bugging me and if I'm already doing this, might as well do it well 😁👍

Thanks in advance!!

No difference. Just go with a 63/37 tin-lead alloy and a no clean flux.
 
Jul 13, 2020 at 3:11 PM Post #9,759 of 10,535
Just got a pair of sundaras and is in the process of making a 2.5mm balanced cable so I can use it on the Fiio K3. Does it matter which wire is negative/positive?

https://imgur.com/a/QS2uKZh

Does this look correct, or does the Right Positive (blue line) go to the tip as well (i.e. both rings are redundant?)
Hi @arkez
whats really got me confused is how the wires run between a single 2.5mm TRRS male jack to 2 separate 3.5MM TRS plugs (i.e. the headphone males), which is common for a 2.5mm jack 3.5mm plug balanced cables? So does the L+ (Tip) and R+ (Ring1) on the 2.5mm connect to Tips of the 3.5mm headphone plugs respectively and the L- (Ring2) and R- (Sleeve) connect to the 'Sleeves' of the 3.5mm headphone plugs respectively? If thats the case, there is no ground wires connecting the 2.5mm to the two 3.5mm jacks?

Sorry but i'm a newbie, just trying to fig stuff out! Thanks for the patience :)
 
Jul 13, 2020 at 3:15 PM Post #9,760 of 10,535
Just a quick update. All soldered and working. Basically converted a 2 pin to a TRS for the headset pin out as the 2-pin was readily available online. So basically dismantled that and did a bit of resoldering. A little tricky given I've never done a 16 core before :D
balanced cable 2.5mm 3.jpg
balanced cable 2.5mm 2.jpg
balanced cable 2.5mm 1.jpg
Can definitely say that somehow I think it sounds even cleaner on the Sundara! Thanks for the advice everyone. PS. Red ribbon is to remind me which one is the Right Channel (need to think of a more fashionable solution) :D And yes that's a DIY microphone mount.
Hi,

Can you please explain the wiring connections between the 2.5mm plug (goes into amp) and the 2 3.5mm headphone jacks. Bit confused about the TRRS (L,+L-, R+,R-) to TRS (??) part :)
 
Jul 13, 2020 at 3:21 PM Post #9,761 of 10,535
Jul 23, 2020 at 8:43 PM Post #9,762 of 10,535
Hi all, I'm looking for some tips here. Does anyone know a good 18 awg clear jacket wire that is soft and flexible? I got the Vanguard Acoustic (https://www.ebay.com/itm/10m-Vangua...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649) ones and they are stiff like a plate, the thick individual wires twisted into a strand makes it feel more like a solid core.
Also, does anyone know a good connector for Beyer T1? I looked around and found non that is either slim enough for designed for recessed sockets. Thanks!
 
Jul 24, 2020 at 7:42 AM Post #9,763 of 10,535
Hi all, I'm looking for some tips here. Does anyone know a good 18 awg clear jacket wire that is soft and flexible? I got the Vanguard Acoustic (https://www.ebay.com/itm/10m-Vanguard-Acoustics-0-75mm-square-6N-OCC-copper-wire-DIY-Hi-Fi-Audio-cable/132774971817?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649) ones and they are stiff like a plate, the thick individual wires twisted into a strand makes it feel more like a solid core.
Also, does anyone know a good connector for Beyer T1? I looked around and found non that is either slim enough for designed for recessed sockets. Thanks!
https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/wire-and-cable
https://www.cosmic-cables.co.uk/product-page/eidolic-3-5mm-extended

Hope this helps.
 

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