selfmade cable for HD 590 (which strand is for what)

[Rhabarber]

Dear Ones
I'm new to this forum and to Headphone modifications so please forgive me (or forward me with an appropriate link) if I ask s.th. everyone knows. Further I don't natively speak English, but here my problem.
I got a used Sennheiser HD 590 with the 3.5mm / 1/8" plug (the bigger jack for the amp) missing, the smaller 2.5mm is still there and seems ok. I know to solder and have a little ordinary 3.5mm / 1/8" jack plug as well. But I have no idea what to connect with what.
The cable (Sennheiser 73469?) is exteriorly divided into 2 wires with the regular thick black shielding. Both of them contain again 2 wires. Is one pair for left and the other for the right side?

Now one of these 2 main ones contains a "naked" copper strand and another one that is shielded by red plastic. I was guessing that the red shielded one will be the signal for the right ear, the bare copper the ground.

The other pair consists of two unshielded strands, I wonder how this works as they have steady contact with each other. One of those 2 strands is copper in the expected copper color, the other seems to be green colored copper. In comparisoon to the first pair, they both have another kind of yellowish fibre (like textile) in their midst. Or are they both grounds and the bare copper one of the first pair is for the signal for the left ear?

Thanks for further information / help / hints.
I really have to fix that cable this myself, also for understanding the principle, but as I live in a small country, it seems also difficult, to get an official replacement cable for a reasonable price (import is expensive). I've read that HD 200, 270, 490live, 495, 500, 570 and 575 use the same cable.

any explanation is highly appreciated.

 

[warrior05]

Any chance you have access to a multimeter? This would be the best way to identify the wiring since the sub-mini is still attached.

 

[Rhabarber]

Dear Warrior
Yes, a cheap multimeter is here, what do I have to measure?
Sorry I don't even know what we have here with those 4 strands...
Thanks for further instructions.

 

[grandenigma1]

The copper colored wires are the ground (-), the red colored wire is right signal (+) and the green colored wire is left signal (+)

The wires are coated with an enamel... that is why there is no problem with them touching .... you have to melt it off before you can solder them.

 

[Rhabarber]

Thanks a lot for the hint. If I got you right, you are saying all the several fibres of the signal leading red and green colored strand are with a thin enamel shielding, so thin that they look like copper fibres themselves. Where as the grounds can touch each other the signals shouldn't - in case they would, what shall I expect to happen? Sorry again if this is very naive quest ions,
and thanks.

 

[grandenigma1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhabarber /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks a lot for the hint. If I got you right, you are saying all the several fibres of the signal leading red and green colored strand are with a thin enamel shielding, so thin that they look like copper fibres themselves. Where as the grounds can touch each other the signals shouldn't - in case they would, what shall I expect to happen? Sorry again if this is very naive quest ions, and thanks.

Yes, it is a thin enamel.

It is ok for the grounds to touch each other.

The enamel coating should protect the red and green wires and shouldn't cause an issue if they touch.

 

[Rhabarber]

thanks for the clarification, I'm just about heating about the soldering bit...

 

[grandenigma1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhabarber /img/forum/go_quote.gif thanks for the clarification, I'm just about heating about the soldering bit...

Sorry, my post said "should" when it should have read "shouldn't" cause an issue.

 

[Rhabarber]

Thanks, I guessed so.
It work, just I don't get a sound on the right ear if I plug the small one in fully, about half a centimeter before the click I have sound on the left and on the right auricle, but as soon as I push it to the end so that it clicks, the right ear mutes... I tried to bend the 2.5mm jack a little, so that it would touch the contacts on the side, but it doesn't help once the connection is "arrested".
any idea on this? rather female/socket or jack?

 

[mminutel]

Just make sure that all of the connections are to their proper places. Take your multimeter, set it to resistance or continuity if you have it, and touch it to the tip of the input jack and then touch it to the other wires 1 by 1 until you see some resistance, if you are on resistance measurement, or when you hear a beep if you are on continuity. That will be the left signal wire. Now touch the middle part of the jack and do the same. That will be the right signal and the other two will be ground. Make sure you have it wired up correctly.