[Pingupenguins]

Quote:

 

a.k.a. solder sucker, [de]solder[ing] pump
 
 
ardgedee, add USB plugs when building your own: on the male type A connector, when looking at the pins and they are facing upward, the pinout is GND, DATA+, DATA-, +5VDC.  On the male type B connector which is what usually goes into a desktop DAC, when looking at the plug with the longer, flatter side towards the bottom, the first two pins from left to right at the top are +5VDC and DATA-, the the other two on the bottom from left to right are GND and DATA+.

 
Whoops. I meant Solder fume extractor, but a solder vacuum can be used too. I don't call solder vacuums, suckers because they can be mixed up with braid in my experience.
 
A USB type B pin out would be nice too!
 

 

[Mad Max]

Fume extractor is good, too.
 
On the male mini-B USB plug, with the pins facing upward the pinout from left to right is +5VDC, DATA-, DATA+, ???, GND.  The mini-B has five pins for some reason, I don't know what ??? is for.  It could be connected to ground or carries the mic signal for certain cellphones if I am not mistaken.

 

[Steve Eddy]

 
One word: FLUX (both liquid and paste).
 
If you want to do quality work, DO NOT rely only on the flux in the solder. That's only there to keep flux flowing AFTER you've started soldering. You want flux on the pieces you're soldering BEFORE you start soldering.
 
se

 

[AnAnalogSpirit]

Quote:

The DIY forum sees a lot of the same questions repeated frequently, so I'm starting this thread to consolidate some of the information people can use. Apologies if this OP starts sketchy and is slow to fill in: I'm researching old threads as I go.
 
If you have info to add (or can help other people here), great!
 
You can PM me with recommendations, corrections, suggestions, or questions. Just keep in mind that I'm a cable-builder newbie, myself, so I probably won't be able to provide technical support or make detailed equipment recommendations.
 
Outline:

1. Intro
2. Connectors
3. Wires
4. Tools
5. Resources

@ardgedee, great start on a helpful reference!
 

 

[liamstrain]

Regarding your headphone connectors table - the 2 pin for Senn HD600/650/25, etc. While proprietary, does have a Cardas alternative that fits - the HPSC.
 
Great thread.

 

[Mad Max]

There's a gold-plated Chinese alternative for $3USD less, LOL!

 

[Parall3l]

Hey Ardgedee, why not add some cheap not so well known cable and/or parts sellers to the OPs ? 

 

[ardgedee]

Working on it!

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

One word: FLUX (both liquid and paste).

Thanks! Can you give a quick breakdown on when you'd use liquid and when you'd use paste?

 

[AnAnalogSpirit]

1.  

ardgedee
 
ardgedee,
 
Looking at the Connectors section of the OP, under TRRS connectors, it doesn't mention HiFiMAN, as some of their headphones and now the Balanced Amplifier Card use the Balanced TRRS connector,
 
Just FYI for updating.

 

[ardgedee]

Quote:

Regarding your headphone connectors table - the 2 pin for Senn HD600/650/25, etc. While proprietary, does have a Cardas alternative that fits - the HPSC.

 
The main connectors tables are meant to list what the connectors are, not necessarily who's making them - in the case of things like the SMC and Auto-IRIS connectors, the added information is mostly to help people find parts available through channels other than the usual audio hardware suppliers. With a little diligent googling, the info on the chart should be sufficient to track down any component as long as it's in current production, even if the source is somebody other than the official manufacturer.
 
There's an idea underlying your suggestion, though. Maybe I should create a list of component manufacturers? That could quickly get out of hand -- there are a lot, and there's a lot of churn. 
 
Quote:

Whoops. I meant Solder fume extractor, but a solder vacuum can be used too. I don't call solder vacuums, suckers because they can be mixed up with braid in my experience.
 
A USB type B pin out would be nice too!

 
I hadn't thought hard about listing digital connectors. Are there any other formats that head-fiers are known to scratch build?

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLACvest /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Looking at the Connectors section of the OP, under TRRS connectors, it doesn't mention HiFiMAN, as some of their headphones and now the Balanced Amplifier Card use the Balanced TRRS connector,

 
I hadn't heard of this. I'll add a placeholder shortly and research it later.
 
Thanks for the suggestions and hints, guys. Keep 'em coming.
 
 

 

[Pingupenguins]

Wattage of the resistor for a LOD. I've been told my 1/8w or 125mw is enough. We shall see... I don't even own a iPod to test it. :/

 

[ardgedee]

Sorry for not seeing your PM earlier. I don't know what wattage value is appropriate, but I doubt the line-out port is generating much.

 

[Pingupenguins]

I would put it up thought, just so people know. Small resistors makes for a tiny LOD and small resistors are also low wattage. I think it would have been helpful. I'll get back to you on the 1/8watt resistor.

 

[285765]

Hey! There are not questions here yet, and I didnt want to start another thread just for a question I'm sure anyone can answer.

I'm totally new to this whole DIY sort of thing and thought I would start off making my own cables, so I bought all the supplies and everything is here now.
When I stripped my wire (24 AVG - 19 Strand) and tried to insert it in the hole to solder it, I realized that the wire does not actually fit in the hole! It's http://www.av-outlet.com/images/viablue/t6s-35mm-stereo-small-D.jpg

But I don't think you really needed to know those details, basically my question is, since the wire doesnt fit in the hole, what do I do? Will I have to buy smaller wires or something? Or do I just solder it anyways on top?
 
Thanks