Not a video. Customising connectors
Added 2020-12-02 06:01:40 +0000 UTCSometimes the bit you need isn't available in the quality or the style you want.
Whilst removing the excessively long Rode microphone cable for use in the upcoming MBC livestream, I replaced it with a new custom sized microphone lead with a rugged cable also going down to a headphone jack - suitably anchored to avoid an awkward moment if I walk away during a live stream while wearing headphones. It should theoretically disconnect itself safely at the bench if I do so.
By making the lead myself I got what I wanted with decent cable and good quality connectors. The reason for the two layers of sleeving is to allow for thicker cables, as the existing cover wouldn't fit. The sleeving also provides good strain relief.
Comments
Yep. Not a source of happiness. I started attaching an alligator/crocodile clip to the cable and clip it to my collar. It gets yanked first but in time to save the ears.
Nani Isobel
2020-12-04 20:46:08 +0000 UTCI do like making my own cables. For a reasonable price, you can get good, robust connectors, like locking RCA phono plugs, and decent quality cable to make something that an audiophool would pay a stupid amount of money for. Thousand quid HDMI cables anyone? I know where Clive could get 1000 HDMI cables for that price, and they would work exactly the same.
AlfaGuy
2020-12-04 12:28:16 +0000 UTCAnyone here got a really long headphone wire, stood up with them on and stood on the wire and just had your ears removed? It hurts allot.
2020-12-03 23:08:11 +0000 UTCI have been using the previously featured InstaMorph moldable white pellets to a variety of custom connectors and adapters. Great product though I prefer a coffee warmer to melt them vs hot water.
Jim
2020-12-03 20:08:37 +0000 UTCI agree - maybe add XLR balanced audio cables too - covering the dreaded "Pin 1" Ground issue (to use chassis or signal ground, and why!)
Whippet Gas
2020-12-03 12:16:27 +0000 UTCMany of us have been there, many are there now and many will soon be. Good stuff to cover
Michael Thompson
2020-12-03 08:39:28 +0000 UTCA tutorial video about how to solder various types of connectors might be nice. I've done lots of this kind of thing as well and it has saved lots of time and money not needing to order a new connector every time. Dupont and Xh series crimp on connectors are very valuable to have on hand as well.
Greg
2020-12-02 19:48:05 +0000 UTCLooks good to me. I can tell because of transparency. Should last quite some time. I dread those particular connectors. I don't have the 5 finger dexterity you have. Probably because I was born with only 2+ thumb both hands.
2020-12-02 19:35:21 +0000 UTCIf you are in the UK Bright Components sells clear heatshrink in 1meter lengths of various sizes, I got a length of each of them as it will always be useful, I also bought a box of multi colour and size off ebay, but there are a lot of ones I won't ever use, so a bit of a waste really.
Mike Hughes
2020-12-02 17:45:13 +0000 UTCNicely done 😁not seen assortment like that heh 😂without radioshack i just go to harbor freight every month or so and pick up their heat shrink. Didn’t know you could keep flexible 🦾 if it was already snug
Cerity
2020-12-02 13:52:58 +0000 UTCYou had me at TRRS 👍😁 that’s what 1 mm copper, you just happened to have around ❓
Cerity
2020-12-02 13:15:22 +0000 UTCI've recycled connectors all my life, and just about every older item (that's not common as mud MicroUSB etc) has a heatshrink connector now. Most have outlasted the originals. For the most part, carefully placed cuts with a razor blade through the TPU plastic to the connector, and Clives trademark "nibbling" will liberate a connector from it's moulded shroud without damage. +1 for the short plug and socket "whoospie" cables, socket just pulls out instead of disaster!!
Anton
2020-12-02 12:00:31 +0000 UTCFind an old socket or appliance to plug it into in the case of a TRRS, it takes away the heat usually reasonably well, also makes for a handy way to hold it! Strong soldering iron and quick application to solder.
Anton
2020-12-02 11:54:30 +0000 UTCIt’s really nice being able to make things like this when you can’t find the design you want in the store. I just did some custom cables for my moms hearing aids remote unit. Wearing a mask really messes with hearing aid placement sometimes. Nicely done by the way.
Alex Taylor
2020-12-02 10:00:44 +0000 UTCLooking good. I've not seen transparent heatshrink before. Good as long as the soldering is as pretty as that, which would make it bad for most of my kludges.
2020-12-02 09:23:19 +0000 UTCWhere do you find good quality connectors? I found plastic separators between the solder points, which made the soldering challenging to do without melting half of the plastic and creating a real mess.
2020-12-02 08:48:36 +0000 UTCI'd buy it!
YouKnowHowYouAre
2020-12-02 08:31:10 +0000 UTCI like to "feather out" the heatshrink on the cables as a strain relief, which is a technique often used for composite materials or general mechanical joints. I use 2 or 3 layers of heatshrink, each about a centimetre longer than the one above it. I like the one right on the cable to be a quite close fit (it needn't fit over the solder connections or the plug), because that way it stays pretty flexible, whereas if you shrink a very large tube onto a small cable it ends up being quite stiff. If you manage to shrink it down at all. Thanks to my OCD I'll sometimes experiment until I get a combination that results in a gentle curve without tight bends. (I also went on a buying spree and bought way too much heatshrink in all sizes and colours.)
horrovac
2020-12-02 07:37:02 +0000 UTC
