Have Markertek Catalog - what needed to make some cables?

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Jedman

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I've never made any cables before, but would like to try my hand at it...
I'd like to make a couple good quality (like as good as Mogami) XLR mic cables, and maybe some patch cables if I need some more later on. I got the Markertek Catalog, but it's so full of stuff I'm not really sure what's good quality for the cost?
Anyone have some pointers on part #s or brands of components to get?
Also, what kind of soldering iron do I want? A "gun" style, or a point style?

Thanks as always,
Jed
 
Point style. Guns are for plumbing, or for burning apart things you just don't care about... A 20W point-style iron (ideally, a Weller) and some good rosin core (NOT acid core) solder, and you're ready to start learning how to make cables. Hint: it takes practice, so don't expect your first few efforts to be the be-all and end-all of cables. I've been practicing since 1970, and I'm just starting to get decent at it. In fact, the same comment applies to my music, which dates from the same time. Get the picture?

And secondly: buy a few of Markertek's cables, take them apart, see how they are made: and then buy those parts and make them that way. When your solder joints look like their solder joints, you've arrived.

Do a google search on "soldering technique" for more info, such as http://www.epemag.com/solderfaq/pictures.htm and http://et.nmsu.edu/~etti/fall97/electronics/solder.html. Hope that helps.
 
Hey Skippy, thanks for the info. Maybe this isn't a good idea - I mean I don't even own a soldering iron :D so my soldering skills are pretty limited. (I've done plumbing soldering with a torch before):) hehe...well, I guess I'll try to weigh whether or not it would be more expensive or cheaper in the long run?

Jed
 
Cheaper, in the short run (counting debug time!) to buy premade. In the long run, you need to know how to do this at the drop of a hat: it'll save your _ass_ at gigs for years to come. Learn it anyway!. Anyone involved in Electronic Music needs to know how to do it. Just don't make it be on the critical path between you and your music: learn it in parallel to creating music, don`t put off making music until you know how to do it. Make sense?
 
Yeah, ok. This is a skill I need to pick up on as my "audio engineering" skills increase...Like two rails on a rail-road track. :)

Alrighty, would you have any certain brand of their XLR ends or brand of cable to recommend (like a spool of it)? There's just so many choices in the catalog, I'm trying to decide what's the best parts to get...

If I go to a hardware store like Lowes or Home Depot, etc, can I buy one of their soldering irons? Or am I looking at like Radio Shack stuff?
Jed
 
I like Neutrik for XLRs, Gepco, Canare or Mogami for mic cable- for your first few homebrew cables you should stay with simple twisted pair, and skip out on the more expensive and more difficult to solder quad cables.

For an iron, get a good one intended for electronics- the ones at Radio Shack are barely acceptable if you get their best offering, and the ones at regular hardware stores are usually just hopeless: too hot, too big a tip. For doing cables you want a little bitty fine conical tip. Weller or Ungar. Look at http://www.partsexpress.com for some reasonably-priced online offerings...
 
Skippy - I'll look up those parts in the catalog tonight. About that soldering iron, though - they had one that was variable wattage -- would that be cool for different stuff? Or am I better off with a fixed wattage iron?
One more question - about solder - which do you use? I didn't realize there were so many types/brands!

Thanks for your help,
Jed
 
Make your own microphone cables.

Mogami Neglex Balanced Mic Cable... $0.68 per foot.
Designed For High End Recording Applications. Lower Capacitance than Quad Style Cable. AWG #22. Capacitance @1khz 23pf/ft. .236" OD., Highly Flexible. Color: Black.

Switchcraft
A3FBAU Female XLR, Black with Gold Contacts... $4.99 each.
A3MBAU Male XLR, Black with Gold Contacts... $4.49 each.
Sturdy, die-cast zinc construction with satin nickel or Black Velvet finish to withstand hard use - even abuse. High impact, molded thermoplastic insert insulation delivers high dielectric strength and superior insulation resistance. Latchlock on female plugs & chassis mounts prevent accidental disconnect
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXAMPLE: Build six (15 foot) microphone cables for under $20 each.

90 feet of cable… $61.20
Female XLR... 6 X $4.99 = $29.94
Male XLR... 6 x $4.49 = $26.94
Total = $118.08 plus solder and time
Cost each = $19.68

For parts call Markertek 1-800-522-2025 or http://www.markertek.com

I've been using my old trusty Weller temperature controlled soldering station (TC202) with fine tips and standard .032, 60/40 rosin core solder for years.
 
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I use a Weller temperature-regulated rig- the WTCPT. It heats quickly, but then stabilizes its temps so that it doesn't overheat- so you get the benifits of a high-wattage iron (quick heating and a lot of heat output for the occasional heavy job) without frying more delicate stuff. But I do a great deal of soldering, so the expense makes sense for me. If I had to buy an inexpensive iron at the moment, I'd get something like the WP25 25-watt Weller with the extended conical tip. I still have one of those in my gig bag: they are immortal, which is comething that you can't say about the $10 Chinese cheapies.

A good starting-out solder is Kester 44 in the 60/40 alloy, and I like the smallish .031" diameter (for more control of how much solder you use). Kester 44 has been the benchmark electronic solder since the dawn of radio: it ain't broke, so they ain't fixed it.

I also have a roll of Kester 62/36/2 silver solder (also .031") that I use for bitchy stuff: gold-plated connectors, gold-flashed PC board traces, mic innards, and things like that. It's too expensive to use for everything, although I probably ought to just get over that and use it anyway! When I run out of my current spool of 60/40, I may just go that route...

Buy yourself a 1 lb roll of solder, and splurge and get a roll holder: it makes it much easier to work with the stuff on the bench. You'll be using that pound of solder for a long time...
 
Sweet. Thanks for laying it all out there for me guys. I'll see how much of a mess I can get myself into making some quality cables... well, might take me a few tries to get GOOD quality! :)

Jed
 
I know this is old, but there's some pretty good info in here.

Dennis
 
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