How long and complex to build cables?

[frank_1]

To build a 20' 1/4 or XLR cable, est. how long it should take.

Is building cables very complex? Is it an art or skill?

I am debating whether I should by Mogami cables or learn to build them my self.


BTW, if I were to buy a MIDI cable would it matter if I bought the cheapest brand? I mean, isn't a MIDI cable just transfering 0's and 1's?

 

[subtractor]

Depends on how fast you can strip wires and solder. If your gonna do it, it's nice to have some of those auto strippers, and a good soldering iron. That is a little more than $100 investment right there. Use those shrinkwrap wire covers too.

If your new at it, you could plan on allocating about 15-20 min per cable. If your good, probably 5 min.

 

[Sennheiser]

It is a learned skill. It is not difficult to learn to solder and strip wire, but there are right ways and wrong ways to do anything. Making up cables is no different.

If you are in a hurry and make cables everyday, 15-20 minutes might be a good time, but I think 30-40 minutes is a better estimate if you intend to do a good job with professional results.

Making cables is not a race. You should take pride in your workmanship.

You'll also save 50% or more in some cases DIY'ing.

 

[sjoko2]

http://www.geocities.com/tcsound_1999/Tip04HowtoSolder.htm
http://www.colomar.com/Shavano/soldering.html
http://homerecording.about.com/c/ht/00/07/How_Solder0962934273.htm

 

[crosstudio]

i've tried it, and i suck at it. i have to face facts that its better for me personally to either buy cable or get my pops to make them for me.

i can either pay good money, or i can go get an earful from my old man.

either way i gotta pay a heavy toll.

i just bought 2 - 10 foot 1/4", and 8 - 3 foot 1/4" cables from markertek.com

up till now, the 15' my pops made for me have been the best cables i've ever had. but the last one gave up the ghost at a gig in kentucky last year.

 

[sjoko2]

seems like your best bet is to buy some good cable from Gepco and butter-up your old man!!

 

[Light]

It takes me about five minutes an end, on mic cable. But then, I have done a lot of soldering. A little longer on balanced 1/4 inch, and a little less on unbalanced 1/4 inch. This is after the soldering iron has heated up. I could go faster, but I like to use manual stripers, and I like to take my time. The automatic stripers do not work very well for repairing cables because there is not much room for the back jaws to grab the cable. The auto stripers are usless for repairing multi conectors. It takes a LOT longer to do multi-connectors for snake cables. God save me from Socapex 32 pair (or worse 64 pair) multi connectors. ARGHHH!!!! And why is it that the only solder joint in this multi-conector http://www.whirlwindusa.com/ftp/Connectors/W4Manual/w4manual.pdf to break is the on in the dead center of the conector!?!?!?!?

Even with MIDI, you want good cables. You will get a lot more errors with cheap cable. Digital data is very delicate, contrary to popular belief.

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[sjoko2]

How fondly I remember the day when we were just finished setting up and doing a sound-check - then they cleared the stadium, ready to let the audience in at around 6:45pm.
One of the forklifts which had been used to lift gear onto the stage had a flat tire, they were in a hurry to get it out, so they drove it out on its rim, cutting two 32 pair and one 24 pair Beldon cables.......... we did carry spares, but not that many, and none that length.

 

[Toki987]

How fondly I remember the day when we were just finished setting up and doing a sound-check - then they cleared the stadium, ready to let the audience in at around 6:45pm.
One of the forklifts which had been used to lift gear onto the stage had a flat tire, they were in a hurry to get it out, so they drove it out on its rim, cutting two 32 pair and one 24 pair Beldon cables.......... we did carry spares, but not that many, and none that length.

Did you cut and solder for weeks, or go to the scrap yard with 500 lbs of copper?

 

[Sennheiser]

That must have really sucked.

 

[Light]

That sucks!!! At least when you resoldered that, you could work from the inside out, right?

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[sjoko2]

Gig started at 9:00, the opening act had to drop out, we did without one of the 32 pair, on the other two, (in the arena - with security staff making a space around us) we made 2 clean cuts - each end had one person holding the cable, two people stripping (very long strips), then we had one crew reading out the beldon color chart, so I could select the appropriate wires, (no numbers on the cable in those days), one person twisting, I soldered each joint, and then handed it over to someone else who held it straight for yet another person to wrap it in electric tape and then gaffers tape.
When we finished the joint was about 2 feet wide.
Believe it or not, all channels worked.
(the forklift driver had to flee the building)

 

[Toki987]

Bravo!!!! There should be some kinda medal or something for that, or a hash mark you could sew on the tshirt.
I would have developed an instant bleeding ulcer.

 

[Light]

See now, that's why I got into this job. Whatever happens, you gotta make it work, and you gotta make it work on time. If you have a problem like that in the studio, you just postpone the session. If it happens live, you still have 15,000 people coming, and you have to make it work. Good job. I love stuff like that. After the fact, of course. When it's happening, it sucks.

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[frank_1]

 

[Dracon]

hey Frank_1
There is a thread about this very subject in the Equipment forum

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?p=1306500#post1306500

They have pictures and everything. Go check it out!

 

[In Tune Audio]

I am debating whether I should by Mogami cables or learn to build them my self.




Why don't you do both. You can buy Mogami cable in bulk and then solder your own connections. That's what I did, and its now the only cable I use. It was cheaper to make it my self, plus I could make the cables the exact size I wanted. And the mogami really is awesome cable, it made a huge difference in my studio.

It will take you a while to get good and quick at making the cables. To be honert it will be very slow and frustrating at first. But take your time and do an awesome job, and you'll be rewarded. And after making a bunch, you'll start to reduce the time it takes to make a cable.

The model number for mogami mic cable is 2549, and for the line level stuff its 2552.