..soldering cables... "+" = red wire? "-" is black wire?

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earworm

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ok,
i don't know why, but i never can remember what color the + and the - wire are in XLR cables...

i gotto write it on the white walls of my room so i see it every day!

+ = hot ? = red ?
- = cold? = black ?

or the other way round...

just soldered a cable, works fine, but i"'m affraid i might have messed with the phasing...... :o

thanks..
 
I don't know if colors are standard. Just make sure you solder pin 1 of one end to pin 1 of the other, etc. Use an ohmmeter to make sure.
 
thats not bad news , i know i connected the right pins to the right pins,
but i was affraid that there really is something like..
i don't know, real strict rules about soldering cables :rolleyes:

how do you make your cable go out of phase?
(for example:)
if you connect the red wire to pin1 on one end and pin 2 on the other?

i sound like a total newbie here, i got maybe 20 selfmade cables,
but honestly i just soldered away...
 
earworm said:
thats not bad news , i know i connected the right pins to the right pins,
but i was affraid that there really is something like..
i don't know, real strict rules about soldering cables :rolleyes:

how do you make your cable go out of phase?
(for example:)
if you connect the red wire to pin1 on one end and pin 2 on the other?
Click to expand...
Pin 1 is ground (or shield). You NEVER connect audio signal to Pin 1 of an XLR connector.

Pin 1 is shield. Pin 2 is the + (positive) signal, and Pin 3 is the - (negative) signal.

You reverse signal polarity by soldering the Pin 2 connection (+) from the mic end of the cable to the Pin 3 connection (-) at the board end. You then solder the Pin 3 connection (-) from the mic end of the cable to the Pin 2 connection (+) at the board end.

Any changes in wiring from standard should occur at the board in side of the cable (i.e., the male connector).
 
Check the manual of gear that you're making cables for to confirm the pinout for that particular piece of gear. The standard, if you can call it that, is as Harvey states but some manufacturers did whatever they wanted. Pin #1 is always shield but on my Tascam console, pin #2 is return(-) and pin #3 is hot(+).
 
earworm said:
ok,
i don't know why, but i never can remember what color the + and the - wire are in XLR cables...

i gotto write it on the white walls of my room so i see it every day!

+ = hot ? = red ?
- = cold? = black ?

or the other way round...
Click to expand...

Typically? Red is + (hot), Black is - (also hot), Green or bare is ground, White is neutral. In a lot of smaller electronics that are single polarity (+ only), the - side (black) is grounded. For a cable, though, I wouldn't expect to see that.

As someone else already mentioned, though, you shouldn't count on consistent use of colors. I believe the quote goes something like "Test first or repair later."
 
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