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Gear / Technical Help => Cables => Topic started by: bagtagsell on January 13, 2005, 10:29:11 AM

Title: DIY SPdIF help
Post by: bagtagsell on January 13, 2005, 10:29:11 AM
Trying to make some rca cables.  I bought canare cable.  When I stripped the cable I have the shield and 1 inner copper cable.  The question is if  solder the braid on the outside on one end, and the copper cable on the inside on one end, what do I solder on the other side?  only the inner copper cable?  or both?
Title: Re: DIY SPdIF help
Post by: hexyjones on January 13, 2005, 11:07:10 AM
Trying to make some rca cables.  I bought canare cable.  When I stripped the cable I have the shield and 1 inner copper cable.  The question is if  solder the braid on the outside on one end, and the copper cable on the inside on one end, what do I solder on the other side?  only the inner copper cable?  or both?

That's pretty confusing.

Strip the cable...each RCA connector inner hot pin and an outer sheild - (the outer shield is commonly doubles as a strain relief mechanism also) Solder the inner wire to the hot pin, solder the shield to outer connection...

Do the same thing on the other end...
Title: Re: DIY SPdIF help
Post by: bagtagsell on January 13, 2005, 11:41:14 AM
On the recomendation of two other sites, I solder the ground on one side, but not the other.  Should I change that?
Title: Re: DIY SPdIF help
Post by: hexyjones on January 13, 2005, 12:13:59 PM
On the recomendation of two other sites, I solder the ground on one side, but not the other.  Should I change that?

hmm..I've never heard that...that sounds like a broken cable to me.
Title: Re: DIY SPdIF help
Post by: m.mouse on January 13, 2005, 12:47:33 PM
On the recomendation of two other sites, I solder the ground on one side, but not the other.  Should I change that?

I think you must solder both conductors at both ends.  Where do you find instructions saying the opposite?

 - M 
   
Title: Re: DIY SPdIF help
Post by: bagtagsell on January 13, 2005, 01:59:26 PM
http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/piano6_1_e.html
http://www.euronet.nl/~mgw/diy/cabling/uk_preferred_1.html
Title: Re: DIY SPdIF help
Post by: Brian Skalinder on January 13, 2005, 02:17:35 PM
On the recomendation of two other sites, I solder the ground on one side, but not the other. Should I change that?

I recall reading the same per Doug on the Oade board.  And the side with the soldered ground should connect to the, I believe, upstream device.

As to why, I haven't the foggiest idea - beyond me.
Title: Re: DIY SPdIF help
Post by: dnsacks on January 13, 2005, 02:24:24 PM
The tip and ring of the rca connector at one end of the cable must both be connected to the tip and ring, respectively of the rca connector at the other end of the cable.  Your initial post indicated that the canare cable you're using has one wire in the center and a insulating wire mesh surrounding the center wire.  The links you provided all discuss building cables with multiple center wires and use one of (or a pair of) the central wires to connect the rca's rings and a different central wire to connect the rca's tips. 

Thus, in the cables contemplated in the links, the insulating wire mesh is not needed to complete the connection between the rcas' ring connectors and can be soldiered onto only one of the rings to help isolate the central cables from interference, etc.

In your example, with only one central wire, the insulating wire mesh IS needed to connect the rca connectors rings and complete the circuit.  Thus, it should be soldiered onto both rca rings (outer connectors)
in order to create a complete circuit.
Title: Re: DIY SPdIF help
Post by: Lil Kim Jong-Il on January 13, 2005, 07:54:31 PM
On the recomendation of two other sites, I solder the ground on one side, but not the other. Should I change that?

I recall reading the same per Doug on the Oade board.  And the side with the soldered ground should connect to the, I believe, upstream device.

As to why, I haven't the foggiest idea - beyond me.

There is an unbalanced interconnect design that uses signal and return conductors inside a shield.  The shield is tied to only one end, usually the source so that any RFI is drained away from the following amplifier stage.




Title: Re: DIY SPdIF help
Post by: leegeddy on January 13, 2005, 10:37:00 PM
Trying to make some rca cables.  I bought canare cable.  When I stripped the cable I have the shield and 1 inner copper cable.  The question is if  solder the braid on the outside on one end, and the copper cable on the inside on one end, what do I solder on the other side?  only the inner copper cable?  or both?

call me old school, but i truly believe in connecting grounds and not floating them.

for 75ohm s/pdif cables, you NEED to establish a solid circuit. 

i highly recommend you solder tip to tip, shield to shield.

marc