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DemonicAngelz

Making custom ICs

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I got bored and wanted to make a custom IC for myself, as the one I have now is really too long for my liking.

 

I know LHS is a good place to start with, but are there any other suggestions?

 

I currently need suggestions of what Brand and Model of cable to get. I was thinking of getting a short amount of both silver and copper cables, but I am open to all suggestions :party:

 

BTW, can the 3.5mm mini plugs (these are the ones used for the ipods and stuff right?) be bought at LHS as well ?

 

 

Hoping to eventually move on to recabling my MS1s :yeah:

Edited by DemonicAngelz

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You can get the 3.5mm mini phono plugs from LHS. I am no expert on cables so I won't comment on them.

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You can always start from a Canare L-2T2S or the Canare Starquad L-4E6S.

 

Both are copper and commonly used in microphone cables.

 

The Starquad L-4E6S can also be used to mod your MS-1.

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I made a two pair of interconnects from a cable that LHS uncle (The one with a lot of white hair) recommended. One failed, one side no sound.

The other one still quite good.

 

But sound quality wise, my analog reference still sounded better. Maybe I should try something else?

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Maybe you should bring the faulty one to Patrick to check where went wrong.

I dun think its my soldering tho its abit messy.

Just wondering would overheating the wires be a possible cause? :think:

Or maybe it was a faulty connector. Its the $3 one off the wall anyways.

 

Oh well, now I got the hang of doing this...

 

Next project: HomeGrown Audio Silver cable with ipod dock connector and mini jack :blush:

 

 

BTW, issit possible to find silver to use as soldering iron? :think: Is a 25W iron hot enough for it anyways? I am using the one that the white haired uncle recommended me.

Oh and is Patrick the old uncle with lots of white hair?

Edited by DemonicAngelz

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Was just wondering about a few questions.

 

1. Would using 4 cables be better than 2? Why and how much better?

2. How to braid 4 cables? And do LHS carry connectors big enough for 4 cables?

3. Is it possible to make a line-out dock with 4 cables sticking out?

4. Is it a good idea to mix 2 copper cables and 2 silver cables?

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DemonicAngelz,

 

Silver's melting point is 961.63 degree c. Soldering was invented by using low melting point conductive metals to electrically join 2 metal contacts below 190 degree c.

 

Get a cheap meter that'll test continuity and beep if there is a electrical path. U can test the ground and hot of the rca cable.

 

4 cables could be better than 2 cables if it is braided is a particular way to negate influence on each other's magnetic fields. See Audioasylum's Jon Risch's articles.

 

Search chris venhaus diy cables for 4 braid technique. Personally prefer 3 braid like Kimber KCAG.

 

Don't see why u can't make a dock with cables sticking out. Add mass to the bottom of dock to help it from shifting about.

 

The return cable and the signal cable should be the same quality, if different, the sound quality is closer to the poorer cable than the better one.

 

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DemonicAngelz,

 

Silver's melting point is 961.63 degree c. Soldering was invented by using low melting point conductive metals to electrically join 2 metal contacts below 190 degree c.

 

Get a cheap meter that'll test continuity and beep if there is a electrical path. U can test the ground and hot of the rca cable.

 

4 cables could be better than 2 cables if it is braided is a particular way to negate influence on each other's magnetic fields. See Audioasylum's Jon Risch's articles.

 

Search chris venhaus diy cables for 4 braid technique. Personally prefer 3 braid like Kimber KCAG.

 

Don't see why u can't make a dock with cables sticking out. Add mass to the bottom of dock to help it from shifting about.

 

The return cable and the signal cable should be the same quality, if different, the sound quality is closer to the poorer cable than the better one.

Cool. Will google about some of the things you mentioned.

 

About the cable quality thing, is the quality the same if like I get both silver and copper 26AWG cables from Homegrown Audio?

Cause I not very sure what you mean by cable quality here. How can copper and silver be same quality? You mean purity?

 

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Okay I have managed to find two braids that I am more okay with.

5 Strand Thick Braid and

4 Strand Round Braid with Core

 

Currently I think I am going to stick with the first option as it looks easier to bend.

 

Okay. Now, the problem is whether 5 22AWG cables can fit into that small dock connector and mini jack.

Or should I use thinner cables.

 

Another question would be if I solder the two cables together first before soldering the two cables onto the headphone jack, would it be more efficient as I don't have to heat the soldering point as long?

If I solder on one ground wire only, is it enough? It should be right?

Edited by DemonicAngelz

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I have not done an interconnect or headphone cable using braided wires but I do have a bit of experience with using them for wiring sockets to pcb. Before you solder the ends, it is better to use heatshrink to bundle up the braid and prevent it from unraveling. It can be very frustrating, if the wires are stiff and try to unravel when you are soldering.

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