DIY guide for LOD

[habba 0]

I have seen some not nice stuff happen before 1-2 years back. leaded or non;lead won't make a great different to sound right?

I'll let you know again.

 

leaded solder are much easier to use, they flow better, lower melting pnts then non leaded ones.

 

but thats about it i think.

 

 

Btw anyone have tried using contact enhancers?

[Morgan Wu 0]

Yeah, unleaded solder is primarily an environmental concern. Leaded solders are better for the job. Sound wise, not sure.

 

You mean this right?

 

 

Cardas Contact Conditioner

 

No. Expensive sia.

 

 

 

[heady 0]

Heady,

 

I think you missed the pages listed on the right then.

 

The guide i wrote there, is pretty comprehensive up till now. I would prefer that you can be totally sure before stating that i misrepresented. Thats a pretty dirty word nowadays considering whats happening to our local banks.

 

People will still find the guide they want if they click on this thread (they will be pointed to my blog), and if its just a visitor, the showcase of people's work here should entertain. I did not post the guide here in the thread itself because it would be too long and laden with pictures.

 

Hi Morgan,

I was asking you to see if you did misrepresent yourself. If I am sure you did mis-represent yourself, I won't post my personal opinion, as moderator I would have deleted this entire thread. I gave you a chance to explain why this is a guide.

 

Unless you want to do otherwise, let's leave matters as they are, since you have said your intentions are clear and did not misrepresent the thread. I will take your word for it.

 

Regards.

 

[Morgan Wu 0]

Ah, i see its a misunderstanding. Don't worry, i did not misrepresent.

 

[dennis28288 0]

nope... the plug is as easy to work as switchcraft. i find neutrik the hardest to work with. but it the cheapest.

 

 

I have worked with several kinds of plugs including switchcraft and neutrik, and i do agree that the switchcraft is definitely easier to work with considering the size working area inside. But with all honesty, would rate the neutrik plug above that of switchcraft anytime. Reason being on close comparison, the neutrik 3.5 head itself is generally larger than that of switchcraft, thus the contact is actually better. furthermore, the insulation between the left ,right and neutral on the 3.5 head is much thicker than that of switcraft. This 2 advantages makes it more friendly to cheaper female jacks that are not as tight as the more expensive ones ie switchcarft female jack. Thirdly, neutrik jacks are all sunken in at the tip making it ideal to any amp with a sunken in hole like the govibe vulcan.

 

the only advantage that switchcraft has over neutrik is the larger cable outlet and the bigger space inside to work with. Yes if we are dealing with larger cables, go switchcraft by all means, but i've seen some cables with merely 3 24 awg cables braided together in a switchcraft jack??? huge lobang filled with hot glue.

 

lastly 4 neutrik jacks for the price of 1 switchcraft??? wheres the justification in that?

 

unless using for huge cables, neutrik would be my preferred choice of jack.

 

to morgan wu:

the insides of a pailicc plug is not like the switchcraft or the neutrik... the right channel is exposed on top of the left channel with teflon insulation to separate them, in other words, its the left channel wire has to be longer than the right channel. will upload pictures to further explain

[Morgan Wu 0]

Thanks dennis29288, that is a very informative post. I have been trying to find reasons to justify the hefty premium Switchcraft charges over the Neutrik too. I came across some documentation by Neutrik stating the material used in the plug is brass, and Switchcraft says theirs is made of "copper alloy" (isnt brass a copper alloy too?).

 

What about the difference in sound between them? Anyone got any comments? I am still considering whether to use Neutriks for the SXC wires. 3 strands of them fit into the Neutrik quite nicely...

 

Its possible to squeeze 4 18AWG wires with insulation into a Neutrik, you just need to file the opening for the Neutrik. But of course this need to be done properly if not you will not get a round hole...

 

dennis, looking forward to your pictures on the insides of the pailicc plug.

 

Something off Topic, The Valgrind LODs look more like pieces of art than something to be used. (dun read wrongly, its a compliment here)

Edited November 22, 2008 by Morgan Wu

[theory_87 0]

I have worked with several kinds of plugs including switchcraft and neutrik, and i do agree that the switchcraft is definitely easier to work with considering the size working area inside. But with all honesty, would rate the neutrik plug above that of switchcraft anytime. Reason being on close comparison, the neutrik 3.5 head itself is generally larger than that of switchcraft, thus the contact is actually better. furthermore, the insulation between the left ,right and neutral on the 3.5 head is much thicker than that of switcraft. This 2 advantages makes it more friendly to cheaper female jacks that are not as tight as the more expensive ones ie switchcarft female jack. Thirdly, neutrik jacks are all sunken in at the tip making it ideal to any amp with a sunken in hole like the govibe vulcan.

 

the only advantage that switchcraft has over neutrik is the larger cable outlet and the bigger space inside to work with. Yes if we are dealing with larger cables, go switchcraft by all means, but i've seen some cables with merely 3 24 awg cables braided together in a switchcraft jack??? huge lobang filled with hot glue.

 

lastly 4 neutrik jacks for the price of 1 switchcraft??? wheres the justification in that?

 

unless using for huge cables, neutrik would be my preferred choice of jack.

 

to morgan wu:

the insides of a pailicc plug is not like the switchcraft or the neutrik... the right channel is exposed on top of the left channel with teflon insulation to separate them, in other words, its the left channel wire has to be longer than the right channel. will upload pictures to further explain

for me and rudistors have found out that switchcraft 3.5mm is actually bigger than 3.5mm. I agree that if using those small gauge cable, i will use neutrik. Firstly due to the unused space. Secondly, the cost different is 5 times. But for sure i will never use canare f12. Practically causing most of the female mini jack to break.

 

leaded solder are much easier to use, they flow better, lower melting pnts then non leaded ones.

 

but thats about it i think.

Btw anyone have tried using contact enhancers?

i will try pro gold when i'm free.

[Morgan Wu 0]

Can someone share insights on how the braided sleeving work? Will it give the wires a round shape? Asking this because i am going to use some "dont look so nice" wires to make a LOD, and i want to cover them up. But at the same time i want the final product to be "round".

[dennis28288 0]

Ok i dun know whether this is the right place to show ur DIY cables (to promote DIY), hope it is, so.... well there goes.

 

 

ok from left,

 

SXC cable LOD

SXC cable with 4.7uf caps

Some copper interconnect

same copper interconnect with 47uf caps

hybrid 6 cable IC

 

i wouldn't want to describe sounds, thats up to everyone's ears, but i would say they sound quite similar to the way they look.

[Morgan Wu 0]

Dennis, will the LOD with capacitors work with normal ipods? And what voltage did you use for the caps?

[dennis28288 0]

technically, will have reduce the capacitance of the signal to amp, which is not advised... but i find it widens the soundstage. 6.3v will do. But i couldn't find any good caps with that, so i had to make do with 25v

[Morgan Wu 0]

Exams finally over! Have been dormant for so long, and here i what i finished today.

 

The LOD from the SXC wires

 

 

Same LOD from another angle

 

 

And below, is what i would call a shameless copy of Ultimate Link's latest signature series. But then what are eyes for? Lol, it sounds pretty good too. Its a silver alloy, not pure silver. Cant get a clear picture, cause the auto focus is super lousy. And worst is cant focus manually. Bear with it, will post clearer picture if i remembers.

 

 

Ah, and please dont comment on the yellowish heatshrink. Its adhesive lined, and i cant find a clear one for the size i need. I wonder how long this one has been sitting in the warehouse...

 

[Morgan Wu 0]

Dennis, what copper wires are you using?

[Stereo_Electronics 0]

Exams finally over! Have been dormant for so long, and here i what i finished today.

 

The LOD from the SXC wires

 

 

Same LOD from another angle

 

 

And below, is what i would call a shameless copy of Ultimate Link's latest signature series. But then what are eyes for? Lol, it sounds pretty good too. Its a silver alloy, not pure silver. Cant get a clear picture, cause the auto focus is super lousy. And worst is cant focus manually. Bear with it, will post clearer picture if i remembers.

 

 

Ah, and please dont comment on the yellowish heatshrink. Its adhesive lined, and i cant find a clear one for the size i need. I wonder how long this one has been sitting in the warehouse...

 

Nice job on the copy!

 

[Morgan Wu 0]

A commend from the creator, now thats the highest honor for me.

 

Paiseh ah Stereo. Your service is really great by the way. Felt really comfortable in your shop.