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Thread: DIY RCA cable components

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    DIY RCA cable components

    I'm actually stunned that I'm not finding threads on my two favorite car audio forums, searching for "DIY RCA cables", "Custom RCA cables", "DIY RCA", etc.

    I'm in the process of building an amp rack in a tight space - I'll have 3, possibly 4 amps and a DSP very close coupled, so I thought it would look slick to lay the DSP and amps out where they look best, then custom-build my own interconnects to the exact length needed for each of the 11 channels I'll have, routed and secured to make some nice lines.

    I wasn't necessarily expecting threads on exactly what I'm doing - but I KNOW people out there are building their own out there.

    Bear in mind I'm not a believer in the supernatural - copper is copper, and I am proficient in soldering (even SMT). Not looking to impress the solid-silver crowd.

    All I'm really searching for are
    1) suppliers - connectors and cables
    2) best practices - good connectors and good cables, best "bang for the buck"
    3) different approaches to quality cosmetics - single vs multichannel (ie. star quad vs mic cable vs _____), barrels, boots, shrink, cable pants, techflex, etc.

    Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

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    Re: DIY RCA cable components

    Clarification -

    All I'm making are the typical single-ended (read: not balanced or differential) RCAs, so I am surprised not to find a hundred - or even ten - threads on this.

    I'm a Parts Express fan, I have looked through what they sell - I'm sure I'll be able to find decent cable there, but not finding anything great for barrels there.

    Looks are important - Hoping for some good looking short-barrel RCAs... Don't need to be some fancy name brand... and I could modify screw-type to be solder type so no need to suppress those.

    Please share your supplier and sources if you have made some...

    Or even if you've just "read a thread", if you can share it and link it, no sense reinventing the wheel, right? Was hoping not to need to...

    Thanks!

    Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

  3. Back To Top    #3
    Owner BigAl205's Avatar
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    Re: DIY RCA cable components

    Depending on your budget, here's some really good connectors https://www.markertek.com/product/nf...connector-pair
    and wire https://www.markertek.com/product/l-...the-foot-black

  4. Back To Top    #4

    Re: DIY RCA cable components

    i followed shinjohn's how-to, including the same gepco 61801ez cable. i used some pailiccs RCAs because i needed smaller ends resulting in needing some narrow cable to fit the openings

    https://pbase.com/shinjohn/diyinterconnects


    i did a group buy with some friends for a whole spool of cable and like 200 ends, reduced the price to about $3-4/channel. i still have a lot of ends and cable left over.

    i did a version with two channels in a single techflex run, but it made "left side amplifier/right side amplifier" runs not satisfy my OCD. (left channel of stereo rca pair = tweeter, right channel of stereo pair = midrange, etc). also made removing/repairing a single channel issue more difficult.



    this is the single-channel, thinner tech flex. yellow heatshrink notes source-side. glue-lined heatshrink to hold techflex in place. now all the black channels go to the left amplifiers, red channels go to the right amplifiers

    Last edited by nadams5755; 05-24-2021 at 02:19 PM.

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    Re: DIY RCA cable components

    switchcraft 3502 are short as well (not 3502a)

    i like the pailiccs ends because they're solid brass, split center pin, and hurricane barrels.
    Last edited by nadams5755; 05-24-2021 at 01:34 PM.

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    Re: DIY RCA cable components

    Thanks!

    I know the Neutrik connectors have some legit credibility, I'm just "meh" on their appearance.

    Those "streetwires" barrels actually look decent - and I'm soldering, so I can ensure quality... especially for such short runs.

    I have seen the Canare quad (or any quad) mic cable as a good one to use - I definitely will read that article. Seen a couple ways to deal with the potentially redundant negative and / or ground and I'm speculating there's probably also an opportunity to simply ground the unconnected (and insulated) shield to operate as a drain.

    I saw these - my Civic comes with fake carbon fiber dash trim, so thought this might look cool from a cosmetic angle...
    But I can't find these ends.

    I can find some other CF-clad ones, but they are like $6/each and don't look as good as these and are longer... I will need 26 so it adds up. $160 for ends isn't terrible compared to buying RCAs, but if I'm making them I want them to not look just "whatever".

    Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

  7. Back To Top    #7

    Re: DIY RCA cable components

    i connected the extra shield/foil to the source side as recommended in general.

  8. Back To Top    #8

    Re: DIY RCA cable components

    Quote Originally Posted by nadams5755 View Post
    i connected the extra shield/foil to the source side as recommended in general.
    Source side - as in center pin?
    Or do you mean ground side?
    I'm surprised if you mean signal, just because with traditional coax cable, ground side travels through the shield.

    Sent from my LM-G820 using Tapatalk

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    Re: DIY RCA cable components

    shield/foil to common/ground.

  10. Back To Top    #10

    Re: DIY RCA cable components

    i wanted to shield the center pin, so this meant folding back the shield and ground over the jacket, slide the heatshrink down, and solder the center pin.

    heatshrink large enough to fit over the outer jacket (1/8") was too large to shrink over the center pin

    tried a tip from another nerd - use a hemostat to stretch out heatshrink over the jacket. solder the center pin, slide down the heatshrink, melt it, solder the ground+shield, profit.


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