Repairing RCA Cables

[mdcdesign]

Not sure if the rest of you have ever had this happen, but sometimes when you buy the "better" RCA cables (the REALLY flexible ones), the silicone which forms the middle of the figure-8 cable is FAR too weak, and repeated setup/teardowns can leave you with two completely separate parts of a stereo cable.

Today, I decided to fix mine (which were held together at both ends with cable ties originally). Here's the end result:



Braided sleeving and a bit of heatshrink == good as new Only downside is you have to de-solder one end of the cable. I snipped off about a cm, re-stripped and resoldered, and they're as good as new now - better, even, since the braided sleeving adds a bit of resilience to the cable.

Next step to the plan is to order another 4 of these cables and colour-code them for A/B/C/D channels; there's plenty of brightly colored (and even UV reactive) sleeving out there for not much money

[DjLiquitATL]

issue with the "better" rcas that you have pictured above is that they are harder to connect and disconnect if you gig out a lot... I have a similar cable that is a hosa spdif cable and I have had to "fix" it twice now...this last time I made sure the cable was wrapped around securely before the solder hit...for whatever reason they aren't soldered that great from factory

[Patch]

This is how I've upgraded the cables on my 1210's, using White cable braid and white instrument cable.

I really like your idea for different colour cables for each channel... I did something *similar* when I used to use Ableton Live as a 4-channel set-up:

UC-33e & UC-16.jpg

[SlvrDragon50]

I really wanna make my own cables, but knowing me, I'd make cables with lower quality than if I just go buy a pair of RCAs lol.

Plus Monoprice RCAs are SOOOO cheap.

[DjLiquitATL]

I just dropped $50 on a pair of these cables

download.jpg

I want to try them BUT I think I may just do the female rca mod on my 1200s so I don't have to deal with it anymore...I don't want to ruin these cables but thought they would fit better through the phono clamp

[mdcdesign]

issue with the "better" rcas that you have pictured above is that they are harder to connect and disconnect if you gig out a lot... I have a similar cable that is a hosa spdif cable and I have had to "fix" it twice now...this last time I made sure the cable was wrapped around securely before the solder hit...for whatever reason they aren't soldered that great from factory

Hmmmm I've found that the silver metal plugs on these cables are some of the best; I've got some Yamaguchi plugs on my DIY hifi interconnects but they're SO stiff that I actually damaged my first LCD TV plugging them in (bruised the display panel). These ones are pretty smooth to connect; way better than the red and white plastic jobbies most venues have in their house setup. Only downside is that the outer sheath seems to unscrew itself occasionally, so you have to remember to give them a quick twist before you plug them in.

This is how I've upgraded the cables on my 1210's, using White cable braid and white instrument cable.

I really like your idea for different colour cables for each channel... I did something *similar* when I used to use Ableton Live as a 4-channel set-up:

UC-33e & UC-16.jpg

That controller color-coding is awesome xD

I really wanna make my own cables, but knowing me, I'd make cables with lower quality than if I just go buy a pair of RCAs lol.

Plus Monoprice RCAs are SOOOO cheap.

Tbh, you're better off finding a cable that you are ALMOST satisfied with then uprating it. Tracking down the perfect cable, and then the perfect connectors is a bloody nightmare, especially since most gear you can only buy on eBay, and when it arrives you're usually disappointed with SOME aspect of it Ie, cable not bendy enough, RCAs too thick, etc.

I just dropped $50 on a pair of these cables

download.jpg

I want to try them BUT I think I may just do the female rca mod on my 1200s so I don't have to deal with it anymore...I don't want to ruin these cables but thought they would fit better through the phono clamp

The Oyaides are absolutely amazing, but I don't like the green and white ones I want the orange ones but they're £60 each :'(

[SlvrDragon50]

50 DOLLAR CABLES? WTF?? That cable better be like 100' long.

Capacitance in that short of a cable doesn't mean anything.

[mdcdesign]

50 DOLLAR CABLES? WTF?? That cable better be like 100' long.

Capacitance in that short of a cable doesn't mean anything.

1m dude.

The Orange ones are £60 per stereo interconnect

[DjLiquitATL]

ha, i'm going to see if my buddy can perform earth plug and rca port mod for me...i'm getting tired of dealing with hanging cables

[Eliot Han]

Nice!! Color coded cables are the best, especially for us four deck users. I have the hosa snake cable that has 8 different colors. I think I should be looking into upgrading them later on as well.