This cable can be used as a RCA unbalanced or XLR balanced interconnect. There is enough wire to make a 100cm interconnect; for longer lengths you will need more cotton and copper wire.
The cable is a 26ga. or 25ga. pure silver wire in cotton tubing / insulation. It is recommended that you use high grade connectors like Oyaide Pure Silver RCAS or Eichmann Bullet Plugs for greater results.
*CURRENT SPECIALS ON PARTS USED IN THIS PROJECT*
Materials
-6 Metres of 26ga. 4N silver wire or 24ga. 4N5 silver wire
-6 metres of thick wall cotton
-1 set of RCA connectors (use high grade connectors like the Oyaide SLSC for best results)
-3mm and 16mm heat shrink. Choose a light colour (yellow or and light blue), as you will need to write on them. Only a small amount of heat shrink will be used in this project.
- High grade solder
Optional materials
2 metres of 1/2 " Techflex clean-cut sleeve.
Teflon tape
Cotton string
Multi purpose/ super glue or hot glue gun (I use the hot glue gun as it bonds quicker)
Tools
Soldering iron (25-60 watts)
Small screwdriver
Scissors
Sowing needle
Pliers
Box cutter/ Stanley knife
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STEP ONE
Cut the cotton to the lengths you need. For every 100 cm of wire add 2 cm of extra cotton. Do not stretch or pull cotton tubing as you are cutting. |
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STEP TWO
AVOID KINKING THE WIRE. If hands are oily, wash hands and wait till they dry. Cut 6x strands of fine silver wire. Clean wire with a fine cotton cloth |
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STEP THREE
Thread1x silver wirer through a sewing needle. Fold/bend tip of wire so the wire stays on the needle when you feed it through the cotton
Insert the needle and fine silver wire through the cotton with the blunt side going in first. Bend/fold tips at the end of wire - this stops it from retracting back into the cotton. Mark or label each wire on both ends with heat shrink or a marker. |
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STEP FOUR
Solder the Signal wire to the centre pin. Solder ground and drain wires to the ground pin or body. Do this for only 1 side.
Mark on the cable or RCA body so you know the drain is connected to this side of the cable only (do not connect the drain to the other side. *see connection diagram on technical main page for further details) |
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STEP FIVE
See page on braiding wires together |
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STEP SIX
Solder signal wires to the signal pin on the other RCA. Solder ground wires to the ground pin or body.
For Solderless Connectors
Insert the wire into the RCA/phono connector (signal wire first)- tighten screw- make sure the wire is tightly held down. Insert the wire for the ground and tighten screw. If the hole in the ground connection is too big for the wires, fill up with solder until it is possible to screw down tightly. Screw in other end. |
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Run-in/ burn-in cable for at least 10hrs before evaluating. |
