Alright, well, a couple of people have been asking around about how to do this, and after i saw rick's(mad89) cables i thought id give it a go.

All you need, is;

A soldering iron(Im using a 40w one, standard tip) - Jaycar Electronics - $12.95
Solder - 60:40 tin:led - Jaycar Electronics - $1.65
OFC Shielded single core cable(WB1508) - Jaycar Electronics - $2.25/m
RCA High Quality Ends - Jaycar Electronics - $3.50ea(per plug)
Wire Crimpers/Cutters/Pliers
Stanley Knife
Electrical Tape/Heatshrink.

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Alright. now... onto the work.

1) a) First thing is first, pull the plug apart.
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b)Then measure up the cable against the "inside" plug.
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2) Remove the outer housing with a stanley knife, just above the crimp section of the plug. Continue to remove the copper shield and the aluminium shield with the knife, but not the plastic core.
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3) remove, using the knife, a small(.5~1.5cm) section of the white plastic from the tip of the core. BE CAREFUL NOT TO CUT STRANDS OF THE CORE. the more strands in the core, the better quality signal.
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4) Now, line the cable up with the plug, and remove a section of outer housing slightly(1~2mm) larger than the "crimp" section of the plug.
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5) Now whip out the soldering iron and solder and go town on the two connection points. make sure that the core is NOT connected to ANY PART of the shield, or the rest of the RCA plug, or you've ruined it. NOTE: it looks like i used way too much solder with this one, but i didnt. it just looks bad. it doesnt matter though, because you dont see it. it doesnt need to be pretty, it needs to be strong. as long as the core and shield arent connected, use a fair bit of solder.
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6) Wrap a loop of electrical tap around the connector, not too tight, but snugly.
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7) the final product:
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NB: Its useful to slide the housing onto the cable prior to soldering...

also, remember to use the same coloured plugs on each end of one cable... otherwise it gets confusing trying to wire it all up.

i think that's it for now. will add more if i realise i forgot something.

enjoy and good luck

-alex

PS: one thing i have found, these cables dont like to be bent too sharply near the connections. they tend to snap away at the core... this can be overcome by extending the core and giving it some slack, but i simply didnt bend them. someone else may have more info on overcoming that one

i hate to say it but those solder joints are scary, wayyyy too much solder

use the amount you want, i used mroe than enough because the less solder, the more prone to breaking off it is... id rather be safe than sorry.

Too much solder and you run the risk of a dry joint. I understand you're point as to more adds strength but if you do a good job with a lot less solder the weak point will be the braid, not the solder itself.
also try loading the centre pin first and tin the pos+ cable. then all you have to do is heat the pin and insert the cable end & let cool. You're example has way too much on the centre pin which runs the risk of shorting &/or induced noise.

The solder should be nice and shiny and smooth looking. Your example looks like you've added blobs of solder at various points around the place and the joints don't look very solid and cohesive to me.

Sorry to be harsh and it's nice you've got off your a#$e and posted a tutorial, but if this deserves to be in the tutorials section, the above points should be mentioned.

Ill try to post an example of a nice joint, but good job on the tut

Here's a site that describes exactly that http://www.leadsdirect.f9.co.uk/perfectsolderjoint.htm.



Granted, its not an RCA, but you get the gist.

Gee, I could come on here and bag the crap out of you too rbimdxe, but I wont

Thankyou for the tutorial, Im sure it will help out heaps of people!!

I'm not bagging the guy out, I said it was nice he posted the tutorial, but it needed to be pointed out that more is not better in this case. Otherwise what's the point of having nice looking RCA's that sounds like cr@p or doesn't work at all because of a dry joint in the solder? This is the tutorial section after all.

point noted, however, they do work. with no noise, run along with power cables and all..... so quite frankly, do what you want. im just trying to give some people some help about how to go about doing it for themselves.

id already built RCA's, i went out and specifically purchased more gear JUST to put this up to offer some help... so yeah. bear that in mind, this was only a demo, the ones in my car look alot neater underneath the plug, but still with the same amount of solder. i just got sloppy because there was nothing in it for me when doing this.

Same here, even if it's not perfect i found it an interesting read and pictures really help. It's these sort of things that make the difference between me trying things myself and not even considering to attempt them.

Thank you for the appreciation, you too matt...

I would just like to add ( in my defence it would seem ) that I've been making leads for audio & musical instruments for over 20yrs. I thought a little constructive critisism would go a long way to helping someone 'do it better' the next time. Not taking anything away from your tutorial rbimdxe it's a good job but there is room for improvement in anything we do, that's why smart people listen to thier peers, not critisise their input.

heres a good example:
http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audiop...deoCables_5.php

i never criticised your input... not once. i simply stated the facts. i appreciate the constructive criticism, its jsut that when five people jump on you at once about one little segment of a tute that you've been working on for a couple hours(uploading, typing, actually doing ) it kind of gets to you and you(as in me) over react...

my apologies if it was interpreted that i was criticising your input, i was simply trying to defend the errors i had made....

Sorry m8 if you've taken my second post as aimed at you, I may have gramitically worded it wrong as I was refering to Matts comment and trying to bolster mangrovejacks. welcome to the world of forum misinterpretation
I might add you did a good job of the tute, just needed a few pointers thats all. it's all

x2 i agree, im thinking of going the custom way as well...

at least you pointed out what NOT to do

also, do you have to use an electric soldering iron, or would a gas one/ mini blowtorch be as good??

I've never found a gas powered one to be any good. Things may have changed in recent years, but mine is pretty much the last tool I'd use to solder. I use mine for the hotair blower to shrink heatshrink.

I know it can be a hassle to drag out electrical soldering iron, but they give a much better control and temperature for soldering.

If you can afford it, get one with an adjustable heat setting (station) or around 100w.
The extra wattage comes in handy on the thicker casings & cables that tend to act as a heatsink and drain a small iron quickly.

thanks for that mate, ive bin looking at doing some of these for myself... now i know where to start

and for those criticising his soldering, maybe it would be more constructive if u posted information on how to achieve a nice, neat solder.. instead of jsut pics saying THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE LIKE...

just and idea... not having a go at anyone

I wasnt hacking anyone, simply displaying some love

Does anyone know how to solder using silver instead of tin/lead?? Can it even be done? I was thinking of silver cable, and not ruining it by using cheapo solder.....

Just use Hi-Fi quality Silver Solder with rosin core. It's lead free.
like this: http://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/pr...roducts_id=1453

Excellent tutorial rbimdxe!


I've got a bit of a question though - is there much difference between cables? I went to my local Leading Edge store today (they're a Jaycar stockist) and ordered the RCA ends. However, they were unable to order that specific cable in. Instead, they had similar purple coloured cable there. The manager pulled the cable apart, and it appears pretty similar to the Jaycar stuff. Judging by the photos in the first post, it seemed a similar thickness (if anything, slightly thinner) and had the same levels of insulation/shielding around it. Would I be likely to notice any difference between the two cables? I'm after something that'll resist noise in particular, and if I'm spending a hundred odd dollars and a fair few hours labour to do so, I want to do it right in the first place

there shouldnt be, providing its well shielded. as long as its single core, with a pvc dielectric, the alum shield and then the copper shield, it should be the same.

jono(poisoner) used a different cable, that from what i have been told, is much the same as the WB1508. as long as the joints(solder) is secure and well done, there shouldnt be any induced noise. if your worried about it, run them away from the power cables, and make sure everything is grounded properly. alot of the time, noise isnt because of the RCA's anyway. its things like faulty grounds.

i'm always about buying rather than building/making

but for this, i think i'll just make my own.

thanks rbimdxe, u have now encouraged me to get off my ass hahaha

great tutorial mate, its really good to see.

for people asking how to make a proper solder joint here are a few tips.

you need to heat the object your soldering to to the same temp as the solder requires to liquify inorder for it to stick properly. otherwise you will experience weak joints as rbimdxe did.

the snapping of wires may have occured for 2 reasons, poor soldering to the tab, ie. not enough heat as above, or the wire got hot to far down teh strand, liquid solder traveld down ther wire and hardend, making it stiff, which will snap when flexed.

best steps to get a good solder join.
heat wire quickly apply a dab of solder so it soaks through. let it cool. heat the tab till the solder sticks, it should run flat like a puddle, not form any bubble, this will let you know its hot enough. once both are cool, re heat the small puddle on the tab till it is liquid, quickly place the wire on it(doesnt matter if it has hardened in this time) place the wire in the puddle and the iron on top, both the wire and the puddle should join quickly as the tab/puddle was already hot and the wire is quick to heat. remove the iron as soon as possible to minimise solder traveling up the wire.

this process of soaking the wire first will minimise the need for extra solder and insure you dont use more than needed.
your joint should be smooth and puddle looking with the wire visible in it as a lump, no wire should be exposed, if this is the case you didnt soak the wire properly. also the joint should be shiny, if it is a puddle but dull, its because you moved before the solder was set. if its a bubble its becuase you wernt hot enough.

i use a scope 12v soldering iron, i control heat via a little button on the handle, i can go from 0 deg to melting point of metal in about 5 secconds when plugged into a deep cycle battery. i normaly use a little security battery as it has plenty of grunt.
more heat the better in most cases, but your too hot when the sheilding wire has melted

i hope all of this made sense, its the best way to get high quality solder joins without overheating. ive been soldering battery cells together for years which is dangerous and difficult, i sorta learnt the hard way with a few explosions and dead cells etc. by making my work to slow to heat. and bad connections.

peace out

Just wondering what the advantages are in making your own RCA's?
Better Sound then buying an off the shelf set? Or is it cheaper??
Or some people just like making things? Just wondering because before i read these forums i hadnt heard of anyone making their own RCA's (NOOB HERE)

you can get them the exact length. meaning that there is no left over coiled up somewhere, and it looks sweet.

that of they introduce noise, you know its definately your fault

and you get the sense of achevment that you have made your own

yeah im looking at doing this now as ive used similar cable.....for TV antennas and stuff.....is it the same thing or different cos dad has a roll of the stuff

a question.....how much in total did it cost you (give or take) im guessing under $20 each?

~80$ for the lot riley. ~20$ per 5m single channel run.

and its more or less co-ax cable, but this stuff, to me, was alot easier to work with than the "dedicated" co-ax they sold.

ah sweet ive got enough co-ax to do a few runs....ill just buy some ends

yeh let's all bag each other - but for larger connections and a smooth solder joint, get a higher powered iron - or a gas one so you can get that solder on smoothly and quickly.

It's also good practice to scrape/sand the metal plates a bit so the solder can stick easier too.

how much do RCA leads cost from the big names - aeropro etc?

how do they compare for quality with these home made oens, and these Jaycar RCA's

aeropro isnt big name. aeropro ones are probably $20~30$ a set.

big name brands, are stinger. which are anywhere up to 200 a set i have been told.

no doubt hte stinger ones will be far better quality than these, but for the price of these, id rather make my own. add to that the benefit of custom lengths, etc. these suit perfectly for my application, and the results speak for themselves. Rick(mad89) used the same gear and acheived first's in CAASQ.

It's not just the saving money factor when you make your own RCA's, you also get to customise the length to the exact size you need instead of having to try and hide the excess cabling that normally occurs.

In terms of quality, that's up to you in terms of what cabling and RCA's that you purchase. If you solder it properly, then you won't really notice any differences (for better or for worse) than the store bought cables.

A good cable to use is CAT5 (or CAT6) cabling as that can give you multiple RCA's within a nice small cable which is still reasonably flexible. Just make sure you use stranded not solid core cables (I think the stranded is normally used to make patch cables (the short cables used to connect bridges/routers/switches etc together)). The better brand RCA cables use twisted pair wiring for its noise rejection also.

the tip of puting the casing on the wire prior to soldering is a good one....ive soldered so many rca's only to find i have forgotten the casing to cover the joint....very annoying.....

That CAT5 idea sounds awesome but wouldnt each strand be a bit too small for it?
Seems like theyre pretty thin compared to acutal RCA leads. Or do RCA leads have less metal in them than I think?

They are only low-level signals (remember that your HU will only output around 8v max - on a good HU, more typically around 4v), so the size of the wire in CAT5 cabling is adequate.

ive used cat5 b4. but use stranded core. its simply easier to solder to plugs. im looking at getting some shielded not UTP cat5/6 its used in more industrial stuff where high voltage/current lines run near by like in plants n factories etc. ill have to get me a roll see if can get 100M not 305 or 1km

In some installs the ability for a RCA lead to reject noise can make or break your efforts.When i helped a mate out all the really cheap ones he had that wernt twisted or sheilded brought noise into the system when they were routed through his dash.............cors