FruitarGeek
I was making up a cable, and decided to go the quality route. So got 2 x straight neutriks jacks and a nice proell cable (bothners didn't stock Mogami), anyway, trying to solder these cables to Neutriks jacks was as difficult as hell. There are no holes to loop the cable through instead its just a 'platform'. I would have to pin the wire down with my soldering iron, add some solder, and by the time I moved my soldering iron to let it settle, the whole thing would move, and then I have a bad solder joint. ARgggg.
Is there an easier way to do this?
Also, I find closing the casings quite hard to, i.e. screwing the metal cap to the plastic base, mine never seem to close 100% more like 90% then it gets to tough.
AlanRatcliffe
I've used a mini bench vise for years to hold jacks by the sleeve while I'm soldering - any brand of jack. Also helps keep the sleeve cool when you solder the earth (cheap jacks often use plastic instead of ceramic insulators between tip and sleeve - that's why the tips start spinning after being soldered a couple of times).
The lack of solder lugs is a "feature". ? No lugs to break or loosen. That's one of the reasons they last for decades.
You don't have to tighten the cap all the way, it varies depending on the diameter of the cable because of the way the strain relief works - with thinner cable the cap goes on further. As long as the cap is tight.
AlanRatcliffe
BTW - did they tell you to remove the black plastic layer from around the conductor's insulation when you strip back the Proel instrument cable? It's electrically conductive to provide 100% shielding from the relatively loose lapped screen, but if you leave it in place it can short on the conductor or increase the capacitance radically resulting in a very dark sounding cable.
Malkav
Neutrik jacks aren't fussy they're amazing, you could try scratching/marring the surfaces you'll be soldering to if you wanna create a slightly easier to establish connection. I have found with my Neutriks that often the small plastic retainer that clips on the cable and helps hold it in position has a small square piece that is only attached by two small plastic legs, I tend to rip this small piece off as I find it still operates correctly without giving me tightening issues.
AlanRatcliffe
Chad Adam Browne wrote:
I have found with my Neutriks that often the small plastic retainer that clips on the cable and helps hold it in position has a small square piece that is only attached by two small plastic legs, I tend to rip this small piece off as I find it still operates correctly without giving me tightening issues.
Only do that with a fat cable though - normal Proel and especially the Mogami (which is thinner than most), you compromise the strain relief and find the jack will wobble a bit.
@FG - you'll also find you can tighten the cap a little more the day after, once the jacket compresses a little under the strain relief.
FruitarGeek
Well, Alan I can imagine that a vice grip will hold the jack still but I can't imagine how you hold the cable still. Hot solder tends to move cables around which means it wont settle properly. I understand now that its a feature that the lugs are not there, and really my cable sounds great, but I had to repair it after 2 weeks of use because the wire snapped out (bad soldering). Chad, scratching is a good idea, but somehow I dont think its going to provide the speedyness I require.
nick
All my pedal interconnects have angled neutrik jacks and I cant say I had an issue soldering any of them.
aubs1
Easy as pie ....... ?
AlanRatcliffe
FruitarGeek wrote:
I can't imagine how you hold the cable still.
Umm... with my left hand? The usual soldering tips apply: Don't heat the solder and then apply - heat the part until the solder melts on it. Tin the contact and the wire first. Heat the tinned contact point again and add the tinned wire until you see the solder melt. Then remove the iron and hold the wire still for a few seconds.
Oh... I use a small bench vise, not a vice grip - but anything that will hold the plug steady while you work.
FruitarGeek
Im beginning to feel silly for asking this, and doubting my soldering skills, but, let me explain again.
I use an old pedal to connect the jack to, so Alan, like the grip you have, I just have the pedal, so the Jack doesnt move. Now, I need my right hand for the soldering iron, and the left hand with the solder (which I will ease into the jack to melt it). Now I have no more hands to hold the cable. Sure, I could position it in such a way so that the cable (and by cable I am referring to the 2 copper braided wires, the central one, and the earth one) lands on top of the jack, but there will still be a degree of mobility about it, so when I apply the solder to it, and release my soldering iron because its still hot it will move and make a bad joint.
I watched the video Aubs posted, (thanks), and if you look at like 5min, the braided cable magically apprears to be held in place. How? I did notice that he took the soldering iron off later than what I would.
With normal jacks with the lugs, I can tie a little knot, well actually its just a fishing hook shape I make, and then the braided copper wires seriously wont move, but with these neutricks jacks and their open "U" looking design, my wires are free to move!
AlanRatcliffe
Simple - you tin the wires and the contact points first, one at a time. Then the solder is already on the parts when you join the two together. Don't do what the guy in the video does and add the solder while you join the wires - that's the quickest way to get a bad joint in my experience.
You can add a little extra solder to the tip of the iron just before you join the wire and contact. Adding the solder first also lets the flux do its job (cleaning off any tarnish) and burn off before you join the two together instead of ending up stuck somewhere inside the joint (which is also asking for trouble).
Another thing the guy in the video does wrong, is he doesn't strip the conductive plastic sheath back far enough, which is also asking for trouble.
FruitarGeek
Oh okay, I will give that a try. I tinned the wire but never the contact point. So once I tin both sides I still need to add more solder to keep them together right? or is the tinned solder on both the wire and jack sufficient, in which case I can then use my hand to hold the cable steady.
AlanRatcliffe
FruitarGeek wrote:
or is the tinned solder on both the wire and jack sufficient, in which case I can then use my hand to hold the cable steady.
Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Then the solder is already on the parts when you join the two together. You can add a little extra solder to the tip of the iron just before you join the wire and contact.
Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Don't heat the solder and then apply - heat the part until the solder melts on it. Tin the contact and the wire first. Heat the tinned contact point again and add the tinned wire until you see the solder melt. Then remove the iron and hold the wire still for a few seconds.
DonRoos
I went to Yebo for some stuff and they had a 'many hands' device that has two clamps and a magnifying glass so I position the jack in one clamp, the cable in the other (after tinning both. Then position them correctly and heat the two with the iron in one hand while I add a little extra solder with the solder in the other. Best R80 odd I spent in a long time. No more burnt fingers holding things while heating them. No more dry joints from moving before the joint sets and with my fading eyesight, I get to see clearly some of the tiny things I have to solder.
Wizard
DonRoos wrote:
I went to Yebo for some stuff and they had a 'many hands' device that has two clamps and a magnifying glass so I position the jack in one clamp, the cable in the other (after tinning both. Then position them correctly and heat the two with the iron in one hand while I add a little extra solder with the solder in the other. Best R80 odd I spent in a long time. No more burnt fingers holding things while heating them. No more dry joints from moving before the joint sets and with my fading eyesight, I get to see clearly some of the tiny things I have to solder.
I got one of those too.
Also the best R80 investment I ever made.
