Old cables

Lethe

So I've got quite a lot of old cables lying around in my room. Broken cables basically. Ie, for some reason they don't send the signal anymore. So they're probably broken in the middle somewhere because it's not at the jack. I tried fixing one once, it worked, but the signal was very weak thereafter. What do you guys do with faulty cables?

aja

Use them as rope to tie things to car roof racks or trailers or anything really...

I would save the actual jacks for other projects though, assuming the fault is not in the jack itself

When you fixed it, did you tie the wire ends together or solder them together? If not soldered the signal will be very weak

aubs1

Throw them away............!!!!

JoEllis

+1 Throw them away!

They will come back to bite you in the ass and it won't be pretty. It's usually in the middle of a gig or at a critical point in a session where they will throw everything off.

At most you can maybe salvage part of a fairly new cable that broke by accident (rather than because it's a bad/old cable) to make up things like patch cables. But this is also only if you know exactly where that cable was broken.

Heath

i bomb them , in the chaos and rush to pack for a gig , jam , recording session , you grab the wrong cables get to the event and bang you a cable down . bad cables are like mother in laws they always bit you in the arse.

matta

Cables....

Guys, do yourself a favour... spend a bit more and buy QUALITY cables!

The cheap stuff always breaks, it is only a matter or time. There are 2 industry standard like Canare and Mogami that DO last and don't cost a fortune. I almost exclusively use Mogami and wired thousands.... and I do mean thousands of cables from muso rigs to entire studio installations and beyond sounding better they just... well... last! I've yet to have to repair a cable I've made over the years.

I also favour Amphenol connectors over Neutrik, not only are they IMHO better they are in fact CHEAPER, the local agents pricing is VERY good indeed.

The next piece of advice... learn to solder! It really isn't hard and practice makes perfect, then make your OWN cables, it will save you a bundle in time/money over the years.

Cheers

Matt

AlanRatcliffe

matta wrote ...spend a bit more and buy QUALITY cables!
...Canare and Mogami
...learn to solder!

Each of these X 1 Googleplex. I favor Neutrik plugs (never had one go bad on me, and I've got some I've been using for 20 years), but to be fair, have never used Amphenol.

@Matt - What's the pricing like on Amphenol? I get dealer on Neutrik, so would have to be good. Also, where do you buy your Mogami?

TomCat

matta wrote Cables....

Guys, do yourself a favour... spend a bit more and buy QUALITY cables!

The cheap stuff always breaks, it is only a matter or time. There are 2 industry standard like Canare and Mogami that DO last and don't cost a fortune.

+1 Matta

Other good cables are Klotz and Belden. I have used Klotz cable for both instrument and microphone cables and these have been very reliable.

[deleted]

George L's? Work like a dream, and are cheap..ish

I chucked all my others away. Only use George L's now :yup:

WantzChas

I've been using a cheap Kirlin cable for a while now and it's still going string. Since we are semi on the subject, how do you make cables last longer? Are there little care tricks that will extend they're lifespan?

TomCat

WantzChas wrote I've been using a cheap Kirlin cable for a while now and it's still going string. Since we are semi on the subject, how do you make cables last longer? Are there little care tricks that will extend they're lifespan?

AHA......one of my fav topics.....

Looked after cables are happy cables....... ? ?. They will be faithful servants for many years. Abuse them and they rebel against you..... >☹

1. Roll up cables and include a suitable Velcro type cable strap to secure them. If you cannot get straps tie a shoe lace onto one end and use this to secure the cable once rolled up.
2. Keep cables clean. "Clean Green" works really well.
3. Store and transport your cables in a suitable case or bag.
4. If you use gaffer tape to secure cables on the stage, clean this off immediately when you pack your kit up.

Riaan-Combrink

WantzChas wrote Since we are semi on the subject, how do you make cables last longer? Are there little care tricks that will extend they're lifespan?

One of the most important things IMO is they way you roll and store them. If its andom or over the arm and elbow style, they'll get hurt. Far better to use the style that's impossible to describe!!! Kind of roll one loop in front and one at the back, making a half coil twist as you do it, and repeat 'till done ??? ??? ???. I'm sure someone knows what I'm talking about and can articulate it better!

TomCat

Riaan C wrote
WantzChas wrote Since we are semi on the subject, how do you make cables last longer? Are there little care tricks that will extend they're lifespan?
One of the most important things IMO is they way you roll and store them. If its andom or over the arm and elbow style, they'll get hurt. Far better to use the style that's impossible to describe!!! Kind of roll one loop in front and one at the back, making a half coil twist as you do it, and repeat 'till done ??? ??? ???. I'm sure someone knows what I'm talking about and can articulate it better!

+1 Riaan

Impossible to describe. I call it one in - one out method.

Lets try to describe it.

1. Hold end of cable in left hand with connector facing you.
2. Loop cable with right hand and create a normal loop of about 20-25cm.
3. Grab hold of the "inside" of the cable and pull a second "reverse loop" through. The free cable will be on the inside of the loop.
4. Repeat normal and reverse loops until the cable is rolled up.

Like I said.....almost impossible to describe... ??? ???

I'll try to create a small video and post.

Gearhead

Back to the original topic: if you want to do something useful with your old cable even though it's already broken once, try this:
1 get a multimeter or something else that can tell if a wire's conducting;
2 cut your broken cable in half;
3 measure both halves:
if they both conduct, go buy a lottery ticket
if only one conducts, move the jack to that one
if neither conducts, go to 2.
This way, the worst that can happen is you wind up with poor quality patch cables ?