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DIY XLR Cables


Saif and Sound

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(maybe something to do with being left handed).

I can always tell when a left handed person has wrapped a cable. I worked with a left handed sound person on staff for years so instead of re wrapping a cable I learned how to do it both left handed and right handed. That way I could pick up a left handed partially wrapped cable and finish it.

I used to be a very slow over under cable wrapper and always used the thumb and finger twist. It kind of worked but was slow. I worked a sporting event years ago, and a female producer (former grip) was helping strike the audio cables. She did a 100' cable in what seemed like 20 seconds. I asked her if she would teach me how to be faster. Over the lunch break she took the time to teach me the "right" way to do it. Took a little practice but I finally got it.

I work with a lot of utilities at sporting events and its interesting to see all the different cable wrapping "styles" that still end up being over/under.

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I'm going to make a few of each 50ft, 25ft, 10ft, 5ft and throw in a few smaller ones...

This seems sort of obvious, but...

Purchase your wire in several different colors and assign one color for 50-feet, one for 25-feet, etc. That way you can always grab the right length with confidence from a bin of many cables.

David

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Where is one able to buy thin yet soft and flexible audio cable in bulk? I am talking about the diameter thin enough for 2 cables to go into a TA5F like the cables used for the Zaxcom QRX100 and Lectrosonics SRa5P. I am in South Africa and such a cable just doesn't exist. I've tried our local supplier of Belden and Canare cables but no joy on any front. I want to lighten the load and neaten up the spaghetti in my bag. Does anyone know which brand of cable is used for the Kortwich cable assemblies seen in the picture

Any leads would be greatly appreciated!

---Sebastian

post-22-0-95150000-1309439052.jpg

where to find the right angle connector?

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Really? Go tell that to Canare. The quote is from the Canare website regarding Star quad wiring. I have a feeling they don't think it's hogwash.

"In order to maximize noise rejection, Star Quad must be properly wired to the XLR-3 connector (or terminal block). White to the positive, Blue to the negative"

Well that sucks all my cables are built with pin 2 as blue because blue rhymes with two. tricks of the trade gone wrong lol.

Does it really make a big difference?

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I run with mostly 35 foot XLR's. I often find 50 feet is too long and 25 just a bit short.

But I also keep a few 100' and plenty of 25' and 6' in my kit.

+1 I find 35 feet usually the perfect length for Interview set ups and usually carry 2 35ft to set and in the truck I keep 2 100ft 2 50 ft and 2 25ft

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Hey, Marc, I had no idea anyone had done a video showing the "over-under" cable wrapping we all (hopefully) know how to do.

I'm amazed how many people don't know this. When I worked as a camera operator in the 1970s, we had to haul those awful, gigantic, 82-conductor 3"-thick camera cables over golf courses and stadiums, and rolling those up at the end of the shoot was a nightmare. By the mid-1970s, we eventually switched to tiny triax cable (the size of mike cable), but it was thoroughly unwieldly and inflexible -- lightweight, but springy and very very hard to roll up. Belden eventually came up with flexible cable that was easier, but it's still a major chore keeping track of the thousands and thousands of feet of cable on large TV shoots (like the recent Super Bowl).

At the end of a very long day on sound mixing, it takes a lot of effort for me hard to gather everything back together and get it all organized for the next day. On my long list of faults, packing up equipment is at or near #1. I've learned some good lessons from that -- mainly, suppress the need to be in a hurry. Prepping is the easy part.

where to find the right angle connector?

I believe the small colored ones shown above are custom-made. Past discussions on the group have dealt with how to saw the XLR connectors in half, glue the wire in place, and then put a plastic cap on the end.

Neutrik has a full-size right-angle XLR connector, and those will work fine in situations where you have enough space. It can rotate the cable in 5 different increments, and works pretty well:

http://www.markertek....xhtml?NC3MRX-B

nc3mrx-bag.jpg?v=1

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Well that sucks all my cables are built with pin 2 as blue because blue rhymes with two. tricks of the trade gone wrong lol.

Does it really make a big difference?

In a normal enviroment not really. White/2, Blue/3 just gives you maximum potential protection. In your case just hang your cables with the female side down to drain out any clogged sound still stuck inside. :wacko:

Eric

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In a normal enviroment not really. White/2, Blue/3 just gives you maximum potential protection. In your case just hang your cables with the female side down to drain out any clogged sound still stuck inside. :wacko:

Eric

Can they be coiled or do they need to be hung straight? "Cause I've got a few 100 footers and nothing that tall around the house.

Best regards,

Jim

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Can they be coiled or do they need to be hung straight? "Cause I've got a few 100 footers and nothing that tall around the house.

Best regards,

Jim

Got an answer for that. Throw the male end over a shower curtain rod in your bathroom and pull the cable, the stuck sound will run down towards the female end that should be in the tub. Eventually all the old sound will pour out of the female connector and go down the drain.

Eric

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Got an answer for that. Throw the male end over a shower curtain rod in your bathroom and pull the cable, the stuck sound will run down towards the female end that should be in the tub. Eventually all the old sound will pour out of the female connector and go down the drain.

Eric

That'll do in a pinch, but keep in mind that the curves created by such a technique could allow for microscopic bits of audio to stick to the white wire if connected to pin 2 (google Einstein's Quark theory for more info).

An old style fire station tower, used to dry hoses, would be ideal for insuring complete, total drainage in a straight line. And, as you said, female down.

brandon-fire-tower.jpg

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Got an answer for that. Throw the male end over a shower curtain rod in your bathroom and pull the cable, the stuck sound will run down towards the female end that should be in the tub. Eventually all the old sound will pour out of the female connector and go down the drain.

Eric

Just tried this. BE SURE THE FEMALE XLR IS IN THE TUB! I now have a shop vac full of the stuck sound that ended up on the floor from one of those longer cables. Who knew there would be so much?

Best regards,

Jim

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  • 1 year later...

 Hi folks.  I love DIY and the satisfaction of using an effective creation.

 

  Does anyone know of an online site/page with schematics for soldering up different connectors and cable arrangements?

 

  Here are some cables that I need to make up (from the previous threads I have a fair idea of which cabling to use):

 

1. 10 pin Hirose (male) to Neutric SC8 (m; pull quick release plug)    (I need a looong loom extension)

 

2.  XLR (f) to  TA-3 (f)   ...line level

3.  XLR (f) to  TA-3 (f)   ...mic level

 

  Any notes on the required resistors to achieve either number 2. or 3. ?  

 

It's always easier to buy ready- made,  but I prefer bumping my head and learning along the way.

 

  Thanks for a great thread!

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