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DIY- Right Angle XLRs


jason porter

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Those parts from Neutrik would work perfectly for the way I have done my right angle connectors (which require cutting the shell of a full size connector). For strain relief I just drill a hole (or make a notch, I have done it both ways) and use a cable tie on the inside (back of the hole) and then a plastic cap glued on the back. With these Neutrik parts it might be possible to find some sort of threaded cap to use in place of the plastic glued-in caps.

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A lot of DIY has happened, and will continue. I am not happy with the glue/two part putty situation. I would like to see a unit that can be opened and repaired (i mean the soldering) if need be. Just like any normal XLR connector. 

 

If people are serious - i will research this thing... Switchcraft makes the inserts, which is a good thing. I think a body needs to be designed and developed, that has all the requirements. It will involve a die for the casting, etc... 

 

-vin

 

PS: I wish i could apply for a Kickstarter project (only available for US and European citizens)

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The caps i got from the hardware store fit tightly enough that I'm not worried about them falling out.

I decided to take a chance with those because I was worried about repairs.

I notched out the back of the connector. I also notch out the cap so it would fit around the cable. It still fits pretty tight!

We'll see how they hold up during use in the az heat!

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I wish Neutrik would go back to the old "flat top" right angle connectors--they fit in the bag much better and were easier to fix.  The newer roundy ones are huge.  The "cut-off and plug" method for DIY right angle connectors is cool, but I wonder how easy they'll be to fix (in the field).  I guess if you make them strong enough that won't be an issue.

 

And someone should tell Switchcraft to get with the program already--a fixed angle right-angle connector is pretty useless.   If someone custom-made repairable small right angle connectors soundies would pay a premium per unit

I bet.

 

philp

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@Alex (Toy Robot) : According with your method for right angle XLRs is there be a problem the hot glue inside?

 

I don't see any issues with the hot glue inside at all, and if you follow the tutorial I posted on my website you'll see why it works without freezing the connector release.

 

I also don't understand why people are so hellbent on 'fixing' these. How is a cable that is filled with 3,000 PSI epoxy going to break when the wires inside literally cannot even move - and therefore cannot 'break' or come undone? Of course everyone has their own solution and if it makes you uncomfortable not to be able to fix it then by all means go about it another way, but I just don't foresee ever needing to get inside these cables. At 3K PSI the actual connector itself would have to be crushed before the wiring would come undone.

 

Mind you it's only my opinion, but I believe the way I did mine are cheap, easy to make, fast to make and as far as I can tell they should be nearly unbreakable.

 

If I'm wrong I promise I'll update you ladies and gentlemen here if any of these cables ever fail!  8)

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Its not the connector i worry about... Its the rest of the wire and using epoxy means you have to start from scratch if you have a cable break...

I don't really see this as a problem though if the cables live in the bag a majority of the time. I just like to have options and to recycle things if i can.

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Once epoxied, I cant imagine how a connection could become.. 'undone'...  And good quality cable is rarely a problem.. I have Canare mic cables that are 20+ years old.. and these are 'active' mic cables.

Thanks again for your tutorial and photos Alex.

A lot of times cables don't actually become undone at the solder point, but damaged at a flex point, where they come out of the XLR.   This happens a lot less with a complete XLR as it has a lot of strain relief to protect it.  The K-Tek low profile XLRs fail at the entry point, and I would imagine these DIY version would have the same issue.

 

You can see here how I add the outer jacket from another cable to take some strain off the flex point.

 

post-6907-0-54418900-1370729610_thumb.jp

 

-----

 

Cutting them is a pain and they lose their shape when they heat up. I'm open to suggestions on that if anyone has them?

For my DIY right angles, I use a hacksaw to cut my XLR so it limits the heat.  I haven't had any deformation myself.

 

-----

First, I cut the solder cups down so they are flush with the rest of the connector, this creates enough space to "work".

I love the idea of trimming down the solder points, I haven't ever done that, but I image it does make a  lot more space to work with.

 

-----

 

I make my own caps from epoxy, and colorant.  A little goes a long way to achieve a solid color.   Black colorant is fairly cheap, the brighter more fun colors cost quite a bit more.. but you can cheat and color the epoxy with acrylic paint.  Sharpie will yield a translucent tint.

 

bottle tops have the perfect mold for the caps.  The flexible rubber lining inside the cap will not stick to cured epoxy, and happens to match the diameter of the XLR.

 

I let the caps cure for a few hours until they pop off the bottle tops easy....

 

post-6907-0-65180700-1370729994_thumb.jp

 

I don't want to fill in the entire connector with epoxy.  I want it to be serviceable.  I think its even more important to protect the serviceability of you connecters when making snakes. 

 

I use a toothpick to make a small drop of epoxy inside the housing to keep the plastic core from sliding inward... as well as a small amount to the cable jacket just inside the drilled hole to act as a strain relief.  This is all small enough to allow it to be cut out and re-soldered once that becomes necessary.

 

Then I glue on the cap with bead of epoxy around the perimeter of the opening on the XLR.  The set time is fast enough with 5 minute epoxy that I can hold it down with my thumb while I clean up the cast-off with some acetone.

 

post-6907-0-66787100-1370730584_thumb.jp

 

Once you assemble the XLR you can put it to use within about 30 minutes with the 5 minute epoxy.

 

This one here was to replace the XLR on the end of one of my boom poles

 

post-6907-0-44961800-1370730973_thumb.jp

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Put a right angle Neutrik connector on a RX in your bag and you'll find out instantly that there is not enough room for that massive connector. Use something like these and they are nice and small and don't interfere at all with what's going on in your bag. 

I guess since I'm using QRX's for receivers I don't have a need for right angle connectors. I can imagine how they would be an issue with 411's in the bag. 

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I'm working on a machined end cap for a Switchcraft XLR... Hopefully in a few days... 

Why not have a mold made for that machined end cap so you can make plastic/removable type connectors for only .01 each? Of course, you would have to mark them up 1000% like a few other products we buy and make some decent change from it. 

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I decided to rework/rebuild the connectors I made...

 

I have the Petrol 617 bag for my 664, and the center divider caused me some problems I did not forsee when I built the first cables...Plus they ended up not being very sturdy because of the pressure put on the cable where it enters the connector. The caps just wont stay on...

 

I decided to use different connectors...And instead of cutting them down, I just drilled holes in them to pass the cable thru...much faster build and while they were a pain to solder...they are much more solid.

 

I also offset the hole so the cable would lay off to the side instead of 90degrees off of pin 3.

 

I spent a lot of time on the Kortwich site looking at the connectors they manufacture...Man I wish their products were sold here in the US!!

 

Anyways..Here's what I came up with...They fit WAY better in my bag and since they arent cut down they are easier to grap hold of on the side of the mixer.

post-1567-0-32120300-1370933292_thumb.jppost-1567-0-46197000-1370933293_thumb.jppost-1567-0-63702400-1370933294_thumb.jppost-1567-0-85056200-1370933295_thumb.jppost-1567-0-11769200-1370933312_thumb.jp

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