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DPA slim cable getting stiff and brakes


Lauri Laagus

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4 minutes ago, sonyslave said:

My first and last 4061 slim lasted exactly one half day of shooting, gingerly placed and removed from one talent.  Cable failed close to capsule....won't be buying DPA again.

 

Don’t let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch. 

Yours was probably a production mishap and you could return it for a new one. Since I assume it was still pretty new

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I normally would agree with you, however due to my preexisting condition (chronic procrastinitus) I did not follow up with DPA regarding the lemony situation.   Early adoption means early admission pricing, = extra sting!  ...this was...*mind clouds up* 3 years back??

Haha, live and hopefully learn...or learn from others!

 

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Sure, I understand. Procrastinitus can be a crippling condition. I‘m less concerned about the return of the faulty one, though, and more about trying another DPA lav, since they’re not all that fragile and more importantly, their sound makes it all worth it, imo. Also, they have the heavy duty version, as I member somewhere in this topic

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  • 5 months later...

I have bought a bunch of used Dpa 4060s. The cable is stiffer than my other two 4060s which has the new soft cable. 

 

Is there anything that can be done to soften/extend the life of the cable? 

 

Is there any trick (that is not causing harm) to straighten the cables that have been rolled tight and taken up on that form? 

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1 hour ago, Mattias Larsen said:

Is there any trick (that is not causing harm) to straighten the cables that have been rolled tight and taken up on that form? 

I used to work regularly with Marc Gilmartin. He used a rack that permitted hanging each lavalier mike so it might stretch out. A small clip from a stationary store affixed at the bottom provided just enough weight for a gentle stretch. He did this regularly and claimed it kept the cables slack and free of memory coils. 

 

If your cables already have memory coils baked in, you might want to hang them outside in full sun for an hour or two. 

 

I think the rack Marc used was a commercially available product used by sound studios to keep patch cables sorted. Marc probably modified the slots to accommodate the thinner mike cable. 

 

David

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Thank you for the ideas! I took two coat hangers and taped together to temporarily create something similair. Not sure they will change much, but will let them hang for a few days and see what happens. 

 

Isn't there a risk that the sun will damage the cable? Like dry it out and cause it to crack more easily? 

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33 minutes ago, Mattias Larsen said:

Isn't there a risk that the sun will damage the cable? Like dry it out and cause it to crack more easily? 

 

Maybe.

 

(Spoken with the inflection of the Liberty Mutual Insurance ads. "Is this a lug wrench?")

 

Laying duplex cable out in the sun is a fairly common practice to sort out kinks - or used to be before radio booms were common. It never seemed to harm the duplex but, admittedly, that is more robust cable.

 

A little hesitation regarding cooking equipment in the noonday sun is the reason I suggested only an hour or two of exposure. Monitor the progress and pull them in if they get too hot. As always, YMMV.

 

David

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  • 1 year later...

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