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New switchcraft low profile XLR connectors!


stef

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Looks like Switchcraft entered the low profile XLR market this month, with inexpensive (~$8) pro-level connectors. They look lightweight and repairable, but not as low profile as filling a neutrik connector with epoxy.

 

I ordered some and will report back after testing them out.

 

product bulletin: http://www.switchcraft.com/Documents/switchcraft_npb_652_low_profile_xlrs.pdf

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Those look pretty cool! For those of you who've already built cables with them, how'd that go? And how are the connectors holding up?

 

Also, if you're going to NAB, if you can, swing by the Switchcraft and Neutrik booths. Maybe Neutrik has something similar coming out, and even if they don't I've always found the people at their booths just delightful; really smart and really engaged in what they're doing and helping their customers...even semi-dumbasses like me.

 

Switchcraft Central Hall - C6928

 

Neutrik Central Hall C5721

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On 3/31/2019 at 8:09 PM, Jim Feeley said:

Those look pretty cool! For those of you who've already built cables with them, how'd that go? And how are the connectors holding up?

We discussed this in the topic I linked above, Glen did a small review on the connectors. If you on facebook also some real world feedback:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/soundmixers/permalink/10161191111775543/

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 3/31/2019 at 12:09 PM, Jim Feeley said:

For those of you who've already built cables with them, how'd that go?

 

Been using one on the end of a pole for a week now. Much lighter and lower profile than the connector it replaced. Haven't noticed any issues I can trace to the connector, which seems pretty legit. Ran into one issue with humidity, but I believe that was the mic as other mics were fine.

 

It was a little tedious to solder as you have to strip only very short lengths, then muscle the cap on. There's not a lot of wiggle room for mistakes. Also, I had some trouble getting thicker mic cable into the housing. I had to ream out the hole a little bit, but that was straightforward.

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1 hour ago, Derek H said:

Is the strain relief any good? 

 

It works, but not great. The plastic cap was too small for 6mm and I had to ream it out a touch, so the cable is in there really snug. I don't feel like it'll transfer excess pressure to the solder joints, but that said, it'll have problems sooner if it's really yanked hard compared to, say, Neutrik clamped to a 6mm cable. As far as regular back/forth movement of the wire across the connector, I don't think it's well suited for that, either. In that case, I'd build up some heat shrink to increase the angle of any turning.

 

If concerned, I suspect a tiny zip tie inside would do the trick. I'm not worried, as I'd be more concerned about my mic if it got pulled hard.

 

This connector is solid and lightweight, but nowhere near as solid as the big metal switchcraft AAA-series angle connectors or the neutrik versions, but it's very lightweight and quiet. Not swinging around a large heavy connector is a huge bonus, plus some big metal RA versions tend to rattle.

 

BUT, I personally think it inexpensively fills a niche that I've been searching for. Besides the low-profile boom connector, I'm going to use these for patch cables in a small bag, and they should prove perfect for that use. I have very minor concerns about RF interference since it's not shielded the entire way, but it's only a very small section since the exposed wire is so short, and certainly no worse than a DIY neutrik epoxy connector.

 

I'm going to rewire my booms with some 5mm quad-star shortly, and we'll see how that goes.

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1 hour ago, stef said:

I have very minor concerns about RF interference since it's not shielded the entire way

I wonder if something like RF tape or paint, used in electric guitar building, under the pick guard, can do anything about that. A bit of tape/paint on the inside of the plastic part of the connector. 

IMG00037-20130407-1743.jpg

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I'm sure it could work, Vincent. If you put some hot glue over contacts 2 and 3 to insulate them, you could probably simply use foil and make sure it contacts the outer shield. If I run into any issues, I'll try that.

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At NAB I recommended to the Switchcraft reps that they come out with a metal cap as an alternative to the plastic ones.

 

K-Tek has a new low-profile right angle XLR that looks really promising.  I'm told it should be shipping before long.  The ones at NAB were prototypes that hadn't been black anodized yet. 

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3 hours ago, Vincent R. said:

I wonder if something like RF tape or paint, used in electric guitar building, under the pick guard, can do anything about that. A bit of tape/paint on the inside of the plastic part of the connector. 

IMG00037-20130407-1743.jpg

 

This is a good idea but I’d be concerned about the foil or paint flaking apart over time and shorting over the pins. Even a standard Neutrik XLR has the same lack of metal shell in the back and seems to do fine. 

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  • 10 months later...
On 3/30/2019 at 3:12 AM, stef said:

I ordered some and will report back after testing them out.

 

I've been using one of these for about a year now on the end of a boom pole with multiple movies and a couple tv show units.

 

tldr: no issues at all

 

While doing some major maintenance on my pole and replacing knuckles, I had to cut/desolder/resolder the connector. This pole has been through a lot in the past year, and the RA connector held up well and didn't have too much crud inside.

 

Particular concerns were the lightweight/plastic build quality and lack of a good strain relief, but in this use I don't need to worry about someone tripping or stepping on it. Since RA connectors aren't usually on the ground, this isn't a huge deal for being stepped on, but I'm sure a small ziptie inside the cap will provide adequate strain relief.

 

Pin connectors held up for maybe a thousand connects/disconnects so far.

 

No issues with RF at the cap. Only issue I had was when the entire block was getting blasted with RF, and that went away when cabled directly to the mixer.

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