Making your own cables

DefaultM

I'd like to have a go at making my own guitar cables but I can't seem to find the mono hicon pancake jacks for sale in the UK.
I have found stereo ones. Would they be OK for wiring up a pedalboard or do they need to be mono?

TimmyO

Not UK but reliable shipping from Germany http://www.thomann.de/gb/hicon_flunderklinkenstecker_winkel.htm

Teetonetal

I got mine from @Robdavies, drop him a PM

xwolf5150

Teetonetal;1043241" said:

I got mine from @Robdavies, drop him a PM

I just bought a load from Rob.

Danny1969

If you wire the ring to ground as well as the sleave  and leave the tip hot the stereo ones will work exactly like mono ones

simonk

In addition to Rob, @joespedals often has them, or they're available here:

http://www.mcl-media.co.uk/hicon-hi-j63ma05-flat-angled-jack-plug-63mm

DefaultM

Got myself 2 and a metre of cable. Will see how it goes. I've not got any wire strippers, is there anything else I can use?

simonk

DefaultM said:

Got myself 2 and a metre of cable. Will see how it goes. I've not got any wire strippers, is there anything else I can use?

A sharp knife. Making sure not to cut through too many of the outer strands.

Mkjackary

DefaultM;1045300" said:

Got myself 2 and a metre of cable. Will see how it goes. I've not got any wire strippers, is there anything else I can use?

Most pliers have some kind of a wire stripper in them, if not use a knife/scissors.

You can get a cheap and cheerful set of wire strippers for 3 quid on the bay/amazon

DefaultM

Thanks. I hope it doesn't end in cuts, burns and swearing.

Cabicular

The wee tool you get with Lava cables is a surprisingly good wire stripper with a bit of practice

Sporky

For cables I favour using a scalpel - it's very precise. Swan Morton no 4 handle, no 10A blades, though if I was buying now I'd go for the Retractaway Premium handle (as the name suggests, it retracts) and the curved No 10 blades for cables (though I'd say no4/no10a is better for woodwork marking).

therose789

Stanley blade tends to be the best for stripping cables if you dont have some good cutters 

therose789

Also designacable stocks them

http://www.designacable.com/components/connectors/hicon-stereo-pancake-jack-hi-j63sa05-flat-angled-gold-tip-black-silver-shell.html

EDIT: Just realised these are stereo ones! heres the mono http://www.designacable.com/hicon-pancake-jack-mono-hi-j63ma05-flat-angled-gold-tip-silver-and-black-shell.html

Rocker

Delegate. Get someone else to do it for you. @RobDavies is often mentioned.

DefaultM

I've got a few Kabls and I love them, but fancied seeing if I'm able to take it on myself. I like to imagine one day being a DIY type, but I'm pretty dreadful.

clarkefan

It's pretty straightforward if you're decent at soldering, but it's fiddly, buy a longer piece of cable than you need so you can practice. Be strong if you get it wrong and undo everything if you're in any doubt when you're finished, you're asking for trouble if you don't. There's a good vid on YT, I'll see if I can find it later.

Sporky

Making cables isn't daft-tricky and being able to repair them is a very useful skill. That said I'd probably just have Mr Kabl do it for me now unless I had the bits knocking around. He charges less for his time than I value mine!

I did a little photostory when I put my pedalboard together. I should probably put these in order and save it! These are all Sommer Spirit and Neutrik plugs but the principles are similar.

1) My tools of choice for this work. Skinny solder, needlenose pliers, cable cutters, scalpel, flush cutters, pair of mole grips, solder station and brass shavings tip cleaner.

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/pedalboard/cabletools.jpg

2) Tin the relevant surfaces on the plug - a tabletop vice helps with this.

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/pedalboard/plugtinned.jpg

3) I hold the cable (with the boots already on) in a pair of Helping Hands that have had the teeth bent flat:

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/pedalboard/cablemaking.jpg

4) Remove the outer shield, neatly twist off the shield and tin it:

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/pedalboard/shieldtinned.jpg

5) Trim the shield, strip back the semi-conductive layer and the core insulation, then tin the tip:

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/pedalboard/tiptinned.jpg

6) Solder the shield to the plug:

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/pedalboard/shieldsoldered.jpg

7) Solder the tip:

http://www.monkeyfx.co.uk/pictures/pedalboard/allsoldered.jpg

And then close the plug up.

DefaultM

Thanks im going to use this when I do mine.

Sporky

No probs. As with many things, preparation is key to surviving - nay, enjoying - the experience.

Johnnyseven

My soldering skills are rudamental at best, but I recently managed to a make some patch cables recently with great success. One did have a loose connection at first, but I was able to fix it and it's now fine. It's a bit tricky and fiddly, but pretty simple to do - it helps to use a helping hand though.