Making XLR Cables #3 - Quality and Faults (Public)

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  • Опубліковано 12 лип 2024
  • In this video I show how to build a simple mic cable with no shrink wrap and discuss some tips and trick to make soldering and testing XLR cables easier and faster.
    Part 1 Making XLR Cables- • Making XLR Cables #1 -...
    Part 2 Stripping and Shields - • Making XLR Cables #2 -...
    Part 3 Quality and Faults - • Making XLR Cables #3 -...
    Part 4 Making a Quad Cable - • Making Quality XLR Cab...
    Part 5 Soldering Irons - • Making Quality XLR Cab...
    Part 6 Gold or Silver Connectors - • Gold vs Silver (Nickel...
    00:00 Intro
    01:09 insulation to solder cup distance
    02:58 stray wires and fraying
    03:42 excess stripping
    04:12 matching wire lengths
    05:17 clustered wires in a quad cable
    06:14 shrink wrap
    07:06 solder blob
    07:48 chassis ground connection
    12:50 soaking the shield wire in solder
    13:55 shrink individual and overall
    15:03 strain relief vs strip length
    16:27 wiring faults
    16:58 outro
    The first part of a multi part series on mic cable termination. In this video I describe many of the aspects I will cover in future videos and show how to make an XLR cable
    If you like this and other videos I do, please join this channel to get access to more videos, early access to videos as well as to be able to join my weekly zoom chats:
    / @daverat
    Also check out:
    www.ratsoundsales.com/
    ratsound.com/daveswordpress/
    www.ratsound.com/
    www.soundtools.com
    If you like this and other videos I do, please join this channel to get access to more videos, early access to videos as well as to be able to join my weekly zoom chats:
    / @daverat
    Also check out:
    www.ratsoundsales.com/
    ratsound.com/daveswordpress/
    www.ratsound.com/
    www.soundtools.com

КОМЕНТАРІ • 40

  • @JayCoh47
    @JayCoh47 4 місяці тому

    I can't tell you how helpful these XLR soldering videos have been. Thank you

  • @Drums-and-Percussion-Grooves
    @Drums-and-Percussion-Grooves Рік тому +2

    Thanks for the detailed analysis of soldering errors, it was useful to see!

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  Рік тому +1

      Awesome and thank you

  • @FrancoContreras
    @FrancoContreras 3 роки тому +6

    love this series !! so much insight on the topic. thank You as always Dave

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  3 роки тому

      5hanm you Franco!

  • @TheGregWallace
    @TheGregWallace 2 роки тому +2

    Good job on these videos! Thank you!

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  2 роки тому

      Thank you Greg

  • @Chillidude22
    @Chillidude22 3 роки тому +3

    In reference to your catch 22 with heat shrink on each pin, I love my clear shrink tube that still allows for visual inspection.

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  3 роки тому +6

      Clear shrink is a good idea. Also though, my company owns several thousand mic cables and we do not use shrink when we make them. The failure rate of the connections at the XLR is very low and not an issue. Most of the failures we get are either cable getting torn on a sharp object, or if very old, the conductors breaking just outside the strain relief.
      I find that just the overall heat shrink is the best use vs results and only use individual shrink for extreme exposure to salt moisture applications.

  • @dougaltolan3017
    @dougaltolan3017 3 роки тому +2

    UK BBC* policy was to use Hellerman rubber sleeve to insulate the screen wire with another rubber sleeve placed half over the outer cable sleeve and the screen so that the first rubber sleeve is held in place. There are 3 pronged pliers that open when squeezed, combined with Hellerman oil (or wireman spit) which will evaporate, leaving enough friction to hold it all together.
    * Guess where I did most cable work....
    Ohh, XLR male to male cable, now there's an interesting thing.

  • @robsdbl
    @robsdbl 3 роки тому +1

    Cheers Dave👍

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  3 роки тому

      Cool cool Mark!

  • @timverhoeven8831
    @timverhoeven8831 3 роки тому +4

    Another great series as always Dave! Question, could you elaborate in one of the next videos on uses for the chassis ground?
    For example, some of the cables you showed had two layers of shielding. Would it make sense to use the inner layer as the pin 1 ground and the outer layer as the chassis ground with that type of cable?

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  3 роки тому +1

      Hmmmm, I can not think of a reason to separate the two shields. Pin 1 is the ground connection and the gear it is connected to will determine how the ground is connected to the chassis.

  • @petertate3436
    @petertate3436 2 роки тому

    Thanks dave.... I've always done the cut the braid (or sheild) wire shorter so any tension appears on it or breaks it first. Always been told this is so your lead will keep working with a broken shield connection. BTW we say Can - Air in the land down under. Cheers buddy

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  2 роки тому +1

      Cool cool thank you Peter!

  • @dianjellorafiki5243
    @dianjellorafiki5243 2 роки тому +1

    i always make the grounds a little tight so that's the pull point for the cable.

  • @AaronNguyen79
    @AaronNguyen79 2 роки тому +2

    Great video Dave. Hopefully you could give me an explanation for this issue. All 3 XLR cables connected to E945 and worked fine on QU16 mixer. However, none of them works with the ECM8000 condenser mic. I made sure that 48V was turned on and even tried ALL 16 channels without success. I was so confused and tried my lass option which was using a short XLR cable from the talk mic and it worked with no problems. One thing I noticed was when I plugged in the ECM8000, I could see the meter jumped up instantly but that was the only signal I saw on all 3 XLR cables. How is this possible when cables worked perfectly on dynamics but failed to ork on the condenser? I wish I had another condenser mic to try but I did mot. Hope explain this issue for me. Thanks Dave

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  2 роки тому +1

      Sounds like the XLR cables are unbalanced with either pin 2 or put. 3 shorted to ground or they don't have the pin1 vonnected.
      Both of those would cause what you experienced

  • @old1hit
    @old1hit 5 місяців тому

    Hi Dave, thanks for the awesome videos! I can’t find anything explaining what different lights happen when there are problems on cables.
    Example I have a cable with pins 1 and 3 “touching” it lit when testing. What does this mean? My cable still gets audio and sounds fine! Do I need to worry? Thanks!

  • @maheshamberkar3187
    @maheshamberkar3187 3 роки тому +1

    Hi Dave.. I have been following your channel. I need to know a correct wireless vocal mic settings. Including on console gains.

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  3 роки тому

      Hmmm, that is so variable and dependent on many factors

  • @markyfrencho
    @markyfrencho 2 роки тому +1

    Maybe you can help me, I've been looking for a better way to test cables I've made. I don't like the off/on light testers. I want to know if the ground is good, test for induced noise and all that. Do I need to pull out an oscilloscope to test each cable I make? I've just got some noisy cables that keep testing as good.

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  2 роки тому +1

      I would say making an XLR female with a 150ohm resistor between pin 2 and 3 as shunt.
      Then test with a console and headphones with the gain turned up should or would be the best way

  • @kentmyers9374
    @kentmyers9374 3 роки тому +1

    Do you generally use Black in a Black/White pair for Pin 2? I have always been told low-voltage is "White Hot" so pin 2 always gets the White conductor of a Black/White pair.

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  3 роки тому +1

      Yeah, that a good question. With wall voltages black, red and blue are hots with white and green and colds. With low voltage white is often a hot or in polarity and black is cold or out of polarity. And with older pin 3 hot gear, white went to pin 3 which was in polarity but now pin 2 is in polarity so pin 2 should be white or hot for low voltage.
      As my daughter Sammy says when soldering up ythe custom SoundTools orders "pin twho" meaning - Two is White

  • @Musicalpa
    @Musicalpa Рік тому +1

    Should i solder the ground to the casing on one end, both ends, or niether end?

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  Рік тому +1

      Depends. Solder the shell does help shielding but also exposes the shield to touching things that can create problems.
      Also shorting the shell to pin 1 ground will alter the way equip ground lifts function
      For cables being extended, shell grounded tends to help in high noise environments but for most cables it's better not to ground the shell

  • @G_handle
    @G_handle 3 роки тому +1

    We Have To WAIT!??
    A whole week per episode!
    NOOOO…….
    I can’t handle the suspense, haven’t you heard of binge watching Mr. Rat?
    Do I have to Bit Torrent the whole season?

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  3 роки тому

      Ha! I wish I could create content faster! That said, the whole series is already posted on the member side and quite a few other vids as well. The public side of my UA-cam is maybe 5 to 8 weeks behind the member side, us vids that will never be public as well.

  • @prestonsmith783
    @prestonsmith783 3 роки тому +1

    Who makes the yellow handle stripper that seems to work great?

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  3 роки тому

      www.amazon.com/IRWIN-VISE-GRIP-2078300-Self-Adjusting-Stripper/dp/B000OQ21CA/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Automatic+stripper+wire&qid=1624508836&sr=8-5

  • @HubbleBubble
    @HubbleBubble Рік тому +1

    I want to make a Cable
    Like xlr male to Usb-A
    Take the input from xlr male jack and forward its output to usb female...
    Please help me its pins diagram

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  Рік тому

      Hmmm, to adapt analog to digital you need a format conversion box of some sort
      Search analog to USB converters

  • @G_handle
    @G_handle 3 роки тому +1

    Seriously, after almost 40-years of soldering cables. I think I may have made Every example on your desk. Do I win something?

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  3 роки тому

      Yes! You win the solder master award that involves a life of continuing to occasionally solder

    • @G_handle
      @G_handle 3 роки тому +2

      @@DaveRat I was afraid of that. Lol.
      As an aside, I'm currently (yet slowly) building the proper home studio of my bucket list dreams.
      So far it'll involve six 96-point Bittree Patchbays, and everything connected on the other end including 64-channels of interface I/O, a Soundcraft Ghost, an Audient 2802, and obviously a lifetime of other Analog Acquisitions, all requiring freshly soldered Mogami and Neutrik.
      This is the life we chose!

    • @DaveRat
      @DaveRat  3 роки тому

      👍