Has anyone done DIY rca's?

[93ex]

hmm? I was debating building some for this next install.

[POST]

I believe dalton has made them out of regular cat5 cabling. I'd try and find some STP type though... It'd probably be the best quality RCA (if you build it right) that you could ever make/buy.

[Notladstyle]

Yeppers. Nothing like using true high bandwidth Ethernet cable rated EMI resistant at up to 350Mhz @ 17v. Plus its 8 conductor cable so you can run four channels from a single run.

[93ex]

Yeppers. Nothing like using true high bandwidth Ethernet cable rated EMI resistant at up to 350Mhz @ 17v. Plus its 8 conductor cable so you can run four channels from a single run.

Good? bad? Would you do it again? I'm just looking at the price of cables and not wanting to spend that much to run new shit in my truck.

[Notladstyle]

would definitely do it again. the cat5 run was $12 for 20ft and the RCA ends were 4$ for 4 from radio shack.

Took about 15 minutes to solder and viola 4 channel double shielded twisted pair RCA cables. And if I ever need to steal some government data, I can mguiver my RCAs back into computer cable and intercept communications :p

[93ex]

would definitely do it again. the cat5 run was $12 for 20ft and the RCA ends were 4$ for 4 from radio shack.

Took about 15 minutes to solder and viola 4 channel double shielded twisted pair RCA cables. And if I ever need to steal some government data, I can mguiver my RCAs back into computer cable and intercept communications :p

Do you have a link for me? Or am I just gonna wing it.

[Notladstyle]

A link to what? you cut, strip, solder, solder, and plug them in.

[TJElite]

Everyone used to build their own RCA's back in the late 80's. We did it just so the lengths would be right.

Funny, back then, RCA's started to look like water hoses...conductor, shielding, shielding for the shielding, 'drain' for the shielding, etc. Then, at finals one year, Richard Clark showed up with two rolls of 20 ga wire, and some ends. Twisted the wires together with a drill, soldered ends to them and wired up a system on a bench. Then, he threw all sorts of EMF at them...even wrapped them around a turning alternator...no noise, even on a scope. Someone then brought a 'high end' water hose looking cable, and ran the same test. This time, there was noise. It was small, but it was there. It was then that we all learned that the twisting rejects the noise.

So, for a bunch of years, RCA's got really thin, as the world realized that no additional shielding was necessary. Now, I'm starting to see fat wires, with all sorts of shielding, over top of the twisted pair, showing up again. I guess people think they are getting more.

So, as long as you can solder, and buy decent ends, you'll save money making your own, and you'll have exactly the lengths you need, every time. Dalton's idea of Cat5 makes great sense, but you could technically just twist some wires together, and get the same result.

All that being said, I don't make my own anymore...just don't feel like it.

Toby

[93ex]

Everyone used to build their own RCA's back in the late 80's. We did it just so the lengths would be right.

Funny, back then, RCA's started to look like water hoses...conductor, shielding, shielding for the shielding, 'drain' for the shielding, etc. Then, at finals one year, Richard Clark showed up with two rolls of 20 ga wire, and some ends. Twisted the wires together with a drill, soldered ends to them and wired up a system on a bench. Then, he threw all sorts of EMF at them...even wrapped them around a turning alternator...no noise, even on a scope. Someone then brought a 'high end' water hose looking cable, and ran the same test. This time, there was noise. It was small, but it was there. It was then that we all learned that the twisting rejects the noise.


:lol: I remember buying an insanley expensive pair of rca's that had grounding wires on them.

[93ex]

A link to what? you cut, strip, solder, solder, and plug them in.

I was thinking along like what type to buy, grouping of colors or anything, even links to connectors you used? But I guess a smarmy response works just as well.

[POST]

I was thinking along like what type to buy, grouping of colors or anything, even links to connectors you used? But I guess a smarmy response works just as well.


Actually it's pretty self explanatory, but I'll chime in a bit.


Just buy any regular Cat5 cable (i prefer belkin's quality). Connectors are easy to find at the radio shack, just any gold plated should be fine. As far as colors go, the colors should be in a grouping of orange/orange-white, blue/blue-white, brown/brown-white, green/green-white.
like this:
http://www.webtechnix.com.au/support/cat5-cable-unwrapped.jpg

They are already pre-twisted with the two colors and then twisted with the other colors. Hence, UTP = unshielded twisted pair.

Just use a connector per wire, and make a clean soldering. That's about it... it's pretty easy.


I think cat5e cable is solid core..... I don't like that, it's not very pliable and breaks rather easily if you strip it too close...

[MCOR]

I'm with Toby. What a PITA when you do it everyday for a living. A good set of 17' RCA's retails for $12-$15 (everyday quality name-brand). Just not worth the hassle. But, let us know how it turns out and maybe what your final price/labor time involved is. May prove as a viable option for some...

[Notladstyle]

for every day installs i wouldnt, but for your own vehicle, it sure as hell is the best.