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How do you make reliable, low-cost cables quickly?

dougw

I do lots of electronics design and building and inevitably need to make lots of cables. Since making cables is not my favorite activity, I try to use methods that are quick while still providing reliable connections. And of course I always need to keep the costs down.

This short post shows a couple of the main ways I accomplish these objectives.

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Yodamonk, the cable guru.

Custom Cable Methods

Discussion

I haven't posted much content lately so I thought I would post something about making cables. This activity is not usually exciting enough to be a great blogging topic, but I also wanted to play around a bit with some AI media generation. (No AI text though) The tough Yodamonk dude came out amazing.

I am always looking for efficient ways to make useful cables, so if you have any interesting tips, please jot them down below...

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  • It depends on the cable and to what use it will be put. At the small end, vintage record players where the cartridge connects to the electronics using extremely thin extremely flexible cables, often screened. The cores, of which there are usually two or four, are even more extremely thin. Colour coding varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Soldering is tricky because the heat travels up from the stripped end to the insulation very quickly, and the insulation melts very easily. Taking too long to solder the screen will often result in all the cores and the screen melting together. The wiring between heads and electronics in vintage tape recorders poses similar problems.

    At the other extreme there are RF screened cables 0.75" in diameter with a semi-hollow PTFE spacer between core and screen. I use them for aerial connections as part of my Amateur Radio interest, luckily I have not needed many! Waterproofing can be a problem. The core is often solid copper and the PTFE spacer is very difficult to cut using normal hand tools. If it cuts easily then it may not be PTFE. The screen is usually braided very tightly. I sometimes think a gas blow-torch would be the right tool for the soldering but I have not tried that yet. Over-bending the cables is a) not approved of because a bend is an inductor, and b) because the cable is very stiff and kinking is not allowed. Connectors are usually huge versions of BNC or huge versions of  PL259 / SO239 pairs.

    Making cables for other things, often one-offs, depends on so many variables. I like IDC for ribbon cables and use a bench-mounted vice as a crimping tool. From years ago I have mainly used DIN or Phono (aka RCA) connectors for audio leads, as well as 0.25", 3.5mm, and 2.5mm jacks, all the usual stuff. In times of sheer desperation I have used the short lengths of wire from such things as off-cuts from resistors and capacitors as pins for connecting short lengths of flexible wire to experimenter's boards, and so on.

    Going down another road there are screw terminals that can be soldered to PCB's or screwed to enclosures, spade and bullet  connectors as used in vehicle electrics, 13A mains plug and socket(s) extension cables, there's no end to it.  

  • in reply to electronicbiker

    I used to use IDC ribbon cables a lot. I'm not sure why they have declined in popularity.

    I also used IDC ribbon on D sub connectors.

    Similarly card edge connectors seem to be declining as well.

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