Hello psyhicpants,
A cable monkey friend of mine has told me how to solder an RCA male
connector to your RG-59 cable. Although he knows how to do it, he said
you will experience a great deal of signal loss with this method. He
recommends the devices I list further down in the answer.
1) Strip back the RG-59 cable sheathing,leaving the the copper
braiding intact. You will have to split the braiding, after you remove
the sheathing material.
2) Twist the copper braiding together, to make one strand of wire.
3) Remove only a small amount of the foam that surrounds the core of
the cable, leaving as much as possible intact, with only enough
exposed core to solder.
4) Solder the exposed core of the cable to the center pin of the RCA
connector.
5) Solder the twisted braid wire to the shield (the outside of the RCA
connector)
6) Wrap the entire bond when you are done with heat shrink tape. Heat
the tape with a hair dryer to shrink the tape, conforming it to the
cable/connector union. Voila!
****It is a good idea to clip a pair of forceps to the copper braid
and another pair to cable core, when soldering, to act as heat sinks.
This prevents heat from running into the cable, and possible damaging
it. Excess heat will cause the foam to break down, causing shorts in
the cable.*************
When I was out earlier, I went by a local Radio Shack and and spoke to
a knowledgeable salesperson, who directed me to these 2 items, which
are modulator boxes. Both have your required connectors built in, with
no signal loss.
#15-1214, an RF modulator to add audio/video input $29.99
# 15-2525 A modulator with a signal amplifier. $39.99
The salesman recommended the latter modulator, as it boosts the
signal.
If you still have no luck with the soldering process, perhaps you will
consider one of the modulator boxes. I checkes several online
electronics site with no sucess.
Hope this helps you achieve your goals! If any part of my answer is
unclear, please ask for an answer clarification before rating, and I
will be happy to further assist you.
Regards,
crabcakes-ga
Search Strategy:
None: Asked a friend, and a Radio Shack saleperson |
Clarification of Answer by
crabcakes-ga
on
04 Nov 2003 10:59 PST
Hello psychipants,
I am going to try again to get more information for you on your
soldering process. However, keep in mind, that when the Monster cables
to which you refer are made, they are made to precision
specifications, most likely by robotics or precision machinery of some
kind. The factory may use different types of solder of flux.
Did you use forceps or something else to act as a heat sink when you
attempted this last? This avoids shorts in the cable, which increase
signal loss and noise.
Also keep in mind, short of purchasing the expensive pre-made cables,
that anything you fashion by soldering *is* a type of workaround.
I will be working on this question further this afternoon and will
post as soon as I find more information!
Regards,
crabcakes-ga
|
Clarification of Answer by
crabcakes-ga
on
04 Nov 2003 12:12 PST
Dear psychicpants,
Have you considered crimping your cable connectors to the RG-59 cable?
Read the blurb on this site as to the benefits of crimping versus
soldering. My cable guy friend tells me people stop him from time to
time and ask him to crimp a cable for them. You might consider asking
a cable TV or phone company tech to make a few crimps for you. If not,
pawn shops often have this tool available for a reasonable price.
http://www.calrad.com/download/75-599a.pdf
or
http://www.libertycable.com/product/images/CoaxMaster%20Brochure.pdf
THe Camera Superstore says it takes practice and skill to make this
kind of solder accurately:
The crimp type is the most popular. CameraSuperstore.com recommends
this connector as it can be used on solid or stranded conductors and
it provides a good mechanical and electrical connection. This
connector is the fastest and easiest to install. The solderless crimp
style connectors require a Hex Crimp Tool for proper installation for
these connectors.
The twist-on connector is fairly easy to install, but is the most
unreliable. This connector has no mechanical or electrical crimp or
solder connection.
The solder-on type connector provides the most reliable connection but
takes more time and experience to install. You must have soldering
skills, and you will probably need to practice with a few connectors
to get the hang of it."
http://www.camerasuperstore.com/connectors.html
From Crutchfield website:
" "Anatomy of a cable- There are three main parts of a cable which
affect signal quality: the conductor, the shielding, and the
connector. The conductor is the part of the cable through which the
signal actually passes. Since the conductor is basically a wire which
can act as an antenna to receive radio frequency interference (RFI)
and electromagnetic interference (EMI), a good cable also includes
some kind of shielding, to filter out these potential sources of
noise. The connector is the part of the cable that actually comes into
contact with your gear; types of connectors include RCA, S-video, and
F-type."
And these tips:
"Cable connection tips
Follow these general rules of thumb to get the best results from your
cables:
Avoid long cable runs if possible — the shorter the cable, the better.
That said, make sure your cables are long enough, especially if your
components are shelved in such a way that the rear panels are
difficult to access. There should be enough slack to let you pull the
component forward and reach the rear panel.
Because they can introduce interference into the signal, try to keep
power cords away from signal cords. If this isn't possible, at least
try to minimize contact between the two.
If an interconnect has arrows printed on its jacket, hook it up so
that the arrow is pointing away from the signal source, and toward the
destination.
Avoid kinking or bending cable. Don't try to make a short cable reach
— it can put stress on the connector and potentially cause damage. Buy
a longer cable, if necessary. (This is especially important for
optical interconnects.)
Don't keep excess cable lying in loops. Arrange it in an "S" shape or
a figure-eight instead; this can help minimize electromagnetic
interference. "
http://www.crutchfieldadvisor.com/learningcenter/ISEO-rgbtcspd/home/cables.html
Electrical characteristics of RG-59 cable
http://www.tian-jie.com/e-productionRG59.htm
I am still looking for a drawing. I will post a link as soon as I find
one.
crabcakes-ga
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