MooneeBeach Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 (edited) Would anyone be able to help me fix a bad situation? I bought an RCA cable with the intention of making two made to measure cables from it - one with RCA and the other with RCA+XLR. It was a total disaster - I got solder on the thread of the XLR plug making it useless (amongst other issues). So, I need someone to solder a pair of RCA plugs on one pair, and a solder pair of XLR plugs on the other. I've also rendered the new XLR and RCA plugs useless. My soldering is utter crap....even after watching several youtube videos. To make things worse the cable is really thick and difficult to work with. Any offers to help out would be greatly appreciated....I will of course pay for postage, parts, labour, etc! Edited June 25, 2019 by seaninbrisbane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wen Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 @seaninbrisbane contact @Bill125812, does great cables 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Decky Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 DIY is a path paved with blood sweat and tears. Suck it up and solve your problems yourself - the pot of gold waits for you on the other side. We do DIY work not because it is easy but because it is hard. No one is born with soldering skills - you have to practice to get better. 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cafad Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 34 minutes ago, Decky said: No one is born with soldering skills - you have to practice to get better. Truer words have never been written. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timelord9 Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 I've practiced heaps and I'm continually distressed at how poor my soldering skills are. My only tips, neither of which I've followed, are: - get a good quality soldering iron - get a soldering station. I've cocked up a bunch of RCA ends, globs of solder everywhere, melted the plastic etc etc etc. Keep watching the youtubes and just keep practicing. Once you've gotten good, let me know and I'll get you to do a few for me. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooneeBeach Posted June 26, 2019 Author Share Posted June 26, 2019 (edited) I tried making some a few years ago - it was with much thinner gauge cable and the results were passable. I'm not sure if I had so much difficulty because the cables are thicker, shorter, or because I used silver solder. I invested in a solder station which helped, but I still managed to burn myself a couple of times. Over it! If I can't get these fixed then I'll just buy some made-to-order (one pair is pseudo balanced). Edited June 26, 2019 by seaninbrisbane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooneeBeach Posted June 26, 2019 Author Share Posted June 26, 2019 Bill has very kindly offered to try to fix these for me 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockeater Posted June 26, 2019 Share Posted June 26, 2019 11 hours ago, seaninbrisbane said: if I had so much difficulty because the cables are thicker, shorter, or because I used silver solder. Certainly not because you used silver solder. There is only 2% or so of silver in it anyway. In the old days, they told us to use it on RF power transistors and later, surface mount components. Basic problem with soldering is, that you really need 3 hands; one for holding the stuff, one for the iron and one to feed solder. Until genetic engineering fixes that and manufactures 3 handed technicians, the solution is: Get some vice or other immobilizing device for your work, so that you have 2 hands free. Once the job to be joined is placed together and does not move, put soldering iron to it for a second or two and then feed solder and let it flow. The moment there is just enough of it - stop. If the solder does not flow, your iron is not hot enough for the amount of metal you are trying to warm up. Change the tip for a hotter one for it is better to have a hotter tip and use it for shorter time than heat everything around with colder tip for long time. This destroys components/melts connectors. Another words, your problem is not with soldering but with immobilizing your items to be joined together. Hope it helps. If you were in Perth, I would do one for you to show you, and then watch you do the rest. Roman P.S. Before you immobilize your work, prepare it properly, so that the exposed lengths of wire are correct, and that they reach terminals and also the insulated bit of cable can be held properly by strain relief. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooneeBeach Posted June 27, 2019 Author Share Posted June 27, 2019 22 hours ago, rockeater said: Certainly not because you used silver solder. There is only 2% or so of silver in it anyway. In the old days, they told us to use it on RF power transistors and later, surface mount components. Basic problem with soldering is, that you really need 3 hands; one for holding the stuff, one for the iron and one to feed solder. Until genetic engineering fixes that and manufactures 3 handed technicians, the solution is: Get some vice or other immobilizing device for your work, so that you have 2 hands free. Once the job to be joined is placed together and does not move, put soldering iron to it for a second or two and then feed solder and let it flow. The moment there is just enough of it - stop. If the solder does not flow, your iron is not hot enough for the amount of metal you are trying to warm up. Change the tip for a hotter one for it is better to have a hotter tip and use it for shorter time than heat everything around with colder tip for long time. This destroys components/melts connectors. Another words, your problem is not with soldering but with immobilizing your items to be joined together. Hope it helps. If you were in Perth, I would do one for you to show you, and then watch you do the rest. Roman P.S. Before you immobilize your work, prepare it properly, so that the exposed lengths of wire are correct, and that they reach terminals and also the insulated bit of cable can be held properly by strain relief. Thanks for all the above advice. Soldering is definitely a skill I'd like to acquire, but maybe for a time when I'm not so time-poor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Decky Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 (edited) If you want to develop your soldering skills do not start with silver solder. Start with regular leaded Sn solder and try to "feel" the right solder flow by adjusting the temperature. After that you will probably never go back to Ag solder since that "feeling" is much more difficult there. Cardas had a very good eutectic Ag solder mix that was better than others but still very "stubborn" compared to a normal solder. In my experience - proper solder penetration and flow is much more important than the solder composition. A properly formed contact area will be much more conductive with a Sn/Pb solder than a problematic droplet-like contact of an Ag solder joint. For very heavy gauge coax cables I usually terminate the shield with an add-on wire instead to try to solder shield braid directly to the connector ground. This is almost the only way with XLRs and light RCAs like Eichmann bullets. Edited June 29, 2019 by Decky 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooneeBeach Posted June 29, 2019 Author Share Posted June 29, 2019 2 minutes ago, Decky said: If you want to develop your soldering skills do not start with silver solder. Start with regular leaded Sn solder and try to "feel" the right solder flow by adjusting the temperature. After that you will probably never go back to Ag solder since that "feeling" is much more difficult there. Cardas had a very good eutectic Ag solder mix that was better than others but still very "stubborn" compared to a normal solder. For very heavy gauge coax cables I usually terminate the shield with an add-on wire instead to try to solder shield braid directly to the connector ground. This is almost the only way with XLRs and light RCAs like Eichmann bullets. It did occur to me that the silver solder might have something to do with it. My soldering iron doesn't have temperature control either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Decky Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 3 hours ago, seaninbrisbane said: My soldering iron doesn't have temperature control either! Those things are only good for fixing plastic parts on your car, not for any electrical component or wire soldering. Spend around $100 for a basic temperature controlled soldering station if you want to play the DIY game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockeater Posted June 29, 2019 Share Posted June 29, 2019 (edited) 16 hours ago, seaninbrisbane said: My soldering iron doesn't have temperature control either! Neither has mine. But I replace tips in my Weller, choosing no 7 for light work and no 8 for big jobs. Additionally shape and mass of the tip also is selected for how big surface area to be worked on is. Edited June 29, 2019 by rockeater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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