Jambo_UK Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Just wondering what you lot use to make DMX cables because I have been given a list of stuff I could use, I know for the best quality I should use the actually DMX cable but I need to make about 200 metres worth of cables and I am not into spending around £100 on the cable alone. I have been recommended XLR/MIC Cable and CAT 5 twisted pair, Which of the two do you recommend or do you lot use a different type of cable all together? If so what and where from? My current budget is about £50-60 if this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Can't help on the cable (I know Canford do a specific DMX cable which is turquoise) but you'll have to also bear in mind that 5pin XLR connectors will cost you £4 ish each, so to make up 10 cables, you'd require 20 of them, which would set you back £80. Ouch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Just looked up the Canford cable - its 30-396 DST Turquoise. Cost 79p per metre +vat if you buy 100m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo_UK Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 Thanks for the warning Peter, I will look it to prices for them. Thanks again from Jambo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 What are you going to do with it? If it's gonna see real use then buy real cable... If you're going to be putting it in and out every gig then get something that's going to last. If it's going in once then use whatever you can afford. Cat 5 will work, although not within specification, but it should be ok for shortish runs. I've used the 50p/metre musiflex from canford with no problems to speak of, and I've used 50m long runs of cat 5, but just `cos it worked for me with my fixtures, I can't guarantee it will work for yours. And I've only wired pins 1, 2 and 3 - 'cos the clay paky / pulsar gear sends out nasty stuff on pin 5 which can blow up your AVO desk....... HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelic Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Hmmm, at £0.79p per m plus vat it might be worth even me looking into Jamie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 depends on the avo desk, as if it is only wired to send out 1 univeres per cable then it wont have pin 5 wired inside it and therefore it will make no difference what you send down it, but unless you are planin to use the cable for more than one universe then you should only wire pins 1 to 3 anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinw Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 I have been recommended XLR/MIC Cable and CAT 5 twisted pairNever use mic cable for DMX as it does not meet the capacitance and impedance requirements for the DMX signal. It may work for a while, but you will probably see glitches, especially over any distance. The canford turquoise stuff, which I think is actually AES/EBU cable will work fine, and is intended for this type of signal. If you use CAT5, make sure you get the stranded stuff rather than solid core, which will break really easily. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robloxley Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 Remember, for most things Canford simpy aren't anywhere near cheap. For cable and connectors, VDC Trading is often far and away the cheapest place, especially if you have an account. Their equivalent 110 Ohm flexible digital cable is 33p/metre without an account, and with one you should be able to get that down to 21p/metre, and it's somewhat less lurid in colour than Canford's. Also with an account they'll do you 5 pin XLRs for more like £3 each, but as mentioned just the cost of the connectors might exceed your budget. Why not hire the cable as and when you need it - if not it then you're going to have to revise your budget. An alternative, less nice solution, would be to use 3pin mic cable and 3-5pin converters - most cheaply bought from CPC. Most likely you'll get away fine without 110 Ohm cable. Don't use cat5 for temporary DMX cables as, on top of everything else, it's a solid core installation cable with little mechanical protection and will very easily get damaged! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo_UK Posted January 25, 2004 Author Share Posted January 25, 2004 Can members of the public buy from VDC Trading or is it only businesses? and also do they have a web address for them or they are catalogue or Postal Order based? Thanks for the help from Jambo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robloxley Posted January 25, 2004 Share Posted January 25, 2004 www.vdctrading.com They've an online shop and a printed catalogue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryson Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 consider, a 50m is usually £5, compare that to the cost of making it (Excuse my corrections, but it needed to be done) £5? To hire, perhaps, but a quick surf over to VDC suggests that the price is closer to £45 list, so around £30 in the real world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_b Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 If we're being pedantic, Never use mic cable for DMX as it does not meet the capacitance and impedance requirements for the DMX signal. ...If you use CAT5, make sure you get the stranded stuff rather than solid core, which will break really easily. Cat 5 is 24AWG solid core with a characteristic impedance of 100ohms +/- 15% at 125MHz (corresponding to DMX bit rate of 250Mb/s). If it's stranded, it ain't cat 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianl Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 the VDC digital (green series) single pair cable is a miniture cable ie the same as a single cable out of a multicore and is not very good for repeated coiling or very robust for use on the road. they do sell a cable specifically designed for DMX and the touring market but I dont think it is in the current catalog and is quite expensive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted January 26, 2004 Share Posted January 26, 2004 I Use Klotz cable. the OT206 digital cable is very very nice. You can actually coil it like mic cable, but it has the correct impedance. http://www.klotz-ais.com/lshop,showrub,,e,...DMX.DMX,,,,.htm Is the stuff. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.