martinkings Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 I need to buy some new 3-pin DMX cables, and was planning on using the cheap & cheerful option of CPC. Anyone have any better recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smalljoshua Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 Make your own? All the cheap and cheerful options I have found come with Chinese XLRs on them. I have found that on the majority of these, the strain relief is a real weakness and the cables tend to fail at those points. I bought 20 of the cheap 5m DMX leads from Thomann, I had a 90% failure rate on the connectors within 6 months. I ended up replacing all the connectors with Neutrik XX series and haven't had a single problem since. Josh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 Suitable cable, NEUTRIK connectors and careful soldering. Nothing kills DMX faster than an intermittent contact in a cheap connector. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinkings Posted August 28, 2010 Author Share Posted August 28, 2010 having never soldered anything in my life b4, I'm not sure today is the right time to start Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pritch Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 having never soldered anything in my life BEFORE, I'm not sure today is the right time to start Well, when is? I'm sure most people here have had to brandish a soldering iron at some point in order to fix a cable that's gone faulty, often with mere minutes to spare until said cable is required. Making up your own cable is the time to learn how to use a soldering iron - trying to repair a broken joint with five minutes before house opens isn't the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonic222 Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 On the cheap and cheerful DMX cable question, it depends on what they're being used for. If it's for permanent (or semi-permanent) disco lighting, they might be worth a try. If it's for stage lighting (I image not as I rarely see stage lighting fixtures with 3 pin DMX) or a mobile DJ or similar where they'll be moved frequently (and therefore more liable to break), it's probably not going to be suitable. On the soldering question - if you need cables urgently, buy the ones you really NEED, but also get some cable and some connectors and practice soldering. It is a really useful thing to know how to do. It'll save you money in the future (being able to replace or re-connect a connector rather than buying a cable), and it's so useful if you need a specific type of cable (e.g. replacing the female end of an XLR with a male end to create a M-M adapter). If you don't have any idea how to solder, a quick search on the internet will give you some tips to get started, but really it's just about practice and giving it a go. You can also find diagrams on how to solder different types of cables online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revbobuk Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 The cable used on the cheap CPC DMX leads is very good - and even if you change the connectors later, it's about the cheapest way to buy the raw cable! The connectors aren't as good as Neutrik, but they are pretty well put together, and (I've dismantled quite a few, just to check) well soldered. Just an observation... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramdram Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Martin, learn to solder! You cannot always rely on the "shops" being open, or the postie delivers the long awaited lead...especially not just before curtain up, ** laughs out loud **. A soldering iron is not dear. A clamping kit with magnifying lens is not dear either. You can google data sheets/diagrams on pin outs/ins for all the leads you will ever need in theatre land. So there's no mystery about what lead goes where. Treat yourself to a cable tester too if you budget allows. Said data sheets even tell you what cable to use as in impedance. Always use quality kconnectors eg Neutrik and just get on with it. Use the duffer connectors for soldering practice so if you melt the plastic then you melt the plastic. With practice you will become more proficient. It is NOT difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swampman Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 A word about "cheap" connectors - buy only a few at first to test them: the type of plastic holding the pins can melt at low temperatures on some of them. Once melted out of place they are nearly useless - if you get this problem: connect two XLRs while you are soldering one of them to help keep them in place, but you wil have difficulty with the heat dispersing more. You really have to abuse Neutrik, Switchcraft and other decent brands to get them into a mess. Apply solder to the joint only "wet" the iron with it for heat transfer (you can also put a bit on the wire and socket first). Quick and shiny solder finish is the ideal, dull finish usually means lack of rosin or low quality "tin", or quick cooling and a risk of dry/loose joints. Also practice (eventually) adding sleeves on the connections, especially on power+signal combinations: a loose cable will just cause a fault and may save you an expensive repair if it touches another one... Also watch out for the black plastic conductive sheathing that covers the coloured cables inside the outside screen on some cables - it must be carefully stripped back. Keep a cup of tea with you, take your time and you will feel well satisfied with yourself and the pain in the back after hunching over 10 or more connectors !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimmyP1955 Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 http://www.hakko.com/english/products/hakko_dash.html The 454 model is the ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramdram Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 Martin, this may be of interest: http://www.theater-technisch-lab.nl/dmxen.htm This article contains the connector wiring schemes for 3 and 5 pins. The info mentions a bit about termination btw, and, you would be wise to buy cable with a nominal impedance of 120 Ohms. (Also, if you have to or anyone else who is interested: http://www.soundcraft.com/support/guides.aspx# The page has two further links to PDF files which contain the wiring details for the most common audio cables. You never know when these diags might come in handy.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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