DIY DC power cables

[agladstone]

On 5/7/2017 at 4:00 PM, R1200CL said:

Here is order info for the cable. 

 

https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/dc01.html

 

 

I have 2 HDPlex 100 LPSU's , they use a locking barrel plug on the HDPlex end (I don't know the proper name of this type of plug, but it looks like a balanced XLR plug, but with 2 female "pins", not 3). 

Do you think it would be possible for Ghentaudio to custom make  these canare star quad D.C. Cables with that type of plug on one end? 

[agladstone]

Just now, R1200CL said:

 

I'm believer of everything possible. ?

 

Let us know if I"m wrong. 

 

I suppose the best thing for me to do is to email ghent audio directly about this? 

Does anyone know the actual / proper name for the type of barrel connector the HDPlex 100 uses? 

[agladstone]

2 minutes ago, tboooe said:

It's a GX16-2 connector.  I just made a DC cable using this and the Canare 4s8 cable.  It's pretty easy.

Thank you! I have never soldered anything before, is it possible to make a DIY cable using the screw down 2.5mm and the GX-16-2 connectors without doing any soldering (with the star quad Canare 4s6 ?

[agladstone]

17 hours ago, tboooe said:

It's a GX16-2 connector.  I just made a DC cable using this and the Canare 4s8 cable.  It's pretty easy.

Thanks - I think you're correct, perhaps it's time for me to buy a soldering iron and  associated gear and start practicing/ learning how to solder. I can't tell you how many times I've actually said to myself "if only I could solder.....," over the years!!

[agladstone]

I'm awaiting response from them to see if they can make the cables for me with the GX-16-2, if they can (I can't see why not), I'm definitely ordering them vs trying to make my own! 

[agladstone]

FYI, I've heard back from Ghant in regards to custom making the custom quad DC cables for me with the GX-16-2 and XLR connectors on one end (2.5mm or 2.1mm on the other), and he said that he can do both no problem! 

He qouted me $39 for either at a 6 foot length (does this seem reasonable)? 

Considering I've never soldered anything before and the cost of all materials, a soldering iron, and all related soldering equipment and materials I'd have to purchase, I think it makes sense and I'll know they will be made correctly. 

I will be ordering 4 cables in total if I go this route, so the cost of soldering equipment and materials would get spread out over the 4 cables and I'm sure I would use it for other projects in the future, thanks for any thoughts ! 

[agladstone]

*R1200CL:

thanks! Why is as short as possible better? 

I thought length for power cables did not matter in regards to sound quality, am I wrong? 

I was thinking the opposite (order at least 6 foot legnth so I had placement flexibility if I rearranged my rack in the future for location of my external LPSU's). 

Now I have my Aurender music server, a W4S RUR and my DAC all on the same shelf. 

The two external HDPlex LPSU's are 2 shelves up (thus the need for longer legnth). 

I suppose I could rearrange so the 2 HDPlex LPSU's were in the shelf with the DAC and RUR (what they're powering) and move the Aurender 2 shelves up so I could is a shorter DC cable,  would that be better?  

[agladstone]

I just placed an order for 3 cables from Ghent Audio myself!! Now I'm thinking maybe I should have him also make me a short 2.1/2.1 just in case I decide to upgrade from my W4S RUR to the ISO Regen / LPS-1 combo!! 

I have an entire cabinet full of extra / old cables, what's one more, ha!! 

If it takes a month to receive these, I think I'll do it and save the hassle if I do it! 

As of now I have 2 HDPlex 100w and one powers the W4S RUR, and the other powers my DAC, the HDPlex uses XLR and GLX16-2 on LPSU end, so I couldn't use these cables with an LPS-1 or similar. 

 

[agladstone]

21 hours ago, JohnSwenson said:

Sure the length of the cable matters. The inductance of the cable is directly proportional to the length of the cable. The starquad helps by having 1/3 the inductance per given length VS a twisted pair or coax. But if you have 3 times the length of starquad as twisted pair you have the same inductance.

 

John S.

John:

thank you for that info!! 

I just placed an order yesterday from Ghent Audio to make me 3 Canare / Oyaide cables, so I'm sure I have time to make a change. 

I ordered all 3 in a 5 foot length so I had future flexibility. 

Should I have him change the length to shorter cables?? 

What is the longest length that you would recommended? I can rearrange my rack to accommodate a shorter length if I need to. 

I think 1.5 to 2 feet would be the shortest I could use because right now I'm using an HDPlex LPSU and even if it was on the same shelf as my DAC, I would need some length to go from one to the other. 

Thank you!

 

[agladstone]

3 hours ago, R1200CL said:

 

I think 3 week may be more correct ?

Time will tell. 

Actually Ghent offer me 4-6 day express delivery for an extra $18.00 , so I'm doing it!! 

[agladstone]

FYI - I just ordered a 0.7 Meter / 2.3 feet 2.1 to 2.1 quad cable from Ghent in addition to my other cables I ordered from him, just in case I decide to buy an LPS-1 / ISO Regen combo. 

If I don't order this combo and I stay with my W4S RUR, I will have no need for this cable. 

Thus, if anyone wants to buy it from me (I'm in the USA) let me know (I'll update when I know if I need it or not). 

[agladstone]

19 hours ago, Superdad said:

 

Here you go.  Substitute pairings of star-quad is fine.  Each screw terminal gets only one (pair) of conductors.  The jumper in the middle is from "+" of one plug to "-" of the other.  Imagine the LPS-1s as a pair of batteries you are putting in series.  You take minus from one end of the stack and plus from the other.  Remember, you are not paralleling them!  And oh yeah, set one to 7V and the other to 5V to get your desired 12V.

 

If using the cable above and 2 LPS-1's to get 12V, what would the current / amperage of the 12V? 

Also, is the pictured cable using Canare 4S6 cable? It looks like the single plug end is molded? Are you using a pre-terminated Y cable and then just cutting off the pre-terminated plugs on the split end, and then using another piece of 2 wire cable as the jumper to create your own star quad cable without actually using any Canare 4S6 cable at all? 

If yes to above, could you also do the same but with using only one screw terminal plug on the other end?  So 2 wires from the pre-terminated y cable going into + and - on the screw terminal for a total of 4 wires into the screw plug? (2 into + and 2 into - ) into each end of the screw terminal plug. The 4 wires going into the screw plug would then be one pair of wires going  + FROM - as a jumper. The second pair going into + AND - from the pre-terminated y plug)? 

If this would work, it seems like a cheaper solution to a DYI star quad than ordering one from Ghent and also would not require any soldering! 

[agladstone]

@Superdad thank you! 

The only question left unanswered, is how to make a DYI star quad cable using a pre-terminated cable on one end, using a jumper on the other end, if using only one screw terminated plug on the other end? 

[agladstone]

On 6/20/2017 at 3:33 PM, R1200CL said:

Got my second JSSG USB cable today. To be used with Explorer 2 for MAQ ?

 

 

How does the USB JSSG cable sound? Also, what have you been using before / what are you comparing the sound to? 

I just ordered a custom USB JSSG Y split cable from Ghent today (one cable power only and one data only both USB A going into one USB B)! 

Also, any thoughts on if the Data only USB A and Power only USB A each need to be wired / connected differently (so I can inform Ghent on how to wire the USB A connectors) 

Thanks!

[agladstone]

This would be a split / y USB cable (just like the IFI Gemni USB cable ). 

My plan as of now is to have both wires of the y cable be exactly the same as the USB JSSG on both the power only side and the data only side (2 USB A connectors on the one end - 1 power only and one data only) and then the Y going into one USB B connector on the other end. 

However, I'm not sure the correct way to have Ghent make this cable for me and if the USB A plugs for Power and for data should each be wired / soldered differently or not and if the Power side should also have the JSSG or not? 

There is no Canare or D.C. In this cable - USB only. 

[agladstone]

Ghent is making me one, so I guess I'll be the guinea pig on this one  

[agladstone]

This is a mark-up of how the Y USB JSSG cable will be made. 

[agladstone]

47 minutes ago, tboooe said:

Ok.  I'm going to ask if can make one with a female DC barrel connector as close to the USB b side as possible.

For the VBUS or for the Ground? 

If for VBUS (or ground) , I guess that wire would need to be external of the sleeve? 

Maybe I should try the same? 

Ghent is already giving me a little "this is a very difficult cable to make" slack from the above design request, so maybe I should leave it as is:)

[agladstone]

Finally got my Ghent DC Cables from china today! I was also so excited to see (and evaluate) the special custom split JSSG USB cable that I had described on this thread. To my disappointment, NO Split JSSG USB cable was in the box!! (I paid for it and it was supposed to be included in the shipment). 

I hope that Ghent will make this right for me and get me the Custom Split JSSG USB cable that I paid for that was missing from shipment (and ship it expedited at his expense, since I paid for expedited shipping and it was not included as it was supposed to be in the shipment). 

Anyone else here have any problems with shipments from Ghent and did he make good on the problems? (He seems trustworthy and professional in my experiences so far). 

[agladstone]

All:

so, as it turns out, in my communication with Ghent about the missing Split USB JSSG cable, he told be he put it in the box inside a tube, I thought that tube was just packing material!! 

Mia Culpa! 

It was inside the tube, I will post some pictures of the cable, so far it sounds really good! 

Since it is made of silver coated Teflon cable, I suspect it needs at least 500 hours to fully break in, so hopefully it gets even better with burn in! 

[agladstone]

Here is a picture of the Split USB JSSG cable (had I known it would have looked so ugly, I would have had Ghent put a nice tech flex sleeve on it:) 

if I order another one, it will be with a sleeve! 

(This is a bit short (about 7" / 0.2 meters), in hindsight I should have ordered it at least 1 foot /0.3 meters or even 0.5 meters since it is really stiff and hard to bend. 

Listening impressions so far are really good, definitely better than the Pangea split USB Premier XL cable. 

It also sounds different than the Cardas Highspeed 2.0 USB cable, more warm, yet less detailed and airy than the Cardas. (that cable has power and data split with separate wires for each, but has only single USB A and USB B connectors on each end (I'm probably going to have Cardas re-terminate it for me with two seperate USB A connectors). 

Im sure it needs 250-500 hours of break in so I will keep it playing, but it does sound really good and I would recommend it (it's a huge value vs IFI Gemni, Cardas, and other split cables, I think I paid around $40 USD +/- for it whereas the Cardas cost me $400 USD )! 

[agladstone]

[agladstone]

So far Ghent's USB JSSG split cable sounds very nice! It's high quality silver coated PCOC Teflon cable with very thick copper mesh shielding around it. Then it has the JSSG wire attached to both ends and gold connectors. 

For $40.00 for my hard to make Split USB JSSG - not a better bargain out there I think!! 

@R1200CL - have you noticed that it gets even better with break in?? 

 

[agladstone]

Also in regards to the $18.00 extra for DHL, I received my package (China to Philadelphia, PA in USA) in 4 Days!! (Including going through customs in both Hong Kong and Ohio, so it is the best $18.00 you can spend (especially if like me you're ordering 6+ cables). 

[agladstone]

FYI, the new Ethernet cables are still not up on Ghent audio website, I'm thinking I'm gonna order some