DIY DC power cables

[bit01]

I have tried

1. the Cardas Litz 15.5 awg copper wire (as a twisted pair).  A smaller gage (21.5) can be used for star quad, but I did not try this.

available at:

http://www.partsconnexion.com/wire_hookup_cardas.html

 

and

2. the mil-w-16878 22 awg (silver plated copper strands/teflon insulation) in star quad . These come in spools (100ft Belden or Alpha Wire being the shortest). They are commonly used in aircraft/aerospace and at times can be found cheaper on ebay in left over form (hookup or cable form).

e.g. http://ca.mouser.com/Wire-Cable/Hook-up-Wire/_/N-5ggs?P=1yzs67rZ1yxufheZ1z0juks&Keyword=alpha+wire&FS=True

 

https://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xmil-w-16878.TRS0&_nkw=mil-w-16878&_sacat=0

 

connectors - I used the Switchcraft 762 (762K for the locking one)

http://ca.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Switchcraft/762/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMtnOp%2bbbqA00xVNfTC1Zp0MB0v2MPeNOaA%3d

 

The mil-w-16878 in star quad edged the Cardas (twisted pair) in musical terms.

 

I have no commercial affiliation to any of these products.

[tboooe]

11 hours ago, R1200CL said:

I think, (actually know) we're just hours away from being

able to order

Order what?

[agladstone]

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

[R1200CL]

Trying with sleeve. I think I messed up connecting shield to the plug. I'm gland I don't make cables for living ?

 

Another er thing I discovered with the Belden 1303 is that it seems to have a internal unisolated wire in the middle. It may could act as the loop cable. 

[octaviars]

10 minutes ago, R1200CL said:

Another er thing I discovered with the Belden 1303 is that it seems to have a internal unisolated wire in the middle. It may could act as the loop cable. 

 

Will it work as it was meant to do if the wire is unisolated and in the middle of the screened pairs, I dont think it will. If it was isolated it would work but I dont think that having that in the middle of a cable is such a good thing.

 

Using screened ethernet cables can introduce problems with earthloops. I think it is recomended to not mix screened and unscreened ethernet cables in the same system and often screened ethernet cables does not make any difference in a home system were there are very little that can disturb a signal in a twistedpair cable.

 

I might be wrong about this as I seldom work with network systems.

[R1200CL]

New color ?

 

 

 

Just got got an email;

The black version has been sent from Shanghai ?

[asdf1000]

16 hours ago, R1200CL said:

New colorJust got got an email;

The black version has been sent from Shanghai ?

 

Which ethernet cable is Ghent using? Do you have the model number so I can Google the specs.

 

Edit: just seen above, the Belden 1303

 

[R1200CL]

1 hour ago, Em2016 said:

Edit: just seen above, the Belden 1303

 

 

Yes, it has "everything" but not the bonded pair. Whis is twisted pair glued together. 

 

Datasheet here

 

As far as I understand you can't find any bonded pair with proper shielding. Also I think those cables are quite stiff. 

 

I'm planning to email Belden and ask about that center conductor. 

[tboooe]

22 hours ago, R1200CL said:

Just got got an email;

The black version has been sent from Shanghai ?

so is this ethernet cable available for purchase from Ghent?  I would like to give it a try.  Is the cable they made the JSSG design?

[R1200CL]

1 hour ago, tboooe said:

so is this ethernet cable available for purchase from Ghent?  I would like to give it a try.  Is the cable they made the JSSG design?

 

It should have been. I don't know why it's not listed yet. The one he sending me is more or less a sample together with more DC cables I ordered some time ago. I did not get any pictures this time. 

 

You can of cause email him.

You may add if you accept his suggested plugs, or if you willing to pay extra for Metz. 

 

I think he may is doing some optimization in order to offer a very good product.

As stated it looks easy to do, but at least for me it's not, and I have of cause no idea if my cables will match specifications.

 

I just had to redo my yellow cable. I think I may found a better way to do this. To dismantle ( and reuse) those Metz plugs was easy.

 

[R1200CL]

On 28.7.2017 at 5:58 PM, tboooe said:

so is this ethernet cable available for purchase from Ghent?  I would like to give it a try.  Is the cable they made the JSSG design?

 

https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/et01.html

 

He decided to go without sleeve for now, as he thinks it makes it stiffer. 

Use T568B. 

 

[agladstone]

How does your homage one sound? Any improvement? I just saw Ghent's (thanks to your post) - I would require at least 4/5 of these with my current set-up, so it would be a littke

pricey for me, so is it worth it??  

[R1200CL]

41 minutes ago, agladstone said:

 

How does your homage one sound? Any improvemen

 

 

I will test this next week when my MicroRendu 1.4 hopefully has arrived. 

 

I guess you can search for tests for the more expensive audio Ethernet cables, and you may get an idea. 

[agladstone]

Thanks! I have BJC Cat 6a cables now and they sound good overall (better than the Cat 7 ones I had from Amazon (Cable Matters brand) before, but these new ghent ones seem like a they could be a less expensive version of some of the higher end ones on the market (Audioquest, Nordst, Sonore, etc), so maybe I'll give them a try! (At least for the audio path) 

[R1200CL]

7 hours ago, agladstone said:

but these new ghent ones seem like a they could be a less expensive version of some of the higher end ones on the market

 

That was my intention to achive. But i can of cause be wrong. I don't even know if they use shielding, though I expect so, and I believe a good plug is essential.

 

[sbilotta]

8 hours ago, R1200CL said:

 

 

I guess you can search for tests for the more expensive audio Ethernet cables, and you may get an idea. 

 

If it's anything like the Ghent USB JSSG cable then there's going to be a good uplift in SQ; I have already ordered.

[agladstone]

16 hours ago, sbilotta said:

 

If it's anything like the Ghent USB JSSG cable then there's going to be a good uplift in SQ; I have already ordered.

I'll probably order a few myself, perhaps I'll let a few of you be guinea pigs first?

I have a bunch (6) of the Ghent Canare 4S6/ oyiade DC cables and I also had Ghent make me a custom split / Y USB JSSG cable (this custom made USB cable I don't think I'm going to end up using, so if anyone is interested in it, PM me!!)  

[R1200CL]

On 27.7.2017 at 6:31 PM, octaviars said:

Using screened ethernet cables can introduce problems with earthloops.

 

You may have a valid concern.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/07/340-audiophile-ethernet-cable-gets-a-marginal-pass-on-the-test-bench/

 

As we now understand the Vodka does not connect screen to the plugs. 

 

[R1200CL]

On 1.8.2017 at 1:32 AM, agladstone said:

guinea pigs first

 

I think the question is if one should fully comply withe the cat 6a standard or not. 

 

We we need a small dip switch added in the loop, in order to remove the Faraday cave from the plug. One end should do ?

[agladstone]

Will the ghent version connect the screen to the plugs? Actually I'm sure upon request he could not connect the screen to the plugs for us??

[R1200CL]

4 minutes ago, agladstone said:

Will the ghent version connect the screen to the plugs? Actually I'm sure upon request he could not connect the screen to the plugs for us??

 

Of cause he will ?

Yes, as per now according to 6a. (Plugs to screen). 

[agladstone]

So, if I order a couple from Ghent , I should make sure to special request no screen to plugs? 

[R1200CL]

31 minutes ago, agladstone said:

So, if I order a couple from Ghent , I should make sure to special request no screen to plugs? 

 

That's actually quite hard for me to give an advice on. 

But you could ask for both versions (and maybe with a discount as a guinea pig) and write a review here:

 

In the end, this may be very system depended. 

 

And im not sure connecting a correctly shielded cable to a MicroRendu or an UltraRendu would even matter. Meaning, could it make unwanted loops of any kind. 

 

Which we may first should find out, as I think this is where such a cable has a meaning. Make sure the last "mile" is top quality. 

[R1200CL]

I'm going to make a new Ethernet cable mayself this weekend without the plugs shielded. This was the plan even before I came across this latest info. 

 

I just was waiting for some nylon sleeve to arrive from France. Came yesterday. 

[R1200CL]

If any is interested in reading more about shielding:
Bonding Cable Shields at Both Ends to Reduce Noise

 

I think some will disagree to part of the conclusion here. 

 

"......Ground loop currents are not a real problem for correctly-designed pro-audio equipment, in fact they are a real benefit......)