DIY Patch Cable & Cable/lead

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johnstratiwant
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DIY Patch Cable & Cable/lead

Post by johnstratiwant »

Hi everyone,

So I am in the middle of building a small & compact pedalboard

I always used pre-made patch cables and leads but decided to make my own custom ones. I wanted to make custom patch cables to keep my pedalboard compact. The D'addario guitar-lead I purchased always failed/ broke down with time so decided to make my own "quality" cable. Watched Vertex from Youtube to learn how to make patch cables.

I was skeptical at first because I have near zero/small experience in soldering. I am posting because the DIY patch cables & guitar lead because I manage to get descent result despite my near zero experience, I really recommend building your own patch cables as they are not as complex but can be time consuming/frustrating if you have little soldering experience like me. They are also cheaper if you are in a budget and "better-quality". However, this might not be for everyone because it can be time consuming. Other than aesthetics there is no major improvement in sound quality.



So the total cost of the patch cables: around $20 for 5 patch cables
-"Squareplug" like- jack from Aliexpress= they are descent quality/well made & low profile, size might be slightly bigger than Squareplugs but not by much) (10 Jacks for around $17)
-Mogami 2314 from RubberMonkey= around $1.5/m (during sale)
-Heat Shrink wrap (the Jacks from aliexpress was slightly bigger, so had to put some heat shrink wrap near the connection area to make it firm)

I also made a guitar lead during the process
-Neutrik input jack from RubberMonkey= around $7 each during sale
-Mogami 2524 from Rubber moneky= Around $6/m



There was bit of trial/error getting used to soldering + half a day time gone. It was time consuming as I did not have any proper gears. The wire stripper I had no specific measurement so I had to freestyle, my soldering iron is a cheap $20 one that has one very hot temperature and not crocodile/ helping hand gear so everything was moving when soldering.


If you enjoy making stuff or good at soldering, this is a must!
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johnstratiwant
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Re: DIY Patch Cable & Cable/lead

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FuzzMonkey
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Re: DIY Patch Cable & Cable/lead

Post by FuzzMonkey »

Well done on your successful DIY cables. Great job. Next step; making your own pedals.
"There's no creativity without vulnerability."

www.fantailaudio.com

johnstratiwant
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Re: DIY Patch Cable & Cable/lead

Post by johnstratiwant »

FuzzMonkey wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:56 pm Well done on your successful DIY cables. Great job. Next step; making your own pedals.
Maybe one day :winky:

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Re: DIY Patch Cable & Cable/lead

Post by FuzzMonkey »

johnstratiwant wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 9:08 pm
FuzzMonkey wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:56 pm Well done on your successful DIY cables. Great job. Next step; making your own pedals.
Maybe one day :winky:
Once you pick up a soldering iron, it's a pretty slippery slope.
"There's no creativity without vulnerability."

www.fantailaudio.com

johnstratiwant
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Re: DIY Patch Cable & Cable/lead

Post by johnstratiwant »

FuzzMonkey wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 11:38 am
johnstratiwant wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 9:08 pm
FuzzMonkey wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:56 pm Well done on your successful DIY cables. Great job. Next step; making your own pedals.
Maybe one day :winky:
Once you pick up a soldering iron, it's a pretty slippery slope.

I do need a better soldering iron tbh, the tip is all broken :lol:

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