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  • Linux DIY Speaker Cable Story

    From Xavier Dominica@21:1/5 to All on Sun Oct 13 14:43:40 2024
    Why can't these goddamned mutherfuckin' cable makers make connectors
    that last? It's not fucking rocket science. It's just a goddamned
    soldered wire connection and any idiot can make one that should last
    FOREVER. But time and time again I will experience a connector failure,
    be it audio, USB, or whatever.

    Someone gave me a pair of Dell stereo speakers. (I don't use that
    7-channel or whatever surround bullshit.) They worked great for a while
    until the damned fucking plug failed and one channel was dead.

    At first I just planned to cut the cable and then solder on a new
    audio plug, but trying to solder those tiny stranded wires into
    the tiny and tight spaces of a 3.5mm plug is a pain in the fucking
    ass. So I purchased several of these:

    https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/tensility-international-corp/CA-2207/701168

    I just cut the cable and made the splice. No soldering required but
    it would be the best.

    "Big deal," I hear the assholes say.

    Listen, motherfuckers. This was not an easy job.

    After I cut the cable I used a stripping tool to remove the insulation
    which revealed 2 very tiny stranded wires plus the ground shield copper strands.

    Those fucking wires were less that 1 mm thick. No stripping tool
    could accommodate them. The only way to strip them is to insert
    them between the blades of a wire cutter and then press very gently
    into the plastic insulation. Then, the wire is pulled through
    the blades with a hope and a prayer that the action does not cut
    the wire or sever some copper strands.

    Fortunately I did a perfect job both times.

    The splice was made and now I have superb sound on one of my GNU/Linux
    machines and it will last FOREVER.

    Why can't those goddamned mutherfuckin' cable manufacturers do the
    same?

    They very likely use Microslop specs.

    Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!



    --
    Systemd: solving all the problems that you never knew you had.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Chris Ahlstrom@21:1/5 to Xavier Dominica on Sun Oct 13 11:15:57 2024
    Xavier Dominica wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

    Why can't these goddamned mutherfuckin' cable makers make connectors
    that last? It's not fucking rocket science. It's just a goddamned
    soldered wire connection and any idiot can make one that should last
    FOREVER. But time and time again I will experience a connector failure,
    be it audio, USB, or whatever.

    Didn't your mother teach you not to pull out plugs by the wire?

    <rantsnip>

    --
    The trouble with opportunity is that it always comes disguised as hard work.
    -- Herbert V. Prochnow

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Xavier Dominica@21:1/5 to Chris Ahlstrom on Sun Oct 13 15:48:52 2024
    On Sun, 13 Oct 2024 11:15:57 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:


    Didn't your mother teach you not to pull out plugs by the wire?


    That does not make a difference.

    A properly made soldered connection is as strong, or even stronger,
    than the wire itself. A simple yanking of the plug by the wire
    should have no effect -- unless it's a cheap Chinese shit plug.

    I should actually take apart the defective plug to see what junk
    is inside, but that would entail carving away the plastic jacket
    that is bonded to the metal beneath, and that is a big job. I'd
    need to clamp it in a vise and just whittle away. I could burn it
    off but that would leave charred ash everywhere.

    No. I have made soldered audio plugs properly using shielded cable
    and quality plugs and they have NEVER failed and they NEVER will fail.

    The question is why can't cable manufacturers do the same?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Chris Ahlstrom@21:1/5 to Xavier Dominica on Sun Oct 13 12:47:27 2024
    Xavier Dominica wrote this copyrighted missive and expects royalties:

    On Sun, 13 Oct 2024 11:15:57 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:

    Didn't your mother teach you not to pull out plugs by the wire?

    That does not make a difference.

    A properly made soldered connection is as strong, or even stronger,
    than the wire itself.

    So the wire could be the weakest link, especially with well-soldered connectors.

    A simple yanking of the plug by the wire
    should have no effect -- unless it's a cheap Chinese shit plug.

    I should actually take apart the defective plug to see what junk
    is inside, but that would entail carving away the plastic jacket
    that is bonded to the metal beneath, and that is a big job. I'd
    need to clamp it in a vise and just whittle away. I could burn it
    off but that would leave charred ash everywhere.

    No. I have made soldered audio plugs properly using shielded cable
    and quality plugs and they have NEVER failed and they NEVER will fail.

    The question is why can't cable manufacturers do the same?



    --
    Linux, the way to get rid of boot viruses
    -- MaDsen Wikholm, mwikholm@at8.abo.fi

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Xavier Dominica@21:1/5 to Chris Ahlstrom on Sun Oct 13 17:20:54 2024
    On Sun, 13 Oct 2024 12:47:27 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:


    So the wire could be the weakest link, especially with well-soldered connectors.


    Nope again.

    I did a continuity test just to make sure (and avoid wasting time).
    There was a break at the connector.

    Wires don't fail. Especially stranded wires do not fail even
    if they are bent repeatedly (work fatigue). It would require
    tremendous force to break even a 24 gauge wire.

    A properly made cable/connector should NEVER fail anywhere along
    its length. NEVER. As I mentioned, this is not rocket science.

    In former times, whenever a problem occurred, I would NEVER suspect
    a fault with the cable/connector because that should NEVER fail.

    But now, because I recognize that cables are so fucking cheaply
    made, it is the very first thing that I will examine.

    Recently, I plugged a USB HDD into my machine using an extension
    cable. It would not mount. I said: "What the fuck?" But sure
    enough, it was the goddamned cable/connector.

    Don't buy cables/connectors from anyone but the most reputable
    manufacturers even if that means paying a premium price.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From -hh@21:1/5 to Xavier Dominica on Sun Oct 13 17:15:59 2024
    On 10/13/24 1:20 PM, Xavier Dominica wrote:
    On Sun, 13 Oct 2024 12:47:27 -0400, Chris Ahlstrom wrote:


    So the wire could be the weakest link, especially with well-soldered
    connectors.


    Nope again.

    I did a continuity test just to make sure (and avoid wasting time).
    There was a break at the connector.

    Of course, since that's usually where one will find a stress riser.


    Wires don't fail. Especially stranded wires do not fail even
    if they are bent repeatedly (work fatigue). It would require
    tremendous force to break even a 24 gauge wire.


    Which is why professional mountaineers use copper wire cables instead of synthetic ropes! /s


    A properly made cable/connector should NEVER fail anywhere along
    its length. NEVER. As I mentioned, this is not rocket science.


    Every design is a trade-off. A proper design should anticipate the
    conditions under which failure occurs, and typically makes a
    cost-benefit assessment on if the failure is unlikely enough at a
    particular design price point.


    In former times, whenever a problem occurred, I would NEVER suspect
    a fault with the cable/connector because that should NEVER fail.

    Which was the 1990s when you were a toddler yanking on a lamp's power
    cord? /s

    But now, because I recognize that cables are so fucking cheaply
    made, it is the very first thing that I will examine.

    Examine it...for just what? Be specific.


    Recently, I plugged a USB HDD into my machine using an extension
    cable. It would not mount. I said: "What the fuck?" But sure
    enough, it was the goddamned cable/connector.

    Don't buy cables/connectors from anyone but the most reputable
    manufacturers even if that means paying a premium price.


    With that sort of philosophy, you'll soon be buying Apple computers too,
    as their design teams are superior to your cobbled together DIY junk.


    -hh

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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