Component Cables

[shane_0_mac]

Hi Guys, I need a little help. I am in the process of reworing my Theater room. I am going to need a component cable that is about 30 feet long to run from receiver to projector. I figure I need to find someone to make this cable. Do you guys have any suggestions on who I could contact to make a cable like this for me? The local store I use for most of my purchases can make it but they are very expensive. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Shane

[tenzip]

Monoprice.com $30 for 35', product ID # is 2855

[Wrench722]

This is where I get a lot of my cables and they are very good quality.

Computer Cables: USB Cables, DVI Cables, FIREWIRE Cables, VGA Cables, SVIDEO Cables. Camera Cables

[InVeNtOr]

Shane, don't waist your time or money. go to blue jeans cable or cable solutions. they have the best cables out there. they sell the same stuff you can you try and price match them. the cables i am suggesting are Canare cables. they are crimped on instead of soldered. they are even cheaper and will almost never fail on you. the solder after a LONG while MAY break down.

Cable solutions: http://stores.ebay.com/Cable-Solutions

Blue Jeans: http://www.bluejeanscable.com/index.htm

just remember both companys have and use different cables. you will most likely have to call them and they will tell you what will work best for your application. i know Cable solutions tech rep, he is very nice and will talk to you for hours if you let him. i believe his name is mark.

good luck

[tenzip]

they are crimped on instead of soldered. they are even cheaper and will almost never fail on you. the solder after a LONG while MAY break down.

Inventor, I'm interested in this solder breakdown. What kind of conditions does it occur under? What breaks down? Have you links to any research?

[Wrench722]

Thats funny I have had bad luck with both Cable-Solution and Bluejeancable. I did not like there cables at all! JUNK!

[InVeNtOr]

wrench, sorry you had trouble with the cable companys. in any technical device there is always going to be issues. if you find someone you are comfortable with stick with them. again, sorry those cables didn't work out for you.

tenzip,

the solder break down accurs because the solder is not a "perfect" metal. depending on what the company uses will depend on the performance. even "silver solder" isn't pure silver, its 95-5. thats a very good solder and only used in extreme cases. i am not trying to tell you if you buy a soldered cable, a year later it breaks down. it takes several years and sometimes under extreme conditions.

the experiance i have with this is i work in the avaiation field. i was military for 5yrs and now i do private jets, about 6 years now. to date not "private" jet that is over 10 million doesn't use ANY type of solder connection because they break down and the innefficent way they are terminated. i don't have any web pages that i know of, you can google search it if you want. some smaller planes still use soldered connections because they tend to be purchased by people and not companys.

a solder cable will work just fine but i feel through my experience that the crip cable the canare uses is superior, especally if you take the time you will have with the cables. i have had mine several years now and they still look great and have very tight connections. in fact they get so tight, when i unpluged one it took the connector off the tv!

[westcott]

Shane, don't waist your time or money. go to blue jeans cable or cable solutions. they have the best cables out there. they sell the same stuff you can you try and price match them. the cables i am suggesting are Canare cables. they are crimped on instead of soldered. they are even cheaper and will almost never fail on you. the solder after a LONG while MAY break down.

Cable solutions: http://stores.ebay.com/Cable-Solutions

Blue Jeans: http://www.bluejeanscable.com/index.htm

just remember both companys have and use different cables. you will most likely have to call them and they will tell you what will work best for your application. i know Cable solutions tech rep, he is very nice and will talk to you for hours if you let him. i believe his name is mark.

good luck

I will second the Blue Jean Cables solution. They are cost effective and use Belkin cable with Canare connectors. I have a 35" run of component cables from them and they have worked flawlessly for over a year. I did not make this decision lightly because they were to be installed underneath a floated and isolated wood floor that would not be easily accessed again once installed. I hate snake oil vendors and there are a lot of them. Good luck and I hope this helps.

[tenzip]

I'm not buying it. You're saying all electrical connections in, say, a G-IV are crimped? Seems damned unlikely to me.

Solder connections are not a "perfect metal", but they're a damn sight better than crimped when conditions are less than perfect. Corrosion that doesn't show on the outside and mechanical stresses are much more likely to cause a crimped connection to fail than a properly soldered one. Best yet, crimped and soldered, then the corrosion can't even start, because no air gets to the junction.

But I'm not going to start a cable war, so let's agree to disagree. I have my opinion, and it doesn't match yours. For all I know, Monoprice crimps their connections, too.

Do you work for Duncan Aviation by any chance? I'm in Lincoln, NE, their home office location.

[Hunt]

Shane, I have ordered several times from Bluejeans, and been highly satisfied with the company responsiveness and the quality of the cables, not to mention the fair and reasonable prices. I have 40 foot component cable for HDTV, several cables for interconnects for my SACD/DVD-A, 40 ft. subwoofer cable and in-wall speaker wire. I have no interest in this company, other than seeing other enthusiasts get a fair price for a good product, like I have experienced and would hope others could as well. Next time I need cables or wire, I hope they are still in business because they have certainly delivered on their promises with my orders. I don't think you could go wrong. Good luck.

[Arky]

I use bluejeanscable & monoprice.

[shane_0_mac]

Thanks for the info guys. I got a price from Bluejean for 40 foot component cable for $150.00, does sound about right to you guys?

Also if anyone lives is SW Missouri and likes getting dirty give me a shout and I can put you to work helping me rewire and redesign my Theater room. I will smoke a prime rib so we will eat good when we get done working, nothing like begging for help eh lol.

I really do appeciate all the advice though guys, That is why this is my favorite board, everyone cares about really helping each other out.

Shane

[westcott]

Thanks for the info guys. I got a price from Bluejean for 40 foot component cable for $150.00, does sound about right to you guys?

Also if anyone lives is SW Missouri and likes getting dirty give me a shout and I can put you to work helping me rewire and redesign my Theater room. I will smoke a prime rib so we will eat good when we get done working, nothing like begging for help eh lol.

I really do appeciate all the advice though guys, That is why this is my favorite board, everyone cares about really helping each other out.

Shane

The price looks right and congratulations on your decision. You will not be dissappointed!!

I would love to help, although I am a tenderloin kind of guy myself, but unfourtunately I have no plans to be in Missouri any time soon. Heck, the last time I was in Missouri I was doing a light gig in Joplin for some college club. Had a great time and really liked the "private" membership idea but on the other hand, we had to play until 4am.

Good Luck and keep us posted on your progress.

[InVeNtOr]

alright, no cable war.....i work for gulfstream in dallas. i install all the wires for options the customers buys. (audio, auto pilot, video, stuff like that). the plane comes in flyable, we just add the options.

[Guest " "]

"Inventor, I'm interested in this solder breakdown. What kind of conditions does it occur under? What breaks down? Have you links to any research? "

Monster cable from the early 80's had this probelm. The issue was the % of tin in the solder. Basiclly the connections would crack where the solder points were. A lot of folks who had the interconnects with the issue got free replacements. Not knowing about the replacement deal, and not knowing this was a widespread problem, i just resolded mine using solder with a small amount of silver in it. Given a choice of crimped connections or soldered uncrimped ones, as a result of my expreience, I'd go with the crimped ones.

[InVeNtOr]

okay, first let me tell you that my experience with this is solely on aircraft and aircraft related problems.

since solder is not a pure metal it will by a natural condition break down and corrode by being dissimilar metals. that statement is true for all metals and all applications.

the soldered connections on aircraft were replaced because over time (15-20 years) that connection wouldn't be as good as it the first day it was made. that means there is a sliding factor with the life span of a soldered connection.

now for a little reality....since you are not using the cable in any aircraft and are not going to sub zero temps and extreme high temps, you shouldn't have a problem with a soldered cable. also i would seriously doubt that you would keep a cable for more than 15 years so the time factor shouldn't come into play.

since i don't want to deal with a soldered cable i chose to get a crimped one. i would always recommend a crimp cable over solder if the cable won't be accessible. meaning it's buried in a wall and if you were to move the cable would remain. that way i know the cables life would be the same as it was the first day i bought it to the last. no one wants to knock a hole in a wall to replace a cable! (especially if they just spend a few extra dollars to get a crimped one.

again this is my own opinion and take it for what it is worth.

BTW if some one says they use "silver solder" ask what percent it is. i know i have the good expencive kind (takes a 100w soldering iron to melt it) and it is only 95% silver and 5% other. so no matter what no solder is pure. (we only use the silver solder on certain applications).

[falcon20x]

Very
interesting point you are making inventor,

Before
to get in aviation I was in the electronic field and I was always under
the impression that soldering was better for contacts, I 'm aware of the
problems associated with it but never thought it would be an issue for small HT
applications. As you point it out the conditions experience by an HT system is
nothing near what an airplane goes through.

I
believe on a Dassault airplane there is no soldering either, that would be a
question for KJ5DQ to answer.

I
still solder my cables before to put the connectors on, prevents little pieces
of wires from breaking down or touching the other cables so I don't get a
short. A reason to solder the tip of the cables is conductivity, if you were
going to spend the money on higher gauge cables and connectors why would want
the connection between the 2 to be the tip of the screw holding them together?

It
would be like increasing the size of the water pipe in your house so you could
get more water faster but not increasing the output of the faucets.

I
do agree with inventor on soldering but it does not mean soldering is bad, as
long as you are using the proper equipment and material (and you know how to do
it) it should last awhile.

What
happened with Monster cable is not surprising to me, when your only motivation
is to make money by using uneducated customers, what do you expect? Quality
with that?

[falcon20x]

Very
interesting point you are making inventor,

Before
to get in aviation I was in the electronic field and I was always under
the impression that soldering was better for contacts, I 'm aware of the
problems associated with it but never thought it would be an issue for small HT
applications. As you point it out the conditions experience by an HT system is
nothing near what an airplane goes through.

I
believe on a Dassault airplane there is no soldering either, that would be a
question for KJ5DQ to answer.

I
still solder my cables before to put the connectors on, prevents little pieces
of wires from breaking down or touching the other cables so I don't get a
short. A reason to solder the tip of the cables is conductivity, if you were
going to spend the money on higher gauge cables and connectors why would want
the connection between the 2 to be the tip of the screw holding them together?

It
would be like increasing the size of the water pipe in your house so you could
get more water faster but not increasing the output of the faucets.

I
do agree with inventor on soldering but it does not mean soldering is bad, as
long as you are using the proper equipment and material (and you know how to do
it) it should last awhile.

What
happened with Monster cable is not surprising to me, when your only motivation
is to make money by using uneducated customers, what do you expect? Quality
with that?

[nomad02rider]

FWIW quite a few years ago I worked six months as a rigger at a small boat company, we crimped and soldered all of our connections. Just my .02 cents.

[InVeNtOr]

hey terry, i did work at dassault! and yes we did solder some stuff we mainly used the silver solder though. dassault quality is higher than almost any others!