How to Solder: An Illustrated DIY Guide to Making Your Own Cables

[Groucho]

I have never heard of this practice. Indeed the opposite, pre-tinning is highly recommended and mandatory in the case of work done for the US government.

I think the significant point is that the joint should be "self-supporting". If you pre-tinned your wires then you wouldn't be able to twist them together (or whatever you were doing with them) as tightly. Like glue, solder works best in very thin layers between surfaces in close proximity. If the wires are not pre-tinned, but you heat them both at the same time and run solder/flux over them simultaneously you will get the best joint.

But we know that there are joints and there are joints. Maybe ideally you'd put a wire into a phono connector and hook it through the little hole provided to make it "self-supporting", then heat both connector terminal and wire before applying the solder. But that isn't always going to happen. Maybe you're in a hurry. Maybe you're re-using a connector. Maybe you think you're going to re-use it later and don't want the faff of removing the hooked wire. In this case, it would be acceptable to pre-tin the wire and more than pre-tin the connector, heat up the connector and shove the wire in to the glob of molten solder and continue heating the joint for a second or two afterwards. It'll do. Especially if the cable is then clamped with strain relief so we know there isn't going to be any strain on the connector we've just soldered. This is how these things are done in the real world of electronic technicians unless they work for a company with 'standards'.

(As you point out, though, it is essential for the wire to be pre-tinned or it won't work.)

 

[zztop7]

I have no doubt the quality of a solder joint is critical to SQ, and I believe they require break-in.

each wire (4x6 inches)

4x6 inches wire, that should carry about 7000 AMPS. Your system must be able to take-out a stadium
zz.

 

[toddrhodes]

As someone who is about to start building my own Mogami 2549 RCA cables, I cannot thank the OP enough for all of this information. This is a goldmine, and thank you for taking the time to put this together!!

Todd

 

[toddrhodes]

Mogami 3104 twisted together for single-wiring per channel. Furutech spades, and set-screw bananas that don't otherwise come apart, and work great with the WBT lugs on my amp. I've had these for awhile but tonight decided to do them correctly and I'm happy with how they turned out.

What I started with

And done:

One old and one new next to each other

Installed

The RCAs are Mogami 2549 that I terminated with WBT 0144s, then added a little dressing to. I should have done the dressing before I soldered one of the two ends, but I was excited to use my new soldering station, lol. I still like how they turned out.

 

[unfairlane]

W hat you should use for speakercables is this. Solid copper conductors of this size not only will outperform any
other type of cable but it will wake up your amp and let it show it`s true potencial.

Bass: H07V-R wires 10sqmm. No need to upgrade your amp, just set it free.

Mid/top: Overstock 10/2 NM-B. This one will be enough to feed a smaller speaker or a
bigger speakers top-section.

Be aware that solid copper needs some heavy massage for aboutone hour to open up, it will sound wery dull before that. To burn in the top-end cable, let it feed the woofers first, then swap.

 

[Kingrex]

Thank you Wayne. Excellent post.

 

[slovell1]

This is absolutely the best guide for soldering I've ever read. Now I know what I've been doing wrong.
Regards,
Sam

 

[Don Reid]

Thirty or forty years ago when I was making all my own interconnects I could have really used your excellent tutorial, but thinking back I believe I did most things correctly working with advice from a couple of friends and common sense. Like making anything from ICs to speakers to rebuilding sailboats doing it yourself is really good for one's self esteem.