Sounds familiar? You've just bought brand new hi-fi component and are stuck with some cheap interconnects? The cables you like are 100 € or more and you just can't buy them yet. If you have just some basic tools as modder, you can make them for almost next to nothing. You need: cable of your choice (be sure to get it at a specialized store because usually the staff there will recommend the best for your set of components) - I used mine that goes for 8 €/m, silver covered wires, shielded RCA terminals - try not to buy the cheapest and not the smallest as you'll be having trouble soldering sleeving of your choise - the 6 mm one does the trick with most cables and sharp knife - get it sharp as it gets a pair of scissors needle-nose pliers insulation stripping tools of choice - knife will do, if you don't have it heat shrink - you can do without as well soldering iron and wire and stand heat gun and/or a candle to shrink the heat shrink and to melt the ends of sleeve as seen below: Measure the cable first and cut it to size. As you don't want to damage the RCA terminals, put some heat shrink over the clamps and shrink it. Using a sharp knife cut away the insulation and outer shielding on 3 of 4 ends (assuming you are making a pair of cables). Measure the length of the insulation you have to strip depending on your RCA terminal. Be sure that you don't cut over the part with the fastening screw. Cut away the filling material as well. Strip and bend the wires as following and cut app. 5 mm of the white wire - it will be easier to solder later. Strip the insulation on the last end, but leave half of the shielding closer to the white (negative) wire. Fold the shielding with the negative (white) wire. This will become the ground end of the negative line. Cover the wires with solder for later. Add some solder the little "pocket" and on the base of the terminal. Prepare your heat gun. If you have bigger terminals, place you sleeve till the end of insulation. However, it's much easier to finish some 5 mm sooner, because the terminals usually have larger diameter in the end and shink in size as you near the connector. Place your heat shrink over the sleeve and shrink it. Be sure heat shrink is not visible (you might need not more that 4-5 mm of it). The cable will be held with the terminal with a screw, so don't worry about it. Use smallest heat shrink possible and use the gun set to 250 degrees Celsuis. Roll the cable over slowly to shrink it. If you're using a candle, just be careful not to melt the sleeve. Solder the wires and fasten the screws. The end with the shielding goes on the "black" cable and will be connected to the amp. You have to mark it somehow, laser engrave it if you will, but I use a simple trick. I fasten the screw on this end parallelly to the cable and on all the other ends transversally. Or you could use a black marker and make a dot inside the terminal where it can't be seen. Place the caps over. And your cables are done. Try the cables first with some cheap source, like a portable CD-player. Set the volume to lowest and check if there is any humming. If there is, check the solder welds and reweld if needed. Otherwise, connect your equipment and enjoy the music. Financial aspect and listening pleasure: This cable cost me 22 € for 2 x 0,5 m with terminals and is capable of matching factory made interconnects worth up to 200 €. The author does not take any responsibility for damage caused by products made by following this guide.
