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| author | Hannah Isopod <me@bathynomus.xyz> | 2026-02-15 22:42:27 -0700 |
|---|---|---|
| committer | Hannah Isopod <me@bathynomus.xyz> | 2026-02-15 22:42:27 -0700 |
| commit | 3b606bcc096a6d9860672e6d0d003ca9e80c067e (patch) | |
| tree | 17746584c25a0d165c0feaf884f33c1578aa4f04 /blog/posts/make_your_own_cables | |
| parent | 16e48ed8655528a81cbec84f0cbc1a211d663b37 (diff) | |
THE BIG ONE
Total website redesign.
Multiple new blog posts.
Routine updates on several pages.
Too much to list, even if I remembered it all.
Remind me not to put this git repo on any portfolios.
Diffstat (limited to 'blog/posts/make_your_own_cables')
| -rw-r--r-- | blog/posts/make_your_own_cables/index.md | 20 |
1 files changed, 10 insertions, 10 deletions
diff --git a/blog/posts/make_your_own_cables/index.md b/blog/posts/make_your_own_cables/index.md index c981dbc..16f1bf2 100644 --- a/blog/posts/make_your_own_cables/index.md +++ b/blog/posts/make_your_own_cables/index.md @@ -1,6 +1,8 @@ My current main headphones are a model that doesn't come with a removable cable by default, that I purchased through a company that offers a service to add one aftermarket for you. They offered multiple different connector options, and I chose this one: - +<figure class="media"> + <img src="4pinminixlr.png" alt="4-pin mini XLR male and female jacks. The pins are arranged in a Y shape."> +</figure> This is one of two connector types that come up when you search for "4-pin mini XLR". I opted for this connector on the basis that it would allow me to potentially use the headphones with a balanced output in the future, because I had been researching headphones for probably several days and eventually you start to think that kind of thing is important. @@ -11,25 +13,23 @@ So universally is this the case that there is seemingly essentially no market fo Instead of shelling out Intel Core i3-13100F money for what functionally amounts to 3 meters of wire and a couple of audio jacks, I lopped the connectors off of the old, broken cable and soldered on some new wires and saved myself $140. <figure class="media"> - <div> - <img src="homebrewxlrcablefinished.jpg" alt="A 3.5mm jack to 4-pin mini XLR adapter cable with a shiny black braided exterior"> - <figcaption>This braided sheathing can be had for cheap on Amazon by searching "braided cable sleeve". I used the 6mm variant here, and it comfortably fits the three 24AWG wires.</figcaption> - </div> + <img src="homebrewxlrcablefinished.jpg" alt="A 3.5mm jack to 4-pin mini XLR adapter cable with a shiny black braided exterior"> + <figcaption>This braided sheathing can be had for cheap on Amazon by searching "braided cable sleeve". I used the 6mm variant here, and it comfortably fits the three 24AWG wires.</figcaption> </figure> This isn't the only time I've had to do this, either â I, through a bizarre series of events, happen to own a piece of musical equipment made in the 1960s, in the Netherlands, with weird output jacks to match: - +<figure class="media"> + <img src="2pindin.jpg" alt="Male and female 2-pin DIN connectors"> +</figure> These are 2-pin DIN connectors, from the same family as the 5-pin DIN connectors you may be familiar with from their use in MIDI ports. My device uses a pair of these for stereo output. I can only assume this was standard at the time, in the Netherlands, but where and when I live this type of connector is all but unheard of, to the point that there are *no* cables with it available whatsoever, only the bare connectors. In order to get this thing connected to my other equipment, I had to fashion my own adapter cable out of a stereo-to-dual-mono TRS splitter cable and two of those connectors purchased standalone from the internet. <figure class="media"> - <div> - <img src="homebrew2pindincable.jpg" alt="A Stereo 1/4 inch TRS to dual mono 2-pin DIN adapter cable"> - <figcaption>I wonder how far away from me the nearest other cable of this type is.</figcaption> - </div> + <img src="homebrew2pindincable.jpg" alt="A Stereo 1/4 inch TRS to dual mono 2-pin DIN adapter cable"> + <figcaption>I wonder how far away from me the nearest other cable of this type is.</figcaption> </figure> I'm not going to attempt to teach you how to do this here â there's plenty of people on Youtube who are much more qualified to do that than me â but I think if you're at all comfortable messing with electronics this is a good skill to have. It's proven surprisingly useful to me, not just as a hobbyist who builds weird electronic gizmos for fun but as a casual enjoyer and maker of music. |