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A terrible admission - I can't solder!

H

hc25036

pfm Member
Many moons ago I worked with a chap whose life ambition was to open a high-end HiFi shop. He did so and we lost touch, but before leaving he learned of my (then budding) interest in proper HiFi and told me about some fantastic interconnec cable he had found. As a leaving 'gift' he sold me a 0.5m pair for a few quid - "they are made from the connectors used in Mirage fighter jets".

To be fair, I've used them ever since (even though I am of the 'electrons is electrons' persuasion) and I love them.

Now the bad news - one of the solder joints has broken and I have failed completely in remaking the connection, and I'm guessing the reason is either my complete lack of skill or that my cheap Weller 15W iron hasn't enough grunt. I'm about to ask a neighbour - who is a retired electronic engineer - if he could have a go, but failing that is there a kind pfm'er who for a small consideration (maybe a charity donation) would make things better for me? I'll even send both cables so you can either (1) be amazed at how wonderful they are, or (2) laugh at my idiocy!

I'm based near Reigate in Surrey.
 
15w is fairly cool b ut if it manges to melt the solder you are using your ok. remeber you have to have both the tag and the wire as clean as possible and thats where flux comes in dip both the end of the wire and the tag in flux and heat. this should halp the solder to make a good joint.
 
hc (or whatever your name is:D)

I think my brain has been permanently screwed by the amount of solder fumes I sniff. Been at it again tonight modding a Marantz CD63 (again!)

You need a much hotter iron to make a good joint on an RCA plug.

I am in Surrey too, and would be prepared to repair your interconnect for free.

If you are interested send me a PM and we can talk.

Rob.
 
My soldering sequence in critical points:

--(try to) remove all the previous solder with a solder pump (I use a cheap chinese with a teflon tip)
--mechanically clean all the surfaces (snad paper, brass or steel brush etc)
--chemically clean with e.g. isoprophanol, methanol, flux remover (esp. if where soldered before)
--try to fix the parts so that they press as hard as possible against each other (ask e.g. your wife/kids?etc for help or be creative ;)
--solder quicky with well heat up gun (I'd guess 15W is too low, apart from the solder it must heat also the surfaces); best pre-heat the surfaces first before applying the solder; use good silver-containing soft melting solder
--if you cannot do it all in one short (count 121-122) shot, no worries, do it in two but shorter
--examine the joint; should be shiny, cover well the area but withou an obvious excess, and should hold strong
--if ok, clean it mechanically with e.g. a brush to remove the flux
--clean it chemically with a flux remover untill there is no flux left neither on the joint nor close to it
--protect it with a drop or two of shellac or something similar; the lack should completely cover the joint and a part of the cable/lead/etc in immediate proximity to it
--open a bottle of good wine to relax until the shellac dries (this last hours and hours and hours ...)
 
Blimey - no wonder I couldn't get it right! My ignorant approach started at the fifth point and went straight to the final one!

Thanks to all for your help. This really is a great forum....
 
toprepairman said:
Hi, if you havn't had it done yet then you could just pop round and I'll di it for you. I'm in Leatherhead.
Regards
Henry
Click to expand...

Thanks Henry - in fact Rob (Puffin) above has offered and I'm about to post them off to him.

pfm'ers are such a generous bunch!

Rick
 
There have been many claims for trickle down technology from the aerospace industry finding its way into hifi, with varying degrees of success. To wit..
A. The ceramic bearings/balls in my support system are used in the turbines of fighter jets. And they make for a great support system, easily out doing the steel ones used in the regular Fraim.
B. One Russian guy makes extremely high end interconnects and speaker cables that are 1. Surplus wire from some Soviet space shuttle and 2. almost universally hailed for their ne plus ultra performance and at a ne plus ultra price (over five grand for the interconnects alone...each). A friend shipped me the entire loom (interconnects, speaker wires, power cords) to try out in a project, and they were very easily outdone by much cheaper Cardas wiring. I wouldn't have paid $200 for that loom, let alone the $30,000 retail it must have cost at the time.
C. There is one very high end Brit wire company using wires found in I think submarines, or maybe it is also fighter jets, which by far has allowed the most transparent sound I have ever heard. But much of it has to do with termination and the choices of plugs as with the wire itself.
 
Rick, I sent you a PM, but it is not showing in my outbox. Can you let me know if you got it. Thanks.
 
I love the idea that "It's used in aerospace so it must be good" and how it gets consumers in. The airbus A380 has mostly aluminium wiring so is that going to be the next big thing for audio?
 
I got the cable from hc25036, or Rick as he is known. There should be some pics appearing in the links below.

The cable has come adrift from the plug IMO as it is a very thick and stiff cable. Difficult to say what the conductor is as the end is covered in solder. The strain relief provided by the Maplin plugs, is not in fact doing anything. I have used these plugs in the past and used several layers of heat shrink to avoid this problem.

So far as the cable is concerned, IMO it may not be best suited to signal transference applications. It looks to me like the old Furukawa speaker cable of the 70s/80s (it may be coincidence that it has the same colour sheaths) there is a screen connected at one end only.

My reason for posting is to get others on here to give their opinion of whether this aerospace cable is any better or worse than say a budget priced interconnect. I have not heard it and so cannot comment. I have spoken to Rick and he is happy to hear what others have to say.

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Rob.
 
Thanks Rob - I'm fascinated! The cables were sold to me in around 1984, but beyond that and the "Mirage jet" claim, I know nothing (not even that they were "directional" as you've discovered). The chap who sold them to me was a work colleague and I'm sure was trustworthy. As mentioned earlier, he had a sideline in hifi and left to start up a business in high-end stuff.

Depending on what people here come up with, I may be in the market for some sensible interconnects around 0.75m.....
 
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