making your own component cable (1 Viewer)

[Derek_P]

...i have read about making your own component cable out of rg6 cable...

... let me just double check... if i go to home depot and get 3 pieces of rg6...and get some f-connector to rca adapters... can i use this for component video???

 

[Dave Milne]

Yes, Derek that will work. There might be some minor loss of signal quality through the adapters, though (probably not visible depending on your display setup). You can also buy bulk RG-6 cable (Home Depot carries standard and quad-shield) and put your own RCA connectors on them. Lots of threads on this topic. The Canare connectors are close to "true 75 ohm" and are reasonably priced. Unfortunately the Canare crimping tools arent. Home depot may carrry screw-on RCAs for RG6... I can't recall.

 

[Derek_P]

thanks.. i'll check it out.... ya.. the less adapters you have the better

 

[Derek_P]

i was up at radioshack..... i couldn't find crimp on or screw on connectors... but i did find these at radio shack....




(similar to this... but from radio shack.. it's a solder kind)

can you solder the rca adapter to a rg6 cable? if not what do you solder these rca connectors to... what kind of cable?

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Derek: People have tried to use CATV coax for component cables and found them less-than satisfactory.

Coax is built for different applications. Just because the form-factor is "RG6" does not mean it will work for video, let alone progressive or HD video. This is like saying you can drive at 55 mph on any road covered with asphalt. I mean asphalt is asphalt right? Yes, but the road it covers are designed for different speeds.

Look in your local phone book for Electronics and Telecom stores or outlets. Call them and ask if they carry the following make/model of coax:

Belden 1694
Belden 1695A
Canare L5-CFB

The first 2 are single coax cable and should run you about $0.50/ft, the third is a bundle of 3 cables and should run you about $1.50/ft.

Or, if you find a telecom supply house, ask them what RG6 coax they carry that is suitable for HD video application. Some common brands are CoastCom or Mogami. Ask them if they sell by the foot and what the "Cut Charge" is. This means they will sell it to you by the foot, but they charge something like $7 to measure and cut the custom length.

It's not hard to find the "good stuff", and the prices are not bad, but you do have to hunt a bit. You will have a much better chance of success if you start with the coax designed for component video.

Good Luck.

 

[Derek_P]

it is hard to find that kind of stuff in canada though...

does anyone sell canare in canada?

 

[ThomasL]

Derek, I don't know who sells Canare in Canada but I've purchased Canare connectors from haveinc.com as well as other Canare accessories and they've been excellent in service and turn around time. I've used Canare L5-CFB that Bob mentioned to make regular coax cable patch cables (I require a lot in my house - I had to make like 30 of them) and Belden 1694A for the actuals runs up into the wall on my first floor. I'm also currently making a component cable for a friend using the left over Canare cable - 3 separate cables cut to the same length. Since he doesn't want anything fancy - just the decent cable and connectors, I'm using colored electrical tape to bundle the cables and to identify which is which at each end. About the only drawback to this approach is flexibility - the Canare cable can be a bit stiff but it's definitely not as stiff as the cheap RG6 at Home Depot. The Belden is a little more flexible. This is really only an issue when making the length determination (allow for some slack and space on the bends). I will most likely use this approach if I ever need new video/component cabling in the future. When I first got a dvd player 3 1/2 years ago, I bought a $70 Monster component cable (which I'm sure was overpriced) which has worked well and I can't really bring myself to taking it out of commission for my homegrown cable. Perhaps when I upgrade to HDTV digital cable and an HDTV-ready set, I'll swap in the Canare cable.

cheers,


--tom

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

Also 7710a, which is 1694 in a 3 conductor bundle, or V3-5CFB which is Canare's 3 conductor bundled version.

 

[Mark Rich]

You can purchase Belden cables from Anixter. Check you phone book for the nearest location.
You can also get all the supplies (cables and connectors)you need from Takefiveaudio.com they are located in Eastern Canada.
If you want pre-made cables then try RhinoCables.net which are located in Western Canada.

 

[Derek_P]

what would be better on the X1?


running 50 feet of component to the component ->s-video adapter then into the projector

or running 50 feet of s-video to the componenet -> s-video adapter then into the projector

 

[Bob McElfresh]

I dont know if they ship to Cananda, but someone recommended Ram Electronics where they will sell you coax by the foot and Canare RCA plugs so you can build your own. Very nice.


Run Component for the bulk of the run. Component cables are typically made with RG6 which has a ... 18 ga center conductor. SVideo cable is something like a 30 ga center conductor which is much thinner and not as good for long runs.

 

[ThomasL]

I checked the prices at Ram Electronics for the canare connectors and they seem to be high - assuming that they are in US dollars. www.haveinc.com seems to have much better pricing on these. I just ordered some Canare RCA connectors for the L5-CFB cable and they were $2.53 each. If you order over 10, you'll get a discount over the listed price.

cheers,


--tom

 

[Zen Butler]

I'm not sure but Canadians may want to look at this site. I'm not very hip on Canada's pricing, you decide. It would be a good price in US dollars for bulk 7710A.

http://www.takefiveaudio.com/belden_7710a.htm

In comparison with haveinc.com and RAMELECTRONICS sites, basic 1694A will run about .49 ft. with discounts for bulk above 50ft. I'm not that hardcore though. 3 in a jacket 7710A is fine.

 

[Ken Smith]

You could also try Markertek.com. I bought a 500 foot spool of 1694A for about .27 a foot. The spool was $134.00. They also carry Canare connectors. Discounts on connectors if you buy 25 or more.

 

[Rob Bruce]

It sounds like you're doing a similar install as me, so let me tell you what I did...

I have a run of about 25 feet from my equipment rack, to my HDTV. I used bulk RG6 cabling purchased from home depot. For connectors, honestly, I went to a surplus store in downtown Toronto, and picked up about 30 RCA connectors for something like $.50 each. Yes, they were cheapo little connectors, but for how many I needed, it I figured I could try them out, and if they were unacceptable, no big deal, just go pick up some good quality connectors. Anyway, they were soldered onto the RG6, and shrinkwrapped. I also have another ~25ft run running from beside my couch to the receiver. Now, the long run from the couch to the receiver looks a little blurry with a composite signal, but I'm not sure if that has to do with either the 50ft of cable, the fact that it's a composite video line, or the fact that is was an old Playstation putting out the signal. As for the component run going from the receiver to the TV, the picture is great. There's no distinguishable signal loss, or interferance of any kind, but that's really a subjective impression on my part.

In short, home made cables worked fine for me, I think the picture looks great, and it cost me next to nothing. I'm sure there will be people out there that would cringe at the thought of using 50 cent plastic ends on their cable, but honestly, I really don't think it's hindering the system noticably. Use your best judgment on wether or not you want to make your own, my advice is try it before you stick it in the wall, if it's not satasfactory, you can move on up to something more expensive.

 

[NickSo]

Does HomeDepot cut the RG6 cables? Last time i checked, i saw big spools of them that they were selling as a spool, and the wire section all they had were power cables.

Thanks

 

[Brian Schucher]

Home Depot will cut RG6 for you.

 

[Derek_P]

Rob Bruce

just regular RG6 Coax cable.... like the kind for satellite installs?

 

[Rob Bruce]

yup, that's about it.

 

[Derek_P]

can you describe how you connnect it with soldier or can you show pics?