How To Wire A DB25 Connector for Audio

Wire a DB25 connector like a pro
/ biasedaudio
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[@acvn-hg9gy]

in caps: WOW. this helped me SO much. i'm manually (cry) soldering a 96 pole cable at work right now. this is AMAZING.

[@alexanderfroebelzehl3825]

I work in a physical chemistry lab and needed to solder a control circuit to a stepper motor using a DB-25 connector. This was very helpful.

[@biasedaudio]

Happy I could help!

[@jimnorrison8481]

Remember to put the shrink tube before your start to wire? If I had a nickle for every time I forgot. Turns you into an encyclopedia of curse words.

[@biasedaudio]

Same Here!

[@ErinIsBlueBlue]

Thank you sir, thanks to your video i had been able to tame my fear to make my cable.. With great success ! The myriads of details, the quality of shots and the tips to cut at the good length laid the ground for a successful operation. I'm now the proud owner and user of an excellent quality diy snake. Your channel is unique and very valuable, thank you for your work.

[@sethreeder3849]

This was very helpful. I just recently got into wiring studios, this will come in handy in my next project. Thank you.

[@callbackdons]

I need to find or make an apparently very unusual DB25F-to-TRS cable for a piece of gear with a non-standard DB25M at its connection point. I might still see if I can buy one, but if I can't I can tell your video is going to be super helpful. Great video, and thanks for posting this!

[@alexkourelis]

Fantastic walkthrough. Really helped me on a big project.

[@KeritechElectronics]

Nice job! I'd cut the outer sheath a little bit shorter if possible, so the plug's enclosure acts as a strain relief for it. Gonna hack together a 8in / 8out balanced on a 50 pin D-sub connector for an ESI Maya 1010 card that is lacking its breakout panel. Oh my, this is gonna be tight! Did a fair share of pro audio wiring back in late 2000s when I volunteeered at a radio station.

[@RandallFlores86]

This is great content. Clear consice explanation and demonstration.

[@biasedaudio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Five2nd]

Awesome video. Thanks for this. It's nice to get really good details on how to do things thoroughly and correctly. Wondering - would you consider doing a video on soldering/designing layout for a patch bay?

[@biasedaudio]

Hey Five2nd. I do hope to get to a patchbay video. It might be a while. Grounding should be next.

[@jmjsmaau]

Excellent video, the instructions were pretty clear and concise. Thanks for the help!!!

[@biasedaudio]

Glad I could help!

[@LeeBlaske]

Thanks for doing this. Lots of great info.

[@biasedaudio]

My pleasure!

[@edstromen]

Good video, thanks for sharing 👍

[@alejandrovarelagandara7874]

Great Job!!! Congrats!

[@biasedaudio]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@geraldleibnitz3321]

This video is greatly satisfying

[@biasedaudio]

Thank You!

[@helmanfrow]

If you're doing a lot of these consider using crimped D-Sub connectors. The tools are expensive but the end result is great and it's a little faster than soldering once you get going. Also fewer burned fingers.

[@armandodiaz3485]

Definitely. I went with machined crimped pins and hand crimper by DMC. As you said the entry price is pricey but the results are secure and there are a few specialty wire stripping tools out there for #awg 26. Just another alternative for the solder weary.

[@keefazstudio]

Not so expensive, eg at canford audio (uk website): - 1 DB-25 metal shell (44-026): 4.54 EUR - 1 DB-25 metal connector, male, for crimp (44-072): 0.90 EUR - 1 pack of 100 crimp contact, male (44-049): 8.57 EUR

[@keefazstudio]

Cheap crimp tools can be found for these contacts at amazon or ebay for 20 EUR or so

[@armandodiaz3485]

@@keefazstudio well there’s two schools of crimping, the one I’m referring to is machined pins which require a specialized hand crimping tool and machined crimp pins which are pricey but the crimp pins hold the stranded wire and crimp tool’s positioner which needs to be selected for the specific pin manufacture # you intend to use hold the pin securely. It is definitely overkill if you only intend to make a few DB25 connections but it’s something you need to try for yourself. I personally would solder before using the cheaper crimp pins/tools. You’ll know why after trying it and the stranded conductors you just crimped fall out of the pin.

[@keefazstudio]

@@armandodiaz3485 I tried it, I would not suggest it otherwise. No issue, ok I did a limited connection / unconnection moves though, it's DB25 no jacks, their use is more for semi-fixed connections anyway

[@GaryBradleymusic]

Lovely job 😊

[@1stCorinthians2_14]

So good!

[@mbanani]

Thank you very much for this video. It's super helpful. Such clean work too!. Would you be willing to tell me what diameter of shrink you're using around the solder cups and what the shrink ratio is?

[@sonysoni5079]

Great video. Thank you .

[@biasedaudio]

Glad you liked it!

[@hakankursunmusic]

Thank You!!!

[@glennodonoghue644]

Very helpful, thanks

[@biasedaudio]

You're welcome!

[@danielafrisch8839]

I always slide the shrink tube over each soldered point before I solder the next one, the heat of the iron while soldering will shrink the tube and you can work a little faster, at the end I'll go over all with a heat dryer to make sure

[@biasedaudio]

That works too, I prefer this method.

[@user-fw8nl7tk3m]

Hi can you tell me how much the temperature of the iron you set to solding the wires ? im not good in english but hophng you understand thanks.

[@elir6178]

you solder db25s, you a gangsta!!!!

[@cryptout]

Pro job!

[@peterellman9672]

I tried to send you money on Patreon but I'm not sure it's set up! you changed my life! BTW the maxim strippers are THE BEST!!!!! gamechangers!

[@biasedaudio]

Thank you so much. I have been busy and haven't been able to post new content. It didn't feel right to collect money when I wasn't creating content. So I suspended my patreon account until I can start to generate content which will be the beginning of this year.

[@leoelias77]

thanks

[@hudatva]

Thanks brother

[@biasedaudio]

Any time

[@RogerStreetFriedmanOfficial]

Great video! Thank you! having a hard time finding the teflon shrink tubing. Is that 100% necessary?

[@biasedaudio]

The Teflon does make for a very neat job, you can use shrink but it is not as easy or neat

[@btiemann6356]

Any specific sizes for the shrink wrap and Teflon wrap?

[@williamwagnon2809]

Great video! Where do you get the solid pin solder male DB-25 connectors? Any brand better than the others?

[@biasedaudio]

I get them at Mouser , Digikey, or Redco

[@zgundi]

When wiring this type of connector do all pins need to be used? For example could you run 2 XLR and 2 TS cables and only use 10 pins? The goal is to have a snake with one connection point vs 4 (guitar rig to IEM rack). Would it still function like a snake even through there are both balanced and unbalanced signals flowing through the same connector? Thank you!

[@biasedaudio]

No all pins do not need to be used. It is common in certain cases to only use a few channels.

[@brikaf6001]

do you connect the ground tab to pin 1 for AES/EBU? awesome videos, thanks!

[@biasedaudio]

I would expect it would be irrelevant as the chassis of the device you were plugging into would ground the shell.

[@pauledwards514]

Great video, thanks! Q: what Vice model (s) are you using?

[@biasedaudio]

In the description

[@pauledwards514]

@@biasedaudio Cool thanks. Can't see descriptions on my phone app for some reason. Got it now: PanaVise Model 201. Cheers.

[@peterellman9672]

Love this. I'm bout ready to go. How do you test at the end? thank you.

[@biasedaudio]

I use a digital volt Ohm meter to check continuity between the pins on each end of the cable.

[@peterellman9672]

@@biasedaudio thank you !

[@roycox4415]

Just so I’m clear. On my mogami shake cable with the ground, the clear wrapped wire and the color wire, is it G = ground, clear coated wire = low and the color wire = high or hot?

[@biasedaudio]

High and cold correct. The uncoated wire is ground. Often you will see a single twisted silver wire can be used which is neater than using all the copper wire if it is present. Some cable types have this some don't.

[@HiFi-Yeah]

Dsubs are annoying; this guy really knows what he’s doing.

[@biasedaudio]

Thanks! Sounds like someone that has "been there" !

[@raffyretardo6030]

Hi. What is the name of the vise you are using? Very interesting and quite useful.

[@biasedaudio]

There is a link to that panavise below the video in my description.

[@jimnorrison8481]

You said the Maxim's are between $80 and $100. 1.5 years later, they're now $150+. Damn Putin!

[@biasedaudio]

That is crazy!

[@HaydenMaringer]

What size Teflon tubing do you use? I only see up to #24 on that website?

[@biasedaudio]

I like to run it a little large. I think I normally use 20-22. It's hard to thread when it's too close to the wire size

[@HaydenMaringer]

@@biasedaudio I will try a 22 to be safe! Thanks!!

[@alberthofmann420]

*pushes the bluetooth button*

[@titiuriu]

Hello, thank you for a such informative video on soldering db25 connector. I've recently bought a Cordial multicore cable which came with double shield and has a main "drain wire" cable that goes together with foil shield. I didn't manage to find an answer where that drain wire should (not) be soldered to in order to get the best performance out of the cable. Does anybody had such a situation or know the solution? Thanks.

[@biasedaudio]

I doubt that main drain wire will have much effect on anything. If you use a metal shell connector you could try to connect it to that. Possibly by wrapping it around a screw usually you can't solder to metal shell connectors. Good luck.

[@titiuriu]

@@biasedaudio Thank you for a quick and imformative response!

[@urielterry]

Hello. Thanks for your information. Im new on this. Can you tell me where can i find AES/EBU cable to wire as a digital db25? I know it must be 110 ohms.,, But i need one that has 16 ch.... im looking for some one cheapest cable. thanks again Bro"

[@biasedaudio]

Redco will have it but it usually comes in 8 channel.

[@joeybaronstudio]

Jesus I’m going to get the galaxy 64 from antelope and it has 64 channels… it’s gonna take me a year to do all those dsubs… I want to make them myself cause some gear has trs 1/4 and some xlr also I can make exactly the length I need

[@biasedaudio]

I may be quicker then you think. Goes fast once you get the hang of it.

[@ChrisAlves_17]

7:15 why did you cut the shielding? The books have mentioned shield cable, it's better to connect the shield to the ground. Any reason to cut them?

[@biasedaudio]

The shield is connected to the ground with the drain wire. The bare wire covered with the teflon tubing) Wiring the entire shield to the pin would have no measurable benefit, but would make the connector a mess. Messy wiring fails.

[@ChrisAlves_17]

@@biasedaudio Thank you. Can you ahare the diameter of the teflon pipe?

[@aaronledbetter7429]

Thank you for this awesome level of detail. In the video description, there is a link to the 'good' wire strippers - but I don't think the link is accurate..? I have done db-25 to xlr in my studio before, but now I am doing an entire studio from the ground up (14 db-25 connectors - as well as many other connectors 😢). It might be worth while for me to get the good strippers for such a task, but I want to make sure I'm getting the right ones. Can someone confirm the ones used? Thanks!

[@biasedaudio]

You are correct Amazon substituted a cheap stripper. The true Maxim is now $160.00!!! There is a Paltinum Tools marked Maxim for $92.00 it says it goes to 24 gauge but Mogami is 26 gauge. So it probably works fine but I am reluctant to recommend if I haven't tried that brand. I will remove that link. Thank You. If you want the maxim you can google IDEAL 45-327 Maxim Stripper I've updated the link. you may want to try the Platinum version.

[@aaronledbetter7429]

@@biasedaudio Thanks for the reply - and again, thanks for an awesome video!! This is quite helpful info before embarking on such a daunting task.

[@edstromen]

Link to the secure holder of the db connector while soldering, seems to be done for that purpose

[@biasedaudio]

There is a link in the video description, it's the pana vise.

[@edstromen]

Thanks, and sorry, I see it just after writing. Thanks

[@danielfluet7487]

Hi , as long as the wire strippers are atleast 12-28awg ill be good to cut these? Thanks

[@biasedaudio]

Should be usually that wire is in the 22 to 24 gauge range.

[@danielfluet7487]

Awesome , thanks

[@danielfluet7487]

Knipex has an option for 10-24awg, those should be fine or cutting it close?

[@aaronledbetter7429]

I am having trouble locating db25 connectors that are made out of 'solid' metal (as delineated in this video - 0:23). Anyone know where to buy these? Redco only seems to offer their version (which they have confirmed are stamped). Not sure how much it matters - but if I'm soldering 15 of these things (using all mogami cable and neutrik connectors), I'd like the db25 connectors to not be the weak point.

[@biasedaudio]

Digikey and mouser should have then unless there is a supply chain issue.

[@aaronledbetter7429]

Thanks (again) for your assistance. Looking at Digikey and Mouser, I'm not seeing how you can delineate 'solid' vs 'stamped'..(?) Is there a particular connector you recommend for higher end cables?

[@patrickmartin4482]

For a male to male DB25, are both sides wired as you showed ? That means the single wires are "crossed", correct ?

[@biasedaudio]

As a general Statement for analog audio the pins that are Channel one, should be channel one on both ends. I expect in a female to male the wires would appear to be reversed but would align with the same Pin numbers. Now in the case of AES Digital and Data cables there are situations where you need to crossover the pins. Example in a Male to Male digital one end would be wired to the Output pins and the other wired to the input pins so the audio would flow from the Digital out of one device to the digital input of the other. This as well is brand dependent so the connectors should be understood before soldering or placing crimp connectors starts. For many cables, audio, digital, ethernet, serial, the term for this is a "Crossover" cable vs "Straight wired" cable.

[@ele508]

Hello, greetings from Mexico. One question, is a db25 printer cable suitable for my amplifier?

[@biasedaudio]

Unfortunately probably not. Not individual shielding, and the wiring configuration is most likely wrong.

[@deanfridman2352]

cant you just combine all the ground onto 1 pin? then use the extra pins for more channels?

[@biasedaudio]

This is a standard wiring used on most audio devices and patch bays. So if you wanted to make your own non standard cable I guess you could, but I expect it would be messy using all those extra wires feeding the connector.

[@summerbeatzproductionsinc.7821]

Hey, do you offer the service. I need a few db5 cables for my studio. Let me know !

[@biasedaudio]

I don't, but redco audio in Connecticut does it at a very reasonable price if you go to their website I think it's redco.com you can even configure and order the cable on their website.

[@josephlareau5726]

Any chance of doing a quad cable?

[@biasedaudio]

Possibly, but geez I hate working with that stuff! 😉

[@themagicalducklings]

Anyone know where to buy the solid metal pin (not stamped) DB25 connectors?

[@themagicalducklings]

FOUND! anchor-electronics.com/product/d-sub-solder-cup-male-machine-pin/?attribute_size=25-pin

[@biasedaudio]

I would try Redco I believe they have machined crimp pins

[@Tomtomtomahawk]

What is called "low" and what is "high" in audio cables please?

[@biasedaudio]

Low and high or positive and negative or plus and common relate to the input or the output of the device you're connecting. This keeps the polarity of the signals aligned. For a simple example an unbalanced connection you have the shield or ground which doesn't carry the signal and then you have the Plus or positive or high which does carry the signal space I'm currently working on a video that explains balanced and unbalanced circuits that may help it should be up soon

[@danielfluet7487]

Which connector would you recommend?

[@biasedaudio]

I would buy the best you could afford at redco.com . I am not compensated to say this. I just use them.

[@danielfluet7487]

Thanks! Theres nothing really that expensive on redco. i just to get something thats good!

[@moustafamahmoud8190]

Ok

[@basingstokedave4292]

not ipc standard then

[@MisterRorschach90]

It’s insane to me that the audio hardware world hasn’t caught onto the ease of standardized connectors. Just use one single standardized cable like they use for usb now. Like a locking lemo or aviator style connector with as many pins that are required for the highest capacity cables, and then for cables that don’t require that the pins are unused or can be used for another function. Like if a cable need 3 pins for analog, and the cable itself has 6-7 pins, 3-4 pins can either be unused or they can be used for something digital or power related. In a short time all instruments and gear would use these connections and in the meantime manufactures can make a killing selling dongles and converters like they did for usb an its previous incarnations. I’m just sick of having to learn new connectors. lol