Soldering Pancake Plugs

[@EldonHuff]

Most helpful video I’ve found! Thanks!

[@ThePauloman80]

Thank you, I'm so glad! I do feel like I need to make an updated video with a better camera shot; this was filmed on whatever the current iPhone was at the time, and it was literally perched on a shelf over the table. =D But as long as it's still helping others, I'm good with it.

[@fullmetalfunk]

TT stands for tiny telephone. It's mostly used on switchboards in studios to quickly route signals without having to have 1/4 cable running everywhere.

[@burrmanchu687]

Super helpful. No fluff. Great vid.

[@ThePauloman80]

Thanks, glad you found it useful!

[@JoshWildhorn]

This helped clear a lot of things up thanks for making the vid!

[@karlhouseknecht]

The current L229 plugs have a separate lug for the ground...not clear from the video if yours do too. Makes it easier to attach the ground wire instead of soldering to the flat metal portion of the plug, just put it through the lug like you do the conductor.

[@ThePauloman80]

Yeah, looks like a recent update to the design. Having an actual lug could certainly make it easier.

[@lewisolvera6249]

Mogami 2319 has a conductive, black coating around the clear, center dialectric which needs to be stripped away (it's soft and I use my thumbnail) to prevent shorting.

[@voodoochili12]

Question: if the lead/inner conductor has a conductive coating that has to be removed, AND it is surrounded by the ground wires, how is it that shorting does not occur all the time? I guess a better question is: when does shorting occur? How is this affected by the presence/absence of the conductive black coating? In other words, if shorting occurs when the lead and ground touch whether or not the conductive shielding is there, why does it matter whether it is removed or not?

[@ThePauloman80]

dirtdirt The coating ensures the integrity and durability of the cable over time as it's used. Shorting occurs when/if the cable gets worn out or the connections to the plug aren't made properly (i.e. cold solder joint, loose or stray conductive threads, messy soldering). The lead and the ground shouldn't ever touch, and that's the point of the coating.

[@martinskanal]

I am soldering George L .155.. Same thing, need to get rid of the black coating. Thanks for this video mr pauloman

[@bentackett6299]

Yes Lewis! Although an excellent video, this step was missed. From Mogami website: Most musical instrument sound pick-ups, for example those in electric guitars, are comprised of high impedance circuits driven mainly by voltage, with very little electrical current flow. That is why handling noise (microphonics) can be a problem for guitar cables. Microphonic noise is caused by the minute voltage generated when a cable is flexed, stepped on, etc. Guitar cables must be designed to prevent this, so a conductive PVC layer is placed under the shield conductor to drain away this voltage. Note: This conductive layer must be stripped back when wiring, or a partial short will result.

[@ELJC1]

Great tutorial. Thanks.

[@DowneyOrrick]

Great tutorial! This helps a lot

[@ThePauloman80]

Downey Orrick Glad you found it as such! Happy cable building!

[@GerryTrevinoGames]

Great video! Thanks!

[@ThePauloman80]

Dr. Gerardo MD Glad you found it helpful!

[@AMH4brothers]

Hey bro thanks for the vid! How many watts do you recommend using when heating up the solder and just the whole process? Thanks!

[@ThePauloman80]

Steven Tijerino No prob, thank you! I find the higher wattage irons make the work much easier, but you could make due with a 30-watt. I prefer 35-45 alongside a base with the variable temperature control. I also personally think Weller makes one of the best options out there in their particular price point.

[@brloughlin]

are you familiar with the hosa patch cables? Well they have the most slim profile I've seen yet. I love mogami cables, but would like to know, do you know anything about where to get those hosa pancake connector head instead of the switchcraft ones your using? any insight? id like to make some custom length patch cables just like your doing, only using the host type pan heads......

[@Andyjpro]

Brian Loughlin Yes! Me too! I'm looking everywhere for those Hosa cable ends. I bought four that were identical to those at my Radio Shack that was closing. The ones listed on their website aren't quite the same either.

[@ThePauloman80]

Brian Loughlin I haven't tried Hosa because personally I prefer Switchcraft. As long as they're quality plugs, I say go for it! I did a Google search and found multiple options to buy Hosa, give it a go. Be careful as some Hosa-branded stuff is just cheap import junk from China.

[@Andyjpro]

ThePauloman80 I think you misunderstood. The complete cables are readily available, the problem is finding just the plugs to make custom length cables (and perhaps save some money).

[@ThePauloman80]

Gotcha. I haven't found another option (soldered, solderless, pre-packaged, etc.) that was durable enough for the amount of abuse I put my rig through, especially for the money. Since building my cables one month before I posted the video, I haven't had a single one fail. I can't say the same for *any* pre-packaged patch cable. I don't know where you could find the Hosa ends other than searching for it via Google.

[@brloughlin]

Andy Prokopyk we may have to just buy a 6 pack of 6in hosa patch cables, de-solder the hosa pan heads, and re-solder them to a custom length mogami.... ??? might be a more expensive and labor intensive route. oh well..i'll keep looking in the meanwhile. let me know if you find anything.

[@antbar21]

what would you suggest for a plug if one end will all go into a looper? the pedals will have the pancakes plugs but the looper either has to be straight or right angle...what would you suggest?

[@ThePauloman80]

+antbar21 That really depends on how close the jacks are on the looper. The only issue I've run into with these particular pancake plugs is size; while they're really flat which allows you to stack pedals really close together, the pancake enclosure is significantly larger than the thickness of the plug itself. I have a few stereo pedals whose jacks are pretty close together, and the enclosures on these plugs are too big to sit side by side, so I opted for some Mogami right-angle plugs that aren't as flat but *can* fit side by side. In your situation, I'd determine whether right-angle plugs or straight plugs would work better. Then you just install the pancake connector to the pedal end of the cable and the other connector (whether right-angle or straight) to the end that's going into the looper. As long as your connections are consistent (hot to hot, ground to ground), you should have no problem building a cable with different ends.

[@rishanranatunga4851]

You must newer use a cable tester to hold connectors when soldering.It will damage the test terminals specially if you 're not a professional solder

[@ThePauloman80]

+Rishan Ranatunga I've used this method for years and never found my tester to be damaged, but FWIW if you're concerned about damaging your tester, you can either poke some holes in a small cardboard box or drill some ¼"-plug-sized holes into a block of wood.

[@lucasbassoli6778]

+ThePauloman80 yeah I've been using a cardboard box, works just fine 👍🏻

[@RealRichBlood]

I’m having trouble getting solder to stick to the jack wall, for the ground shielding lead on the trs versions. Solder just heads up on the metal and won’t stick. Any suggestions?

[@ThePauloman80]

Richard Blood Sure. Your problem is likely down to one of three options, but the issue usually stems from one cause: not enough heat. Solder has a low melting point, so it’s pretty easy to work with. The wires in the cabling isn’t very thick, so that’s easy to work with as well. However, the enclosure of the plug is a thicker piece of metal, so it will require more heat from the soldering iron to get the jack wall to bond with the solder. Option 1: your soldering iron tip is old & worn out, it can’t handle the wattage from the iron anymore. Soldering iron tips have a lifespan; once they get too old they stop conducting current efficiently, ergo they stop heating up well. Replace the tip, you’d be good to go. Option 2: your soldering iron either needs to be turned up (if you have an iron with variable heat control) or, it’s not a variable-heat-adjustable model, you need to get an iron with higher wattage. Usually 40 watts is the minimum to get the job done, so if your iron isn’t rated at that wattage, you’ll have a tough time getting the grounding wire to bond to the jack wall. Option 3: you might just need to wait a bit longer for the jack wall to heat up. Soldering is an exercise in detail and patience =D, but I think the problem is more likely 1 or 2. I personally prefer a soldering iron station with variable heat control. I can leave it somewhat low when doing simple jobs like wiring up switches or populating a circuit board, but then I can crank up the heat when needed (i.e. when attaching grounding wires to jack walls or guitar tone pots). Hope this helps!

[@RealRichBlood]

ThePauloman80 I think you’re absolutely right! I noticed the iron not even melting my solder at times last night. I ordered a new variable heat station. Thank you. New to this so your reply confirmed what I was thinking!

[@johnmckenna6203]

Some pots I've noticed seem to have a coating on them. If all else fails you can try scuffing it up with a file or sand paper.

[@kevmac1230]

A good tutorial but a close up of the pos. and neg. tabs would be useful.

[@ThePauloman80]

Yeah, I filmed this with my iPhone by setting it on a shelf and pointing it down at the table. I'd like to update it at some point using a better camera.

[@TangDynasty1983]

Can the CT100 test 1/4 TRS to XLR male/female cable? Thanks.

[@ThePauloman80]

Apache Cai It sure can. Just plug into whichever plug matches the ends of your cable and switch it on.

[@TYB439]

You need to remove the black insulation from the tip wire.

[@ralorpa]

Can you explain the problem? If the black insulation is shorting between tip wire and the screen, how is it called insulation? Does not make sense.

[@romual90]

can this plug used as an instrument Cable?

[@ThePauloman80]

Sure, if you really want to. The plug is more ideal for top-mount or Gibson-style side outputs as the size of the pancake enclosure is a bit bigger and might cause issues with Strat-style or Tele-style output jacks as they tend to be recessed. But you never know, could work just fine. FWIW, the method for building the cable is essentially the same no matter the cable or the plug you choose. There are better options for the plug if you're looking to make instrument cables, personally I like Neutrik right-angle plugs for instrument cables.

[@AstralToneworx]

Came here for the soldering. Watched 3 ads in first couple of minutes and left.

[@ThePauloman80]

I haven't monetized this video, nor have I given any permission for any ads, so I'll look into that. Not seeing that from my end.

[@18carotginger]

I think he means the adverts for weller, radio shack, switchcraft, mogami and beringer.

[@genipaisley4340]

Doesn't use a nine volt battery, Uses 2 AAs.

[@ThePauloman80]

Some do. This one uses a 9 volt.

[@felocin]

As someone trying to do this for the first time this was very frustrating. First the 10 gauge size strips (what I think are) the ground wires off along with the casing. Second the video is out of focus and it's impossible to see what your soldering onto, where it should look like. Which are the ground wires, how do I know which solder point they go to, etc etc. lots of good info here and I appreciate it just couldn't make it work. Thank anyways.

[@ThePauloman80]

I appreciate the fact that you're new to this, and I'm sorry you had a frustrating experience. It does take practice to hone the skill and a degree of knowledge in understanding how cables work and what connects where. FWIW, the video was made with the intermediate in mind, not the beginner. I was also trying to get the video done relatively quickly so I could help some guys on a message board. It was filmed on my iPhone balanced on a shelf, for pete's sake. =) The gauge I was using on my wire stripper was relative to the gauge of the cable I was using (which I am particular picky about), so I can add a note that cable gauge is directly proportional to which gauge you should use on your wire stripper. If you bought the exact parts I specified in the video and the Info section but still had problems, it's possible you weren't using the stripper properly. I can't tell you that for sure because I haven't seen you in action with it, so I'm just surmising. Regarding the solder points and which leads to use, I don't know that I could have made it any clearer, but FWIW, here's Cable 101: the copper at the very core of the cable is the hot (where the signal travels, a.k.a. positive or "+"), and the metal shielding just beneath the exterior rubber sheath of the cable is the ground (a.k.a. negative or "-"). The hot lead goes to whatever contact lug on the plug is connected to the tip of the plug. In the case of the Switchcraft L229 pancake plug, it's the lug on the left. The ground then attaches to the lug that's connected to the sleeve of the plug and grounds the connection, and on these particular plugs, it's the one on the right. When plugged in, the tip makes contact with the tip spring inside the jack to transfer the signal while the sleeve makes contact with the bushing (the port the plug is inserted into) to ground the circuit and prevent noise. Overall, this is something that takes research on the components you're working with as well as practice actually making them. When I first started making cables I made an absolute mess of them, but I've been building components like cables and DIY stompboxes (which use even smaller wiring) for quite a while now, so I've gotten much better at it. If you're still wanting to make cables yourself, I'd be happy to assist if you're interested.