Have a look at these Beauties!!!! How to make your OWN "High End" Cables!!! - Page 62

I like them bare actually as to amaze and start a topic with curious guests in the office

I finally gathered up all the stuff I need to make some cables. Tonight I sat down to test my hand on a small length of wire.

I'm using 14/2 in wall speaker wire, and I've got some of the Nakamichi locking plugs (look just like the GLS locking plugs). Everything was going as planned until I went to tighten the 2 screws down on the wire. It seems like the 14 gauge wire is a little small. Can't get the top screw to clamp down tightly on the bare wire.

The lower screw is a little tighter on the jacketed wire - and works fine if I actually insert the wire far enough so that the end of the cable pants comes in as far as that lower screw.

I guess my concern is that this is not going to make a good connection, and/or not hold the wire in at all.

Anyone else have this issue?

Did you try stripping the jacket back a little farther and folding the bare wire back on itself? That should give you a little more width to work with.

never had that problem with gls plugs. Like Unavol said, fold the wire back.

Thanks, Unavol and nezff - I also thought of that this morning, not sure why I couldn't come up with it last night when I was doing it. Not sure if the Nak's just have short screws or if it's because I'm using 14 AWG, whereas most people on here tend to be using 12 AWG. I'll try that and see how it works.


Also, I got cable pants from KnuKonceptz, and the legs are about 5" long. When I put my protype together, I felt like they were too long. I bought a few extra, so I experimented by cutting 2" off the legs. Asthetically, I like this much better - not sure why, just personal preference I guess. Anyway, just wanted to know if there was any particular reason to leave these the length they come? It looks like many people leave them longer, from the pictures I've seen on this thread.

I'm assuming they are that long for the reason that the customer can cut them to the length they want.

Is there a plate in the GLS locking plugs that will provide uniform pressure on the wire, or is it just the screw? Does one tighten the top screw to the max?

The GLS Locking plugs I used have two screws, and I just tightened them to the max. I had to twist the copper wire tightly before putting on the banana plugs, just pushing in the loose wire led to the screws not being tight.

Thanks. Fortunately BJC 12/2 is wound tighter than most forum members, so I think I'm good

Hmmmm

I bought Nakamichi locking plugs. The screws on those plugs are too short. Everytime I tried to tighten the both screws to make a good contact with cooper and sleeve, it fells into the casing.

I also tried double twist to copper so that screw can reach it and tighten the contact with copper. No luck..

Can you post what is the screw lenght of GLS locking plug which hold the copper?

btw I'm using Monoprice 14G CL2 speaker wire if that matters..

I made the cable for my center speaker last night and attached the Nak locking plugs. I'm also using 14AWG wire (not monoprice) and - as suggested above - I stripped the wires to the copper, twisted the copper and then doubled it back on itself. The wire then fit into the plug pretty well. I haven't had a chance to test yet (haven't moved the speakers or AVR into the room), but it seems much better fitting then when I was trying my test piece the other night and just inserting the wire normally (ie. with no double back).

Got the braiding and pants on my cables for the L/R, but didn't get the plugs attached last night. I think they look pretty good.

Thanks to everyone who posted tips on this thread.

you doubled it back on itself and it still doesnt fit? That doesnt sound correct.

Doubling the copper to back itself made it fit into the casing but the screw is still loose due to not being tighten as it should hold the copper. Even without doubling the copper the wire is able to fit into the casing.

Don't you want to have tight contact with copper and casing of banana plug so that it make good contact with speaker or receiver terminal.

Just inserting the copper into the casing with double/triple twist onto itself, IMO doesn't make good contact with the terminal as wire directly inserted into speaker terminal..correct?

I plan on changing my existing wiring in my room to 10 gauge. I purchased 10 gauge grey from blue jeans. I will be changing colors also to rattlesnake. I wont be doing the "standard" cable pants look, but a "skirt"

I might be able to post pics.

As noted, I used the Nak locking plugs with 14AWG wire and I did have to double the copper back on itself. I actually left the leg of the cable pants long enough to insert into the lower section of the plug, so that tightening the bottom screw down on the jacketed portion of the wire holds the wire in quite tight. Then, the I just tightened the upper screw down onto the bare wire (doubled back) so that it made contact, but it wasn't super tight.

I did this with the cables I made for the L/C/R (terminated at wall plates, so both ends done this way), and the front heights, and I also terminated the wires that go into the AVR this way - hooked them all up this weekend and they all work, so I must be getting contact. (The surrounds are flush to the side walls, so just did bare wire in the binding posts)

mine... gls safe connect bananas on one end, speakon connectors on the other....

i recycled and cut up some old speaker cables that i had lying around, so i had a pretty easy time of this.... i think they came out rather well... still need to do the ones for the surround speakers...

Congrats!!!

And that is an interesting combination of colors that you have on those wires

^^^

thanks...

lol... what can i say... i got those speaker cables long ago when swmbo was going through a purple stage...

they worked out well though... didn't have to deal with putting on cable pants, just chopped the cables in half, cut to length, and chopped the old connectors off the cable pants end... putting together the speakons was a bit of an exercise in patience, as they max out at 14 gauge, so i had to trim some strands off the 12 gauge to get it to fit... a little bit of black electrical tape on that end to keep the techflex from fraying...

not bad for a recycling job... the only thing i didn't have already were the speakons...

not too shabby, Chris .

@ ccotenj

Yeah, the recycled part is the most important piece of the great job that you did there. So, once again congrats!

thanks mate... i followed your lead on this...


for once, one of the thousands of cables/wires i've saved came in handy...

they'll eventually be techflexed in black... the whole front of my room is black, and the purple shows, which irritates me...

NOOOOOOOOO!!!

Keep them purple........they look sexy..........kidding!!!

Yeah, I took a look of your HT (nice by the way) and they indeed must be ....... let's say.....distracting

They're really umm, cute.

I forget the name of those ends, and not sure whether you have experience with them but I am interested in changing out my receiver ends to this, they look very clean and foolproof. If you care to leave an impression I'd appreciate it.

look like speakon connectors

Yes thanks, speakons. I was posting from android app and didn't feel like searching. They appear to be a great way to go.

the purple does grow on you after awhile...

thanks, appreciate it... actually when it's dark, you can't see them... so maybe i'll leave them that way for awhile...


yup, speakons... and yup, they are... this is the first time i've used them, and i'll never not use them again where ever i can... they lock right in... i wish i could use them on the speaker end as well... some pics of them in action...

ignore the grey pipe in the last pic, i haven't gotten around to flocking it yet...

the speaker/sub cabling runs through that around the room, and all terminates behind the center channel stand...



the connectors are all wired into the stand...



and then the stand covers the whole mess up...

I'm about to run speakerwire for surrounds through the drywall and back out near the baseboard, and I'm looking for suggestions on what type of grommet/bushing/plug to use. Since it will be in plain view I don't want to use a large jack or wall plate, and I was looking for something small, subtle, and decent looking (has to be white to match baseboards, walls, and techflex). Can anybody recommend any of these?

Attachment 243351

Attachment 243352

Attachment 243353

^^^

no purple?

the middle one looks sturdy enough... a little glue on back to hold it to wall... bit really, any grommet that you can get to stick in the wall should be fine...