earphone cable?

Or, find a surplus dealer and browse his wire department.

Have Fun!

Three core cable? eh?

Sorry you've lost me there !

I'm not sure what the cable is called, but from memory I think it's something like dual miniture coax. Each coax is a single (stranded) core with screen, and is approx. 1.6mm in diameter.

Just like the cable you get on a set of earphones you get with your standard MP3 player.

Can you point me to a web address?

Ah, I understand, and I agree with your point, but with a three core single cable, you will have to split the left and right wires from the outer protective sheath, (and you will also have to split the single ground core, thus making a 4 core cable -> 2 signal and 2 ground) when routing to each of the earphones, you then loose the protection of the outer sheath and you then have to re-sheath the ground and signal from the split point.

Too much work, and the resulting cable assembly will probably exceed the 1.6mm diameter for the single cable, and it would not have that commercial "look" to it. If it was for personal use then I wouldn't be too bothered about it, but the idea I have might sell, so I'd rather go with the dual miniture coax.

thanks.

Hi John,

The 'correct size' is as I have said in a previous post, here's an extract:

"....I'm not sure what the cable is called, but from memory I think it's something like dual miniture coax. Each coax is a single (stranded) core with screen, and is approx. 1.6mm in diameter....."

and if anybody is still non-the-wiser as to what type of cable I am talking about, here's another extract from the same previous post:

".....Just like the cable you get on a set of earphones you get with your standard MP3 player...."

I'm sure everybody has a set of earphone of one type or another! This should give someone an idea of the type of cable I'm talking about?!?

Sorry if I sound a little sarcastic, but I thought this would be an easy post....silly me ;-)

thanks again.

I think he is describing a 'Y' configured cable that physically splits at a point for each earphone.

Only manufacturers seem to have these custom made for their products.

Buy some 2 and 3 condcutor cable, some heat shrink tubing, and learn to solder. You have to make your own.

Hi Luhan,

Yes, my descriptive powers are lacking it seems :o)...note to myself, must go back to school !

Yes, it is a 'Y' configured cable, that physically splits at a point for each earphone, IF the cable was a single core with 2 or 3 conductors inside this would be the case ! BUT I'm trying to source a something with 2 miniture coaxes joined together........a bit like a 2 wire "ribbon cable" except each of the wires is a seperate coax, and to get each coax to each earphone all you have to do is peel them apart....then solder them to the earphone connections.....phew!

How hard is this then !!!??!!

p.s. I can solder...I'm even pretty good at surface mount re-work as well

Again...thanks !!

;o)

Thanks John,

Yes, I just realised that also, I'm seeing all the updates pretty quickly.

Well you've gotten a step closer than I have then, I've never even found anyone to get a sample from.

I can't believe that the manufacturers of the earphones, actually make the cable as well, they must get it from a cable manufacturer somewhere, it would be so much easier to buy it in, than make it.

I think Taiwan would be a better bet, but only because they seem to make everything else !!

regards !

How about one of these?

Good Luck! Rich

What do you consider the best size? Every cable manufacturer makes three core cable.

d Pearce Consulting

You don't need coax cable for earphones. Three core does very nicely - one for ground, and the other two for left and right. You wont have any problems with either hum or crosstalk.

Pearce Consulting

It is amazing how many things you assume as given don't even enter into other people's thinking.

In Usenet, unless you are specific, expect what you get.

Pearce Consulting

I read in sci.electronics.design that snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.co.uk wrote (in ) about 'earphone cable?', on Tue, 3 May 2005:

How about telling us what you consider the 'correct size' and whether you have in mind a coaxial or figure-8 or some other type of cable?

I read in sci.electronics.design that snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.co.uk wrote (in ) about 'earphone cable?', on Tue, 3 May 2005:

The posts are overlapping; I saw your data after posting my question. I don't know where you can get that cable: it's probably made in China. I've found some samples to be of very poor quality - the copper wire is dirty and tarnished and, I suspect, impure, because it breaks very easily.

Like this ?

Graham

Able Wire makes ULTRA-FLEXIBLE MICRO-MINIATURE MULTI-CONDUCTOR CABLE

Any of the 4 core versions should do what you want. Your oversimplification of how you would go about splitting a single 4 core cable into 2 separate 2 core units is a bit fanciful. You still have to perform a 'Y' split where you divide the main cable going to each earphone and you have to re-sleeve each of these 2 core units using heatshrink in addition to adequately making the Y joint neat.

It can be done, but are you capable of doing it? Or is it too much work?

Another good source of flexible wire and cable is Cooner Wire:

Neither Cooner nor any other wire/cable manufacturer I know of makes cable like that used on Sony Walkman headphone cables as standard. I had the misfortune of splicing one of these after my wife snipped it with garden clippers. It was of zip-cord like construction such that left and right cables easily peel apart. Each half contained two very fine multistrand enameled copper wires (braided IIRC, red and clear enamel one side and green and clear enamel on the other), which were simply twisted together (depending totally on the very thin enamel for insulation) and covered with a soft PVC jacket. Absolutely no PVC was between the two wires on either side. The splice was a microscope job. It would have been cheaper to buy an entire new Walkman if I figured time spent splicing at my standard rate.

No doubt if the OP can come up with a reasonable spec he can get someone to make it, assuming he is willing to pay big bucks for few thousand feet of custom cable. Finding out who supplies Sony etc. with this stuff and getting them to sell a small amount could be tough

- not an internet job, more likely all day on the phone with far-eastern cable manufacturers who can be expected to have very little interest in small orders. How well can you bullshit in Chinese?

You've got to search for the right thing to begin with.

Coaxial cable is usually manufactured to give a specific impedance, and is usually used for RF or wideband signals like video.

What you want is some paired screened cable. Someone here posted a link to Maplin (in the UK, and seeing as that is where you seem to be too, that shouldn't be a problem), but by the quick glance wasn't quite the right stuff (it said good for phono leads, which in my mind meant was too thick for your use).

Try that Maplin link again, and scratch around there (or rswww.com).

Also, drop the sarcasm, the world doesn't appreciate tantrums.

rswww.com item 367-189 but still probably too big for you.

Hi John,

Thanks for the Maplin link and the RS link, I'm already aware of them, and as you quite correctly found out, the cables are not, as I quoted earlier, of the "correct size"......

John, the world also doesn't appreciate people who haven't read the posting thread either! Also note the extensive use of smiley faces and the sprinkling of the word "thanks" in my postings. Lightness of humour and the ability to laugh at oneself, and a sense of humility is something we should all have, at least, to some degree.

Again, thanks for the links, it is appreciated, and have a nice day.

;-)