[sdiy] good alternative for mini-jacks

[Alex Dickey]

since most of the modules i've been getting have been 1/8", i've been in a
mad search to find good 1/8" mini jacks.  up till now it looked like either
expensive switchcraft or cheap crap.  but then andrew ison contacted me and
told me he'd send me some cables he made with some jacks he got from RS in
england, FREE OF CHARGE.  a week or two later, i get these gorgeous cables
in the mail, and they're just perfect.  if a cable can be beautiful, these
are.  so big thanks to andrew.  fantastic guy.

but relevant to you folks is the lead he provided that led to my tracking
down these jacks.  the RS website is www.rswww.com and the jacks are part
number 449988.  i got an email this morning from RS and they let me know
that since they have no US dist., CC ordering from the website is cool.  the
jacks are £0.473p each or £4.73 per pack/10.  that works out to something
like $.70us per, about half what the switchcrafts go for.  they're all
metal, feel much more solid than the crap ones i bought from mouser, have a
plastic cable protector top, and have bands of knurling on the outside for
added traction.  

alternatively, these jacks are available from dick smith electronics in
australia, and go for $1.14aust, which, with the $aust. so low right now, is
even cheaper than the RS price.  this is the link on those:
http://store.yahoo.com/dse-au/p1136.html.  i got an email from the DS folks
this morning and CC ordering off their site is kosher too, your bank will
convert.

hope this helps someone else as much as it's helping me.

alex

http://www.geocities.com/aurelialuz/

"wha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na."
-j. caletti