[sdiy] Banana vs. 1/4" question

[Michael Buchstaller]

>world.  I don't care about these points - were there any other disadvantages
>I am forgetting?

You cannot (at least not easily) use shielded cable.

>I am actually considering redoing all 36 of these jacks to end up with an
>all-banana modular.

My first system (M100) is all banana 4 mm jacks. At the time i built it i was used to
them from power supplies and laboratory equipment, and liked them. Later, as
i discovered, some of the banana connectors are made with lousy insulating
plastic: Either cou screw the fixing nut too hard, then the plastic breaks - screw them
a little bit less hard, and they will become loose quickly.
The connectors sold by Conrad look terrible cheap (all plastic, only a small piece
of metal inside to meke contact) but have proven much better in this respect - and they
are way easier to solder.

My new System (M101) will be built with 6.3 mm Jacks instead. I know that i will have
to include several adapter boards (6.3 mm <-> 4mm Bananas and 6.3 mm multiples),
but i like the feeling of these telephone jacks more.
Plus, if several banana jacks are stacked on top of others, a slight sideward pull on the
topmost cable will crack the jack....


-Michael Buchstaller