[sdiy] question about cables

[Graham Atkins]

Well,

On 24 Aug 2009, at 19:52, cheater cheater wrote:

> OK, solid core cable works well if you install it and forget it, but
> it's not really ever this way with modular synths in my experience.
>
> 1) a lot of people like to adjust their modules every now and then.
> That might need you to move the pcb around and in the course of that
> you could manipulate the wire

Being "solid core" does not make them totally inflexible, copper will
bend a fair bit without fracturing. Allowing some rigidity allows you
to bend looms into place to keep cables apart from themselves and
your PCB's / modules so not really a problem.

>  the sound will be degraded to the level provided by
> your patch cords. Another run of the same wire will not degrade it any
> further, the cable in question has already degraded it already.

I think you are reading too deeply into this issue, "degrading" is not a
serious problem IMHO.

> 4) there is the question of how often you'll have to replace a
> stranded (soft) cable vs a rigid (single-core) cable. I am not sure!
> Any thoughts? Which one will oxidize faster? Which will crumble
> faster?

The whole idea of plating the bare copper conductors with tin, silver,
GOLD......or whatever is to reduce the oxidisation problem too a
neglegible level which it does quite effectively compared to bare
copper. Have you seen a bare copper PCB oxidise as opposed to a
plated one ?, it will happen overnight.

I think you are reading too much into these issues, they are not as
bad as you may think. You should have been a Hi-Fi enthusiast LoL.

Graham