[sdiy] Using D-Sub connectors as patching elements

[Andre Majorel]

On 2012-02-21 12:05 +0100, ChristianH wrote:
> On Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:45:01 +0000 Dave Kendall <davekendall at ntlworld.com> wrote:
> > On Feb 21, 2012, at 07:13, Andre Majorel wrote:
> > > I think I would give 8-way DINs a try
> > 
> > Just looked at the datasheet for an 8-pin DIN free plug that digikey 
> > stock, and it's rated at 5000 cycles!

What's the rating on the socket ? For DINs, the female part of
the contact is the one whose mechanical properties (clearance
and elasticity) are the most critical and simultaneously the one
that is worked the hardest (flexion).

> And you think that is much?
> 
> Ok, this may be an academic calculation - but assume a dozen patch
> changes a day, so after a year it's starting to have problems.
> I wouldn't consider that good enough, not even for diy. Unless I know
> it's going to be used significantly less - as they say, YMMV.

It's a difficult problem. Round industrial connectors are
prohibitively expensive and some patch points won't be used 5000
times in your life time.

Tiptop Audio use 8-way mini-DINs in their polyphonic modules. I
expect they're even less reliable than regular DINs. It will be
interesting to see how well they hold.

-- 
André Majorel http://www.teaser.fr/~amajorel/