MOTM

Hello List!

Please excuse the length and elementary nature of this posting, but I have a good number of questions about wire/cable and MIDI. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated!

I am currently designing a couple of very simple, passive modules for my system. The first is a panel filled with 1/4" input and output jacks separated by momentary switches for use in "on-demand" modulation, etc. The second project is a custom "break-out" panel that will bring the outputs from my Kenton Pro-2000 around to the front as 1/4" jacks for ease of use with my MOTM system. My system is also large enough for me to start thinking about fabricating a bunch of patch cords.

In all of these projects, I will be using Switchcraft jacks and plugs exclusively because of their high quality and reliability and I want my wiring and cabling to be of the same high standards. A recent examination of the current Mouser catalog, however, yielded a bewildering array of wire and cable choices! Many different brands are available, each with different types of conductors, shields, insulators, and jackets.

My first question is this: What specific Brand and Model Number of cable would you recommend for fabricating HIGH QUALITY patch cords? I have had people tell me to use Belden cable exclusively because it's the industry standard. Others have told me that they have had excellent results with DGS/Gotham products, while still others have said that "cords is cords" and not to worry about it (This doesn't sound right at all) . What are you other MOTM builders doing about patch cords? Are you buying them already built-up or are you making your own like me? If you are "rolling your own", what cabling are you using?

My second set of questions deals with MIDI cabling/wiring. On the Pro-2000 break-out panel, I will be bringing the 4 MIDI jacks around to the front along with the 1/4" outputs. What specific Make and Model Number of cable would you use for this purpose? I am pretty much of a MIDI neophyte and this is all confusing to me.

The 5-pin DIN jacks that I recently purchased actually have 6 solder connections on the back. 5 of the connectors are arranged in a 180-degree half-circle (from 9:00 to 3:00), while the 6th connector is at the bottom (at 6:00). I have read that the standard 5-pin MIDI connection has 4 data transmission pins and 1 ground; if this is true, what is the 6th pin for? How many conductors would I need in my MIDI cables?

As a related question, I have seen many books on MIDI by Craig Anderton, Robert Penfold, and others; what specific titles and authors would you recommend for a MIDI newby like myself that would help me to better understand MIDI specs and usage?

These questions will undoubtedly seem awfully rudimentary to some of you folks, so I again ask that you please excuse my excessive use of your time and expertise! If some of you "old-timers" could give me specific cable recommendations (ie- "Use Gotham DGS-1 for your patch cords" or "Use Belden Type 9418 for your MIDI cabling"), I would be much-obliged!

Thanks!

Chris Parker
Busted Flat in Baton Rouge

> From: "CHRIS PARKER" <CPARKER@...>

> My first question is this: What specific Brand and Model Number
> of cable would you recommend for fabricating HIGH QUALITY patch
> cords?

I roll my own out of guitar cables I have laying around that I cut up.
Usually Belden, but for patch cables it's important to have the heavy rubber
cover, and a woven copper mesh ground, not the foil and drain wire kind of
ground. Also, for me it's important to find a cable with wire that solders
easily. Seems like a silly requirement, but I have seen some cable that
absolutely refused to take solder.

In other words, get something similar to what would be used to make a high
quality guitar cord. SOrry I don't have specific wire numbers.

> The 5-pin DIN jacks that I recently purchased actually have 6
> solder connections on the back. 5 of the connectors are arranged
> in a 180-degree half-circle (from 9:00 to 3:00), while the 6th
> connector is at the bottom (at 6:00). I have read that the
> standard 5-pin MIDI connection has 4 data transmission pins and 1
> ground; if this is true, what is the 6th pin for? How many
> conductors would I need in my MIDI cables?

The 6th lug is probably a chassis ground. Don't use it. One of the points
about MIDI is that it avoids connecting the chassis grounds of the two
devices it is plugged into. MIDI only uses 3 connections. I don't have the
connector pinout in front of me, but it is the middle 3 pins of the 5, with
ground being the middle one. So your cables only need 2 wires plus ground.

> On the Pro-2000 break-out panel, I will be bringing the 4 MIDI jacks
> around to the front along with the 1/4" outputs.

I'm going to build a panel for my Expressionist also. I'll be adding gate
lamps to the 8 gate outputs, and will build the LED drive circuits on one of
Paul's breadboard kits, if I can figure out how to cram everything on the
panel and still leave room to mount the circuit board support legs.

Dave Bradley
Principal Software Engineer
Engineering Animation, Inc.
daveb@...

On Monday, June 14, 1999 7:17 AM, CHRIS PARKER
[SMTP:CPARKER@...] wrote:

> My first question is this: What specific Brand and Model Number of cable

would you recommend for fabricating HIGH QUALITY patch cords? I have had
people tell me to use Belden cable exclusively because it's the industry
standard. Others have told me that they have had excellent results with
DGS/Gotham products, while still others have said that "cords is cords" and
not to worry about it (This doesn't sound right at all) . What are you
other MOTM builders doing about patch cords? Are you buying them already
built-up or are you making your own like me? If you are "rolling your
own", what cabling are you using?

>

I'll bet some would have strong opinions on this... But I make my own patch
cords using single conductor test lead wire. This means no ground or
shield. So far I haven't noticed any noise or hum and it makes for a nice
and cheap patch cord set. Of course it won't work for external patching.
For that I just use a few high quality guitar cords.

The cable I chose is from Alpha supplied by Mouser. I use the real thick
stuff (1/4 in). It's rubber coated, designed for extended handling, and
it's real flexible. I chose some relatively cheap 1/4 in plugs too. They
have a plastic body. They've worked out well too (so far).

I use red cable and plugs exclusively. It looks pretty cool in front of
the MOTM panel, they're easy to see, and it reminds me of the lack of
ground. I'm gonna start color coding them (probably by length) using
colored heat shrink.

John Speth
Object Engineering, Inc
mailto:johns@...