Skype headphones new cable

[DIYspanner]

I had a set of these for a while and the sound is lost on the left because of the cable is broken

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pro-Skype...74afe4&pid=100011&rk=1&rkt=10&sd=261613434388

The wires are very fine so does anyone know the best way to put a fit cable and how to strip of the delicate insulation ?

 

[Lucid]

Err... The headphones are £6.99... Do you really want to mess around trying to repair them?

 

[DIYspanner]

No, I decided not to bother after all and bought a new set which seem better made - thanks for the input.

The set I was going to repair seem good enough quality but the new cable would be half the price of a new set.

 

[DIYspanner]

I've decided to repair the headphones.

Giving the matter some thought, phone cable will do the job as the wires in the cable are quite fine but easy to work with. I only want a couple of meters and the job will take about 20 minutes. I can get a 3.5mm jack plug of ebay for £1.

 

[Sam Gangee]

Standard telephone cable uses twisted pair, solid core wires. Not ideal for headphone repair. It's not screened and it snaps easily.

 

[DIYspanner]

I was thinking of the external type phone cable with that BT engineers use, it seems quite robust !

Hifi speakers cable isn't screened that I can see.

 

[Lucid]

I was thinking of the external type phone cable with that BT engineers use, it seems quite robust !

Just as Sam Gangee said, BT cable of the type you're thinking about is made up of solid core twisted in to pairs. Being a solid core then it's not designed to be bent and flexed repeatedly. Yes, they're robust in terms of surviving for years after having been nailed to a wall, but those installations do not include the sort of flex stresses that a headphone cable undergoes. It will get stress fractures and the cores will break. Telephone cable and Ethernet cable is of very similar construction. One wouldn't make computer patch leads from solid core cable for exactly the same reasons as we have outlined above. Any patch cable would be made from a multi-strand cable. That's the stuff that is more flexible.

Hifi speakers cable isn't screened that I can see.

Screening is desirable when the source signal running through the cable is of a relatively small amplitude compared to the amplitude of any external signals that might interfere with it. The screen acts as both an interference barrier and also a low resistance path to earth. This is the case with the low current signals typical in headphone cable. Speaker cables are not shielded in general because the source signal is very much greater than the effect of interference.


In the end you'll do whatever you want to do. We're telling you why the path you've chosen isn't the right solution. Whether you decide to listen is up to you. Personally, I think you're a bit mad to waste your time on a set of £7 headphones, but that's only my opinion.

 

[Sam Gangee]

Correct, speaker cable isn't screened because it's a very low impedance system. Headphones tend to be higher impedance and more prone to interference AND often used near to equipment that creates interference. Are your headphone cables screened or unscreened?

External phone cable used by Openreach is indeed robust and, for that reason (inflexible, heavy), I would have thought it to be totally unsuitable. More appropriate would be the "indoor" type of "phone extension" cable, which is lightweight and flexible (but not screened).

 

[DIYspanner]

Very informative reading folks, many thanks.

I've got a new headphone set ordered.