18 replies to this topic

[fawlty99]

Hi.

I'm going to make some flyleads with f connector plugs usuing Belden quad shield and crimped plugs
http://www.djcoulter...sp?stockNo=2338

Once the cable end is stripped and the foil braids folded back over the plastic sleeve is it just a matter of forcing the plug onto the cable & then crimping? The plug design seems to have an inner flange that needs to slide between the white inner insulation on the cable and the shielding foil/braid/outer sleeve but I don't think you can do that without really pushing it on firmly. Once fitted on the cable the plug is crimped.

Have I got it right?

[Dave T]

fawlty99, on Oct 4 2006, 09:18 PM, said:

Hi.

I'm going to make some flyleads with f connector plugs usuing Belden quad shield and crimped plugs
http://www.djcoulter...sp?stockNo=2338

Once the cable end is stripped and the foil braids folded back over the plastic sleeve is it just a matter of forcing the plug onto the cable & then crimping? The plug design seems to have an inner flange that needs to slide between the white inner insulation on the cable and the shielding foil/braid/outer sleeve but I don't think you can do that without really pushing it on firmly. Once fitted on the cable the plug is crimped.

Have I got it right?

Yes push/twist hard and crimp with special tool.

[damntv]

If you provide me with your email add I will send you a step by step with pictures on how to do it correctly.

[bellotv]

If you have folded back your shield,foil and shield and are using quality BONDED coax then your F plug should push on easily and not require any brute force.

When you say slide against the white insulation,this indicates to me that you are either using coax that does not have the inner foil bonded to the white insulation or is very poor quality and the foil is peeling away.

DO NOT make fly leads by using crimp on F plugs and then F-PAL adapters as these nasty little adapters will almost gauranteed give you problems.

If you are making PAL flyleads then use crimp on PAL plugs.YES these are a **** fight to fit BUT if you use an F plug to FORM the FOLDED BACK SHIELDS BEFORE fitting PAL crimp then it will go on MUCH MUCH easier  

[fawlty99]

Bellotv - your post indicates to me that I wasn't doing it 100% right. What i did was peel the foil off the internal white insulation. I thought at the time it seemed harder to do than it should be. So I should leave the inner foil and fold back the rest? The inner part of the plug should therefore slide over the inner foil which covers the white insulation. Between the inner & outer wall of the plug will be the outer layers of shielding folded back over the black cable covering. This is then crimped.

Is that right now?

Do you fold back the outer braid etc by hand or will fitting the plug normally complete this for you?

[bellotv]

Fold it back by hand layer by layer.In fact I grab it gently with side cutters and basically do four sides then massage back the whole lot smooth.When you've done thousands of them it takes a few seconds to prepare.
The trick is to get it as straight and flat(the peeled back braid) against the the black jacket as possable.
Finally have a good look at the bonded foil and check there are no stray shield wires still stuck to it as these will  make plug fitting difficult.
I also habitually smooth the bonding in a rotating action between my fingers in the direction of the overlap in the bonding foil before fitting plug to ensure bonded foil is not going to snag and peel back when plug is fitted.

[Mr.Bitey]

Bellotv,

If you dont mind uploading pics - would you consider putting them into the attachments thread on here so others can also learn?

Cheers,
Bitey

[fawlty99]

Thanks for the advice. What is the bonded foil for? Does it provide extra shielding?

[Mr.Bitey]

fawlty99, on Oct 6 2006, 06:43 AM, said:

Thanks for the advice. What is the bonded foil for? Does it provide extra shielding?

Picture-Guides are now available here thanks to damntv!

Cheers,
Bitey

[beeblebrox]

A flaring tool like the bodickey or the simple one that Skandia sell is particularly useful when doing crimp pal connectors..

What I used to do is push on an f connector and remove it before putting on the pal connector, things tend to slide better that way but now I use the cable flaring too and save the skin from my fingers by doing that 10 times a day...

[dean_gc]

i use a stripping tool and it works great with F-connectors but for the pal ones i strip the ends then RE-STRIP lightly only to take one extra layer of foil and thin the layer of shield slightly, it makes pushing on a PAL crimp-on real easy and it still crimps nice and tight! (i am talking about quad-shield RG6, of course)

YAY this is my 10th post i can start a new topic about my LCD-TV now

[dehydrated]

fawlty99, on Oct 6 2006, 07:13 AM, said:

Thanks for the advice. What is the bonded foil for? Does it provide extra shielding?

I am also interested in this question.  Anyone care to comment?

Cheers
Don.

[mtv]

Quadshield, as the name suggests, means 4 layers of shielding.

The outer braid, the outer foil, the inner braid and the bonded foil.

So yes, the bonded foil is a shield.

Always leave it intact..... I have seen people spend ages scraping it off.  

[dehydrated]

mtv, on Jun 7 2007, 02:40 AM, said:

Quadshield, as the name suggests, means 4 layers of shielding.

The outer braid, the outer foil, the inner braid and the bonded foil.

So yes, the bonded foil is a shield.

Always leave it intact..... I have seen people spend ages scraping it off.  

Thanks MTV.  That clarifys it perfectly for me.

Cheers
Don.

[cyril]

One important role of the most inner bonded shield is that it remains attached to the dielectric and ensures a consistant dimensional property and thus consistant impedance. In otherwords the coaxial cable is self contained, all the outer braids and foils only act as shields and mechanical bracing, but play no part in dimensional (thus impedance) setting of the coaxial transmission path itself. Therefore it should never be removed.

Cyril

[dehydrated]

cyril, on Jun 8 2007, 11:31 AM, said:

One important role of the most inner bonded shield is that it remains attached to the dielectric and ensures a consistant dimensional property and thus consistant impedance. In otherwords the coaxial cable is self contained, all the outer braids and foils only act as shields and mechanical bracing, but play no part in dimensional (thus impedance) setting of the coaxial transmission path itself. Therefore it should never be removed.

Cyril

Thanks for the further clarification Cyril.  As a novice to cable making for home, what is the best way to test the cable apart from seeing how the PQ is?

[beeblebrox]

dehydrated, on Jun 11 2007, 06:48 PM, said:

Thanks for the further clarification Cyril.  As a novice to cable making for home, what is the best way to test the cable apart from seeing how the PQ is?

without a some expensive test equipment either a digitial field strength meter or a Time delay reflectometer then the best way is plugging it in and looking at the picture (analogue will be usually be easier for showing cabling issues than digital)

[M'bozo]

dehydrated, on Jun 11 2007, 06:48 PM, said:

Thanks for the further clarification Cyril.  As a novice to cable making for home, what is the best way to test the cable apart from seeing how the PQ is?

If the cable and connectors are new and look intact after assembly, then use a multimeter to ensure continuity end to end for the inner and outer conductors, and open circuit between inner and outer conductor.

Works for me  

[SFC]

bellotv, on 05 October 2006 - 07:34 PM, said:

..................................

DO NOT make fly leads by using crimp on F plugs and then F-PAL adapters as these nasty little adapters will almost gauranteed give you problems.

If you are making PAL flyleads then use crimp on PAL plugs.YES these are a **** fight to fit BUT if you use an F plug to FORM the FOLDED BACK SHIELDS BEFORE fitting PAL crimp then it will go on MUCH MUCH easier  

Just to clarify I assume you mean it is best practice to make a flylead with a crimp or compression PAL for the consumer product end and a crimp or compression F-connector for the wall socket and avoid to PAL-F-connector adaptors?
Avoiding this connector;
http://www.jaycar.co...w.asp?ID=PA3653

Whilst on the subject of PAL conectors I've replaced all my PAL wall sockets with F-connectors and a dummy load terminator on the unused ports. I assume this was right thing to do?
A dummy load terminator:
http://www.jaycar.co...w.asp?ID=PP0639

From reading around the various forums It seams there are some who fold back the shielding and others that just cut it off, I guess it would work both ways with crimp or compression fittings that have the inner collar to make a good connection with the shielding but is one method any better when it comes to signal losses etc?

I would think if your doing thousands of these connections cutting it off would be easier.  I don't have many to do and have been folding the shielding back but have always removed the first foil layer, is this alright to do or should the foil remain and be folded back too?  I guess if the foil was to be folded back it would need to be cut into little strips to fold it back.

I am lead to believe that compression fittings are the best but when I was at JayCar I was told that their $40 crimping tool was much better than their $30 compression tool.
http://www.jaycar.co...&SUBCATID=954#1
http://www.jaycar.co...&SUBCATID=954#1
Would it be whorthwhile to get the compression tool and use compression fittings?

Sorry to but in on this thread but it does seam to be the ideal place to ask my questions and thanks in advance for any replies.

Steve.