DIY power cable
MONO AND STEREO HIGH-END AUDIO MAGAZINE
How to make DIY high-end power cable? Well here you go:
Since I will be now putting my nice DIY DAC within a nice chassis, as obtained from
http://www.toroidy.pl ,
obviously, the chassis will be equipped with an IEC socket. And since it will be equipped with an IEC socket, I obviously need at least one (if not more) power cable with an IEC plug.
Now, a Hiend power cable is not something that I would go and purchase in a boutique Hiend Audio accessories store. It does not need to “Glitter with Gold”. It suffice that it serves it’s purpose well.
Now, as I was browsing the “other items” on sale within the auctions of products that are available from toroidy.pl, and guess what – since I was supposed to pay for the package delivery anyway – why not shop around and see if they have any additional nice accessories. And guess what! They do.
For the price of peanuts I found on their auctions some interesting products, as described in detail on this page:
http://sklep.toroidy.pl/pl/c/Akcesoria-DIY/124
a). An IEC Shurter plug. But not an ordinary plug. This one is a PLUG. It is designed specifically so as to accept a super FAT cable on it’s input. OK, I DID need to get rid of that flexing piece that protrudes from the end – but nonetheless, the LAPP cable fits without too much hassle, can be securely fastened and all in all – it is possible to mount it in an orderly fashion:
b). The LAPP cable. This cable is 3 x 2,5 millimeters square, so in other words, a healthy piece of cross section. Such cross section is actually enough to transmit in the whereabouts of 16 Ampers, if need be. In Europe, at 230Volts AC, that would correspond to something like 3800 Watts, give or take. Why do we need such a thick cable ? So as to provide an as low as possible serial resistance from the power source to the very pins of our Hiend Audio device(s).
Does it “matter” ? Some say it does, others laugh them out loud, saying that it doen’t.
But what is really nice in this cable is that it is …. screened. Yes. Very much in the same fashion as signal cables are screened. Well, OK, this screen braid seems not to be too dense, as may be seen on the picture, but hey, this is a power cord. And this screen is lightyears better that a simple cord with no screen whatsoever. …
c). And here comes the PLUG. Not a plug, but a PLUG. Yes. You can fasten that elephant grade cable as above, with no problem whatsoever. Easy.
And finally, here is a sample of the ready product. Mind you, I did not put on ferrite rings on the source plug, and on the destination plug, as since the cable is screened from the onset, I suppose that I can put the ferrite rings to a better use within the insides of my DIY power conditioning box, where I shall be doing some hefty filtering anyways.
The beautiful thing about this DIY cable is that it costs relatively “peanuts”.
It has most of all the essential “attributes” as the “super duper Hiend-Audio commercial power cables” have, but at a small fraction of the cost. Timewise, you shall spend no more than half an hour assembling it, if you are experienced. The not so experienced – should count about 1 hour.
When you will be building the cable, please do not forget to observe / consider following implementation details:
a). Keep the colors correct ! The BROWN wire is the LIVE wire. Connect it to the LIVE (“L”) screw in each of the corresponding plugs. The BLUE – this one is NEUTRAL (“N”). and the most important one: the GREEN-YELLOW – is the grounding wire. Connect these wires to the corresponding screws within the plugs. If you need help – take a simple PC computer IEC cable, an ohmsmeter and do some comparisons, how the individual wires are “routed” from plug to plug. Try NOT to mix them up.
b). THE SCREEN – this you need to unbraid on a length of some 2,5 centimeters, wind the filaments together, and ALSO connect this screen to the grounding screw. But watch out. Only in the UNI-SHUKO mains plug. You do NOT need to connect the screen within the IEC plug. No need. It suffice if your screen is connected to the “low impedance signal source”.
(Pun – intended).
c). If you shall NOT be routing the mains through an additional power conditioning / distribution box, it may well worth be considering to put on some additional ferrite rings on the cable at both ends – prior to mounting the plugs, together with some thermo-shrink sleeves, so that when the plugs are ready, you could thermo shrink the sleeves on top of the ferrite rings at the beginning and end of the cable. Just an option worth considering. Will it change anything ?
You know the answer to that.
Depends.
Cheers,
Ziggy.
Matej Isak. Mono and Stereo ultra high end audio magazine. All rights reserved. 2006-2013. www.monoandstereo.com. ..:: None of the original text, pictures, that were taken by me, links or my original files can be re-printed or used in any way without prior permission! ::..
The beautiful thing about this DIY cable is that it costs relatively “peanuts”.
It has most of all the essential “attributes” as the “super duper Hiend-Audio commercial power cables” have, but at a small fraction of the cost. Timewise, you shall spend no more than half an hour assembling it, if you are experienced. The not so experienced – should count about 1 hour.
When you will be building the cable, please do not forget to observe / consider following implementation details:
a). Keep the colors correct ! The BROWN wire is the LIVE wire. Connect it to the LIVE (“L”) screw in each of the corresponding plugs. The BLUE – this one is NEUTRAL (“N”). and the most important one: the GREEN-YELLOW – is the grounding wire. Connect these wires to the corresponding screws within the plugs. If you need help – take a simple PC computer IEC cable, an ohmsmeter and do some comparisons, how the individual wires are “routed” from plug to plug. Try NOT to mix them up.
b). THE SCREEN – this you need to unbraid on a length of some 2,5 centimeters, wind the filaments together, and ALSO connect this screen to the grounding screw. But watch out. Only in the UNI-SHUKO mains plug. You do NOT need to connect the screen within the IEC plug. No need. It suffice if your screen is connected to the “low impedance signal source”.
(Pun – intended).
c). If you shall NOT be routing the mains through an additional power conditioning / distribution box, it may well worth be considering to put on some additional ferrite rings on the cable at both ends – prior to mounting the plugs, together with some thermo-shrink sleeves, so that when the plugs are ready, you could thermo shrink the sleeves on top of the ferrite rings at the beginning and end of the cable. Just an option worth considering. Will it change anything ?
You know the answer to that.
Depends.
Cheers,
Ziggy.
Matej Isak. Mono and Stereo ultra high end audio magazine. All rights reserved. 2006-2013. www.monoandstereo.com. ..:: None of the original text, pictures, that were taken by me, links or my original files can be re-printed or used in any way without prior permission! ::..