Cardas Silver RCA's and soldering

pitdogg2

Guys here's my problem. I'm making some interconnects using wire I stripped from 25' of Signal Cable Ultra speaker cable. This is the same as I use for my speakers. I have braided three wires 2 go to + and 1 goes to -. I am having a dickens of a time getting it to stick to the inside of the RCA. Heat I wouldn't think is a problem as it is 450*-500* do not want to go much higher in temp I'm afraid I'll melt the center pin plastic or teflon whatever it is. The RCA's are Cardas Silver and the solder is Cardas quad I just got from Elliot at Sonic craft. I did get some together last night but man the joint looks like poo poo. Is this just a characteristic of silver in particular? What I'm getting is mostly when it looks good and I get off it when cool I can stick a small pick in there and it pops right off. Should I rough it up a little? (seems to me that would defeat the purpose of silver coating) Maybe some sort of flux? Or maybe I'm just loosing my solder skills:sad:
I'm not having that problem with the pin but it still looks like poo poo.

Anyway I'm using F1nut's advice I see over and over use the same interconnects as your speaker cable....Don't worry Jesse I know this was not what you meant

Ivan

Speedskater

While this probably won't help much, at least is shows that you're not the only one with the problem.

Belden Blogs:

"Wiring Up An XLR"

Posted by: Steve Lampen on July 06, 2012

http://www.belden.com/blog/broadcastav/Wiring-Up-An-XLR.cfm

GlennDog

Hey Dog, great timing . . .

I just had same issue and wrote to Brian Von Bork at Cardas. Here's our email correspondence below

Subject: Counterfeit Binding Posts?

Hello Brian,

Have you heard of such a thing? The reason I ask, is because I had a local
repair shop solder some wire to "supposed" Cardas CCGR Binding Posts . . .
the technician said the metal was cheap because the solder job wouldn't take
until the temperature reached ~ 960 degrees and that normally the solder
connection should be made in the 560-600 degree range.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Brians response:

Thank you for contacting Cardas Audio.

The technician is mistaken. High temperatures are required due to the CCGR
being solid copper. The large copper post dissipates the heat much quicker
than the cheap metal he is used to working with. Copper has a very high
thermal conductivity as well as electrical conductivity. We use 800*F solder
tips and in many cases we use a propane torch to heat the post before
soldering to it.

Cheers,

Brian Von Bork
Cardas Audio
480 11th Street, SE
Bandon, OR 97411

Office: 541-347-2484
Mobile: 541-808-1408
brian@cardas.com
www.cardas.com
www.facebook.com/CardasAudio

VR3

I hate soldering to Cardas/WBT post, hot hot hot!

zane77

If you can pick it off you didn't get it hot enough to flow and make a good connection.

westmassguy

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Guys here's my problem. I'm making some interconnects using wire I stripped from 25' of Signal Cable Ultra speaker cable. This is the same as I use for my speakers. I have braided three wires 2 go to + and 1 goes to -. I am having a dickens of a time getting it to stick to the inside of the RCA. Heat I wouldn't think is a problem as it is 450*-500* do not want to go much higher in temp I'm afraid I'll melt the center pin plastic or teflon whatever it is. The RCA's are Cardas Silver and the solder is Cardas quad I just got from Elliot at Sonic craft. I did get some together last night but man the joint looks like poo poo. Is this just a characteristic of silver in particular? What I'm getting is mostly when it looks good and I get off it when cool I can stick a small pick in there and it pops right off. Should I rough it up a little? (seems to me that would defeat the purpose of silver coating) Maybe some sort of flux? Or maybe I'm just loosing my solder skills:sad:
I'm not having that problem with the pin but it still looks like poo poo.

Anyway I'm using F1nut's advice I see over and over use the same interconnects as your speaker cable....Don't worry Jesse I know this was not what you meant

Ivan

Pit, the silver plate is there to ensure a good electrical contact with the socket it's mating with. Removing the silver plate from the point where you're soldering to, will not affect this. I've used a drill bit slightly smaller than the "tube" or center pin's solder point, to remove the plating. Use low speed, and only remove enough to expose the copper. If your worried about melting the inner Teflon, try inserting the plug into an old RCA Jack, then do your soldering. This will keep the pin centered until it cools. I keep a wet sponge handy, to quickly cool everything after the solder had solidified.
As for the Cardas Binding Posts, I set everything up first. If I'm retrofitting a Polk binding Post Cup, I slide the rear clinch nut and washer on the wire first, then bring the wire through the hole in the cup. I use one of those "Helping Hands" gizmos with the articulated arms and alligator clips to hold the Cardas Post in position. Insert the wire in the back of the post, and solder away. This keeps the heat away from anything that would melt. I don't use the nylon mounting blocks that come with the posts, but if you do, run the wire through that after you've brought the wire through the cup, then do your soldering. I do have to use high heat on the posts, even with the Quad Eutectic. You'll also want to remove the big nut on the other end of the Cardas Post before soldering. It just adds more copper that will suck up the heat from the soldering iron.

pitdogg2

zane77 wrote: »

If you can pick it off you didn't get it hot enough to flow and make a good connection.

no kidding now tell me something i don't know:frown:

pitdogg2

GlennDog wrote: »

Hey Dog, great timing . . .

I just had same issue and wrote to Brian Von Bork at Cardas. Here's our email correspondence below

Subject: Counterfeit Binding Posts?

Hello Brian,

Have you heard of such a thing? The reason I ask, is because I had a local
repair shop solder some wire to "supposed" Cardas CCGR Binding Posts . . .
the technician said the metal was cheap because the solder job wouldn't take
until the temperature reached ~ 960 degrees and that normally the solder
connection should be made in the 560-600 degree range.

Any insight would be appreciated.

Brians response:

Thank you for contacting Cardas Audio.

The technician is mistaken. High temperatures are required due to the CCGR
being solid copper. The large copper post dissipates the heat much quicker
than the cheap metal he is used to working with. Copper has a very high
thermal conductivity as well as electrical conductivity. We use 800*F solder
tips and in many cases we use a propane torch to heat the post before
soldering to it.

Cheers,

Brian Von Bork
Cardas Audio

Perfect timing indeed Thanks much
PROPANE TORCH REALLY :eek: god I hope I don't need to go that far....

westmassguy wrote: »

Pit, the silver plate is there to ensure a good electrical contact with the socket it's mating with. Removing the silver plate from the point where you're soldering to, will not affect this. I've used a drill bit slightly smaller than the "tube" or center pin's solder point, to remove the plating. Use low speed, and only remove enough to expose the copper. If your worried about melting the inner Teflon, try inserting the plug into an old RCA Jack, then do your soldering. This will keep the pin centered until it cools. I keep a wet sponge handy, to quickly cool everything after the solder had solidified.

That RCA is a great tip why didn't I think of that? Yes I do keep cool items close by. I have not had any problems with the pin part mine was the ground plane area and I will dremel a bit around the ground area and go up in temp. I can tell you on cheaper RCA plugs at 700* you have micro seconds to work or your work spills out in front of you QUICKLY

westmassguy

As in most cases, you get what you pay for. I used some retracting Neutrik RCA plugs for a project, the were very well made too.

drumminman

I made some IC's using those Cardas RCA's several years back and didn't have the problem you described. I used a 40 watt iron - took a while to heat the barrel but it worked. WMG had a good tip using an RCA female plug as a heat sink (required when soldering Eichmann bullet plugs!).

It might help to clean the inside of the plug with alcohol and a cotton swab to remove any manufacturing residue.

dorokusai

I use a 80w Weller and while it does take longer to heat up, they will solder fine. Cardas posts are hard to be patient on but you can do it. I found Vampire to be just as good and easier to work with. Cardas is just a name and billet is billet.

pitdogg2

My station well do the higher temps easily. Until Westmassguy hit me right square between the eyes with that simple tip(female RCA) nothing like chasing those Little buggers around the table. I did some more last night and found if i tin the wire a little that also helped. I was too afraid to go up in temp as I really do not feel like ruining 20.00 post that hurts.. I'm going to make a wood block that cradles the RCA and the tip WMG gave will help tremendously. I also changed out my tip to one that is 45*angle and fat enough to hold the wire better than a sharp pointed tip.

westmassguy

Great Pit

F1nut

Anyway I'm using F1nut's advice I see over and over use the same interconnects as your speaker cable....Don't worry Jesse I know this was not what you meant

Ugh! The biggest issue I see with what you're doing is that the speaker cable isn't shielded and you want IC's to be so.

pitdogg2

F1nut wrote: »

Ugh! The biggest issue I see with what you're doing is that the speaker cable isn't shielded and you want IC's to be so.

True enough but I do not have any problems with noise issues with unshielded cables now as I have short distance and nothing in the way. According to Pepster braiding unshielded cables would negate most nasty stuff. I may very well change to shielded but just trying to get ears on new and different to see what taste's I may like or dislike..

I could also incorporate ferrite clamps I got tons of them in all sizes if something pops up.

F1nut

Certainly no harm in trying it. Let us know what you think.

SCompRacer

I like to use a 150 watt gun for binding posts.