I have been considering making my own mains cable for a while, and stumbled across this interesting design while browsing.
http://www.platenspeler.com/diy/cabl...oobidoo_1.html I remember the braiding/plaiting craze from my youth and thought I’d take a walk down memory lane and hopefully finish up with something more useful than a keyring.
http://public.fotki.com/Francspics/
The one I made in the pic in the link above is an experimental piece and depending on the results, I intend to use better quality cable, a Wattgate IEC connector and maybe some form of sheathing/heat-shrink to add a little class.
The cable I used was some spare 3-core mains lead that came from an extension lead. The Plug is a MK tough plug (B&Q) and the standard IEC connector came from Maplin.
It took a while to roll back the years and remember how to actually do the braiding but with a little concentration everything fell into place. Warning! Due to the amount of twists and turns in the cable you will certainly feel it in your forefingers. Warning! This is a danger to your mental state. It is very slow going at the start and a bit boring too. Because the wires are anywhere between 3 to 5 metres long it’s a real pain just to retain cable management! The best way to hold the cable while you are working is like the picture on the site. The whole process took about 3 hours, give or take.
Just a quick note: To begin with, I wired the cables into the IEC connector rather than tying the cables together. This gives you a solid starting point since getting the wires installed into the IEC can be a bit tricky.
When you get to the stage where you convince yourself that the cable is long enough for your needs, wire in the 3 pin plug and you’re ready for action. For the Live and Neutral connections you simply twist two of the wires together (the colours used should help avert any mishaps) and place in the corresponding terminals.
Depending on the wire you use, you should still end up with a substantial and impressive looking cable. I aim to let the cable bed in for a few weeks to see if there is any improvement. Still, it’s a far sight nicer than a PC cable and brings a little pride and satisfaction.
Regards FRANC
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