HELP!!!!.....RCA to XLR Termination


I would like to reterminate my AQ RCA interconnect to XLR plug. Can anyone suggest where and how should I get help? Thanks
ugin

Showing 2 responses by rockvirgo

Hi Ugin! Here's how I do it. Unsolder old connectors with hot iron using cold scrap wire to soak up old excess solder. Cut off the tinned end of the wire. Remove about .5cm of insulation by holding wire tightly just below so as not to stretch it, and pull insulation up over new end. Buy desired gold or silver plated Neutrik connectors http://www.neutrikusa.com/ or more fancy gold or silver mined on some other planet (hehe). Heat the intersection of connector flanges and wire with hot iron, feed silver-content solder (3% silver from Radio Shack is the cheapest I could find) into intersection, not onto iron! Then lift away iron. Simple? Sure! Just practice on the removed connectors with scrap until you feel confident with the new ones. Remember that RCA's require only two conductors and XLR's have three...American Standard for XLR is 1. ground; 2. cold or minus (out of phase); 3. hot or plus (in phase). For European Standard reverse 2 and 3. So...if the center pin on your RCA has two wires, split them and connect them exactly to XLR's at both ends. If one wire only, connect it to pin 3. If the house burns down, don't blame me, haha. Good luck!
Hi Grumpybb! If you're lucky the fostex manual may tell you how the XLR's are wired. Whether in or out of phase it ought to still work but it would be nice to get it right. Of course some stuff fitted with XLR's isn't truly balanced anyway. So if you can, find out whether pin 2 or 3 is the hot one inside the DAT. Then again some preamps invert polarity too... Good luck!