DIY Cartridge Clips
First of all we need an old PCB with a D-Sub male connector or similar.
Most (but not all of these) have gold-plated connectors.
Break the back side of the connector and extract the clips.
Make sure the connectors are rounded for better contact with the cartridge.
The result is as follows:
In this case the clip will connect to a standard cartridge connector (1.2mm diameter pin).
Clips can be crimped or soldered to the wire, making an extraordinary electrical connection because the clip fits perfectly to the pin of the cartridge.
This article is dedicated to all members of the Vinyl Engine, as a small contribution to the world of vinyl enthusiasts, because sound quality does not have to be confronted with expensive products.
Cadrilator
León (Spain)
Comments
clips
Submitted on April 13th, 2008 by audiofilofinevery good
BRAVO
another source...
Submitted on April 10th, 2008 by wyamarusIn the US and Canada, anyway, the crimp version of the female D-sub connectors are available at Radio Shack with a molded D-sub 9 or 25 pin shell for short money ($2-3.00) along with the appropriate crimp tool to make a good mechanical connection before soldering.
D-Sub Pin Crimper $ 10.99
Model: 276-1595 | Catalog #: 276-1595
D-Sub Pin Insertion and Extraction Tool $ 3.99
Model: 276-1426 | Catalog #: 276-1426
25-Position Female Crimp D-Sub Connector $ 2.99
Model: 276-1430 | Catalog #: 276-1430
9-Position Female Crimp D-Sub Connector $ 1.99
Model: 276-1428 | Catalog #: 276-1428
These claim to be gold plated, but like most 'Shack stuff, it seems to vary widely in quality depending on who sourced the order. The gold flash is pretty standard on electrical pieces these days, as it connotes "Quality", whether it is deserved or not, but as with RAM SIMMs , there is a large body of information about random, and measurable affects on the signals going through a dissimilar metal junction. (That's why you sometimes have bizarre memory problems from putting tin-plated SIMMs in gold plated sockets, and vice versa. There appears to be a degree of rectification going on, unless the connection is absolutely clean and free of tarnish. Perhaps a little De-Oxit type contact cleaner/enhancer would be prudent.)
A "real" electronics supply house should have the female pin connectors, minus the shells, in bulk for a really good price. A real "mil-spec" part should be available cheaply, but the quantity might lend itself to a club purchase, and perhaps provide an excuse for a small tweaking party and social get-together.
-There are 10 types of people who understand binary:
those who do and those who don't
Thanx!
Submitted on March 28th, 2008 by Gliding DutchmanHi Leon,
Thanx for the great tip!
I replaced all the tags on my SME headshells with these goldplated barrels for old PC dongles - super upgrade. Sound seems much clearer as the original SME tags were quite oxidized. Looks cool too!
Dewald aka GD
Lydenburg,
South Africa
What a great idea!
Submitted on March 26th, 2008 by wpodThanks so much for sharing this info, I love finding things right under my nose that will save me money. Keep up the great work, regards, wpod