[SML] Fixing DMX Cables

[mouse at fieldmousepro.com]

For a 10 foot cable, I'd cut off the connectors and save them for spare 
parts. Short DMX cables are fairly inexpensive.

If you have the skills & tools to solder the connectors on new cable, 
then do so. Soldering is a good skill to learn, but it takes some time 
and practice to do it well. You won't blow anything up if you do it 
wrong, but it's not hard to make a cable that doesn't work.

Funny story: Back when I was a college student, we had a maintenance 
class where among other things we learned to solder and everyone made a 
short (1 foot) mic cable with a 3-pin XLR on each end. Super basic 
stuff. Everyone brought their cable to the next class, and the teacher 
made us a proposition. "Let's hook everyone's cables together, end to 
end. If it works, then everyone gets an automatic A grade and we take 
the rest of the class off!" Grabbing a continuity tester, everyone was 
excited until it didn't work. The teacher had pity and removed half of 
the cables to try again. Still no. Removed half of the cables again. 
Again, nothing. I think it came down to 3 or 4 cables in length before 
it finally passed a continuity test. This was in a class of around 30 
students.

Out of curiosity, a few of us privately asked the teacher after class if 
he had ever made that deal to previous classes. Every class before us 
had the same deal, and it had never once worked. The teacher was clever 
enough to know that the chances of having a 100% pass rate for new 
soldering students was extremely low. It made for a fun demonstration, 
though.

Stephen

On 2024-03-28 6:57 am, Ross via Stagecraft wrote:

> In the hunt for grimlenes in the lighting system, I found that some DMX 
> cables got to close to the fixture & the outer coating melted a little. 
>  (Having replaced said cables the grimelines have gone away).
> 
> These cables are roughly 10'.  Is it worth the hasel to find some one 
> to fix them?
> 
> Ross
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