New jack plugs

lincolnblue

I'm needing to make some new patch leads for my board. At the moment I use these http://www.thomann.de/gb/neutrik_nys_207.htm

However, they do take up quite a bit of space, which I'd like to address if possible.

I'd love something like the Lava cables but don't have the budget. This got me thinking to the pancake style plugs.

Are they good? For a basic solderer are they easy enough to use?

dogload

They are pretty good as low-profile jacks, but are not always ideal if you have side-by-side (stereo out, for example) jack sockets. Also, they can feel a little flimsy.

shuikit

I've used these and have had no problems and didn't find them any harder to solder than Neutrik jacks

http://www.thomann.de/gb/hicon_flunderklinkenstecker_winkel.htm

not_the_dj

I don't solder them myself (Rob/Kabl does that for me) but those Hicon pancake jacks are great to save a bit of space.

http://www.kablonline.com/hicon.html

Sassafras

I've used pancake jacks for ages,they're easy to solder and they work fine. The only problem is as stated above that some stereo pedals can be fiddly to plug into.

EdGrip

They are low but quite wide, as stated above. Also their cable clamp system is a one-size-fits-most arrangement, so if you have very thin or very fat cable you'll either not be able to fit it in or it just won't be gripped (not necessarily a problem in a pedal board scenario.) You could use bits of stripped insulation as shim in that case, but it's unlikely you'll face either problem.

english_bob

shuikit said:

I've used these and have had no problems and didn't find them any harder to solder than Neutrik jacks

http://www.thomann.de/gb/hicon_flunderklinkenstecker_winkel.htm

 

When I saw "flunderklinkenstecker_winkel" in the link I thought this was some sort of joke, but it isn't.

I've been soldering those pancake jacks for patch cables for years with no particular problems. They're a bit fiddly to do if you haven't got one of those "helping hand" gizmos, and you need to make sure you tin the shielding wire well and get the body of the jack good and hot or the solder won't stick. The size of the plugs can be a problem on some stereo pedals as others have mentioned, or anywhere you find two jack sockets very close together. They're definitely smaller overall than the Neutriks which is good for pedalboard real estate.

TinLip

Yeah man I use those Hicon pancake ones. They are a breeze to solder and take up no space. Drop me a PM if you're after some.

lincolnblue

TinLip said:

Yeah man I use those Hicon pancake ones. They are a breeze to solder and take up no space. Drop me a PM if you're after some.

Thanks - sent a PM

lincolnblue

Other than these pancake style jacks, what other small ones would you recommend that don't break the bank?

rsvmark

lincolnblue said:

Other than these pancake style jacks, what other small ones would you recommend that don't break the bank?

Try Lava cable tightrope kit- shop around and you can get them for less than £40. You can make 5 cables for that. Tightrope is the slightly cheaper spec in their range but I can't tell the difference.