Thread: Lilliput disaster. DIY Cable Extension thats not working. *FIXED!*

well i dont know what pins are what pins on each end... theyre not identical connectors on both ends so i cant test at the actual pins. and these wires are so small, to get the tape off them at all you almost always break the wire in half...

so tomorrow i will probably take all the tape off every joint and test just after each solder point. sucks, becuase it was working before i did the other half of the wires... and it almost seems like the screen is broken. its gotta be one of my solders though... that, and any moderate tug and you can snap any one of those wires.

Originally Posted by trader007

to get the tape off them at all you almost always break the wire in half...
and any moderate tug and you can snap any one of those wires.

It might be worth the effort to redo the solder job if it's indeed that fragile. Use heatshrink tubing for a more robust and easier insulation than electrical tape.

Strip insulation, slip on heat shrink tubing, twist wire together, solder, slide heat shrink over solder joint, heat with hot air.

its hard for me to solder wire this small without having the tubing shrink on me just from the heat traveling down the wire (i guess ill just strip back the cat5 about 4 more inches) and its only fragile because the wire is so tiny... i swear its about as thin as hair. i dont have glue-lined tubing either, so it really doesnt hold any better then the tape i use (its good tape!). i wish i had a nice set of glue-set heatshrink. either way though, this is a major PITA and i wish lilliput would just sell extension cables...

when dealing with wires which are that small i always use a hot glue gun to make sure the wires cant break off or disconnect after soldering them ... in car enviorment, sealing the wires with silicone or any other "rubber" glue would be the best way to make sure they stay there.
and regarding your problem i would just redo the whole wiring and seal it well just to make sure...

i know it is kind of late but, i just used a cheap vga extender and a usb extender-- works fine, and no soldering(i left that for the rest of the project).

if the wires are that brittle, you are nicking them when stripping off the insulation-- you might need to change your technique to strip the wires-- any nick, and they will break very easily, but with no nicks, a single wire should hold with no problems.

becasue it is a cable with no electronics in it, you can check continuity on all the wires--just keep testing each pin till the meter shows that the wire is good (start with pin 1 on one end, and just keep checking the pins on the other end)-- i know, it will take forever--do yourself a favor, and right down each pair that work-- it will keep you from having to go over it again if you forget(my voice of experience)...

the pins dont align though because the 14pin connector breaks out into a 9pin plus some a/v feeds. you really cant test at the pins unless i knew what pin goes where.

also, a vga and usb extensions i already have. i dont want the connectors right next to my open monitor. i need a cable extended as im trying... i strip the wires with my fingernail too, ive been an electrician for nearly a decade by trade- i dont knick my wires. time to get highly inebriated and try it again. im sure the 'getting wasted' part isnt helping, but my god who would want to solder 30+ connections with wire the size of a fallopian tube?

Originally Posted by trader007

the pins dont align though because the 14pin connector breaks out into a 9pin plus some a/v feeds. you really cant test at the pins unless i knew what pin goes where.

i have had to do this before, and am not completely happy doing it, but it is the easier than resoldering everything-- you need to hold one of the leads on one of the pins on one end of the cable, and with the other lead, just keep trying different pins on the other side of the cable until you get continuity (its not easy, its not fun, and it is not fast, but much easier than desoldering, and resoldering every single connection).

if the wire is that brittle, it is possible that it could have broken inside the sheath, so in that case, i would look at using a thicker gauge wire.

but, if you are as frustrated as it seems(from the tone of the post?)-- forget about it for now, grab a couple beers, throw some burgers on the grill, and look into it more tommorrow...