Things You'll Need:
- Wire
- Wire cutters
- Gold or silver plated connectors
- Silver solder
- Shrink tube
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Step 1
Choose the wire you want to use while considering the quality you desire. Standard coax cable is inexpensive, easy to use and makes quality patch cables. Silver cable is available in solid core and multi-strand cable and offers superior results, although many systems cannot benefit from the more costly interconnects due to inferior internal circuitry.
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Step 2
Use a gauge of wire that is required for the length of your cables. Many consider 16 gauge wire the absolute minimum wire size with 12 gauge needed for lengths over 25 feet. Coax wire is a standard gauge and is good for any length cable run while silver wire is capable of using 20 gauge for runs under 3 feet.
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Step 3
Terminate your cables with gold or silver plated connectors that make a better connection and fight corrosion. Select connectors that have large spades to make soldering easier.
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Step 4
Drop a piece of hot solder onto the interconnect fan out the ends of the wire slightly. Reheat the solder and work the wire in carefully ensuring the solder works itself completely through. Add another drop of solder to complete the connection.
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Step 5
Screw the cover onto the interconnects or add shrink tubing to clean up the connection. Test the audio patch cable by listening carefully for static or distortion, which may indicate a loose connection at the solder points. Check the solder of a loose connection and try again.
