Latest on 13-Pin Cable Sources?

[greekjgg]

How hard is it to make your own cable? I just bought the US20 so I need 2 shorter 3ft cables to go to the GP10 and GR55.

BTPA want $46 for each cable when I can get 30 feet for $15. I understand the difference in quality and there is some custom labor involved for a custom size but $90 for 10ft seems excessive. My thought was to get a 15ft cord and two extra connectors and make my own.

[CodeSmart]

How hard is it to make your own cable? I just bought the US20 so I need 2 shorter 3ft cables to go to the GP10 and GR55.

Making you own cables is not worth it. I've really tried. It's very difficult to solder and most contacts available is crap holding together.
Instead I buy larger quantities from a pro cable factory and resell to this forum with very little profit.
3ft (1 meter) is $12 each. I ship them in a padded envelope cheapest possible from Sweden.
I also have 0.5 meter and 2 meter available.

Read more here: https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=13234.0

Email sound@primova.se if interested.

[greekjgg]

Making you own cables is not worth it. I've really tried. It's very difficult to solder and most contacts available is crap holding together.
Instead I buy larger quantities from a pro cable factory and resell to this forum with very little profit.
3ft (1 meter) is $12 each. I ship them in a padded envelope cheapest possible from Sweden.
I also have 0.5 meter and 2 meter available.

Read more here: https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=13234.0

Email sound@primova.se if interested.

$12 for 3ft is much more reasonable!!!

[Tony Raven]

I bought a cable from http://stores.ebay.com/detaudio/ and it was a $18 for 10ft.

Updating info -- this link takes you right to the relevant items:
DET Audio 13-pin cables

[imerkat]

How hard is it to make your own cable? I just bought the US20 so I need 2 shorter 3ft cables to go to the GP10 and GR55.

I've made my own cables out of longer cables. I made male to female panel mount version like 8 inches long to mount the GR-55 flush with two tier pedal board. I used tweezers and took me over an hour to do one side. Hardest part was finding the right order to solder the 14 connections. I would practice making MIDI cables first.

[Bob]

Has anyone tried these?

http://btpa.com/13-Pin-Midi/

They come with a lifetime guaranty.

[Elantric]

Yes - BPTA cables are high quality

[mooncaine]

Great to know! I'm ordering one now, and picking up a few other things there, too.

[CodeSmart]

FYI: I have now in stock 10ft (3-meter) HQ Gold plated GK Cable, 13 cores 28AWG+AL+braid(64 bare copper).
V-Guitar Forums price (very little profit): $28USD including shipping from Sweden.
Also have very popular shorter 1 meter and 0,5 meter versions.
E-mail: sound@primova.se

[GuitarForLife]

Hi, I found the midi cable that came with my GR55 to be too long - it kept getting in the way - so after unsuccessfully trying to buy cables and locking plugs that I could use to make up my own shorter custom lengths, I eventually found a supplier in the UK called CoolNovelties.co.uk who advertised various lengths of finished GR55 cables. 
Although the name of the company did not really inspire, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and ordered 2m and 3m cables. I have to say that the cables arrived very promptly to Australia, and the cables seem very sturdy ( a bit thicker than the Roland version actually), and work in the way they should! 

[HCarlH]

Thank you, Robert (CodeSmart), for the 3 Meter cable which arrived today....it works great!
(And it's not cumbersome like the very long Roland cable).

Bravo!   

[ped]

Hi, I found the midi cable that came with my GR55 to be too long - it kept getting in the way - so after unsuccessfully trying to buy cables and locking plugs that I could use to make up my own shorter custom lengths, I eventually found a supplier in the UK called CoolNovelties.co.uk who advertised various lengths of finished GR55 cables. 
Although the name of the company did not really inspire, I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and ordered 2m and 3m cables. I have to say that the cables arrived very promptly to Australia, and the cables seem very sturdy ( a bit thicker than the Roland version actually), and work in the way they should! 

I also ordered one from them, only 1m long, for my office. Works very well and seems every bit as good as the Roland one.

[vg99teo]

hi, after buy the 5th GK-Cable for my 2008 VG99, i have a box full of this. Is there a way to repair this ( ) cables, and is there an tutorial how to do somewhere?

[Elantric]

Each cable is wired 13 pins " straight thru for all pins (one to one, two to two, etc)

It helps if you know how to solder MIDI Cables

Same technique, just more pins

https://forum.guitar.com/tech-bench-3/how-make-midi-cables-219274

As an electric guitarist, learning to solder is just as important as learning how to change guitar strings.

I had to learn to solder before learning to play guitar - went to local Ham Radio Supply store to obtain tools and parts  when I built my 1st 1/4" Phone to RCA Phono plug adapter cable, so I  could plug my electric  guitar into an old Webcor tube phonograph ( my 1st guitar amplifier )

[vg99teo]

The soldering is likely not going to be a big problem. The disassembling of the connector concerns me,
because there is no Screw or other identifiable mechanism. I fiddled around with an small Screwdriver without any result.
There is only an opening with a plastic strip cover, like a kind of this self destructing component that cannot be dismantled.
I found this on Youtube, but it only shows the assembling, not the disassembling, and the Cable Manufacture is not Roland.
 

[gumbo]

The video you link to is (BTW) not showing a locking plug...
...but both the non-locking(YouTube) and locking (Roland-type) plugs each are assembled in the same general way.

The non-locking plug (with its softer plastic outer case) has a cut-out on one side so that a raised 'tab' formed on the aligning half of the metal shell will slip into it when the plastic outer case is pushed over it to the correct depth.  This holds the two halves of the metal shell together (as they also have small interlocking tabs to positively lock each half together correctly) and prevents the plastic outer case from coming loose once the raised tab has engaged with the cutout in the plastic outer.

To dismantle this type of plug, one has to gently DEPRESS the metal tab visible in the cutout, and slide the plastic outer cover rearwards and away from the metal shell halves.

The locking (Roland-style) plug has a hard(er) plastic outer case which is moulded with a plastic tab which engages in a cutout IN THE ALIGNING METAL HALF OF THE METAL SHELL.  The principle is the same, except that this plug relies on the harder plastic outer case to maintain the (plastic) tab in a position that will engage with the CUTOUT in the shell half.

To dismantle THIS type of plug, one has to gently pry UP the plastic tab of the outer plastic case until it disengages with the cutout in the shell half, and then slide the plastic outer case rearwards as before .....  bear in mind that THIS type of plug has a tighter grip on the cable itself (being also threaded through the (softer) plastic 'strain relief' moulding on the rear of the plug)...so sometimes getting it all apart is a little more challenging.

Depending upon brand of locking plug, sometimes the actual 'locking pawl' itself is part of the (appropriate) shell half, and sometimes it is a SEPARATE pressing altogether...and needs to be carefully dismantled as the outer case is withdrawn...a bit of masking tape or similar will assist in NOT losing this important part under the wardrobe or the refrigerator during the process.

IN BOTH CASES, assembly is a reversal of the above methods.

TRAP FOR YOUNG PLAYERS (and some old ones now and again!) is that the 'ground' conductor (the cable shield) is usually soldered or crimped within the extended 'strain relief' jaws at the back of one half of the metal shell....   ..this is all very well and good, but since in practice a Roland Jack (unlike a Synth-Linx Jack  ) only makes 'ground' contact with the OPPOSING HALF of the metal shell..it is GOOD PRACTICE TO SOLDER THE CABLE SCREEN TO THE HALF WITHOUT THE STRAIN RELIEF JAWS...
....otherwise you risk an intermittent 'ground' contact when plugged into a Roland jack....

Hope all this helps...   ask if you need more information or explanation.

Cheers,
Peter

[CodeSmart]

I have better tools now, soldering station and magnifying glass/lamp so I probably would do ok today, but a couple of years ago I tried soldering the exact connector with a regular iron (like the one in the video) and it was a pain to match the wires to the right pin and without shortcut between pins. I told myself never do it again. SMD soldering is easy compared to a 13-pin connector of this type. And you really need to measure all the routings and possible shortcut to surrounding pins. If you are unlucky you  smoke your guitar synth. I don't say it's impossible, but do allocate plenty of time and buy them professional tools.

[gumbo]

I have better tools now, soldering station and magnifying glass/lamp so I probably would do ok today, but a couple of years ago I tried soldering the exact connector with a regular iron (like the one in the video) and it was a pain to match the wires to the right pin and without shortcut between pins. I told myself never do it again. SMD soldering is easy compared to a 13-pin connector of this type. And you really need to measure all the routings and possible shortcut to surrounding pins. If you are unlucky you  smoke your guitar synth. I don't say it's impossible, but do allocate plenty of time and buy them professional tools.

Yep...absolutely agree..  !
A long time ago, I built this 14-conductor tester to make sure I was always getting it right..

[vg99teo]

thank you gumbo,

this is a very good written instruction.
The dissassembling has gone right.
Now i hope i dont  talk too big about my soldering experiences.

While searching i found this link
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=3132.0


I think this is a good idea, and I did that straight away
at the VG99. The Guitar connection is different,
because i dont want to drill in my beautiful RGA.

[gumbo]

No problems vg99teo..you're very welcome!

One point I forgot to mention is that the plug shell halves are obviously plated, and it is best to get a small grindstone in a Dremel (or similar) to grind away the surface plating at the point where you decide to solder the cable shield..   That way it's easy to 'tin' the surface of the shell half, and get a good solder connection.

Another trick when soldering the pins is to use a heat sink to carry away the heat from the soldering process so that you don't soften the plastic center-piece of the plug (and then loosen the pins!).  Because I am soldering the connections in jacks and plugs all the time, I made proper heat sinks that the plugs and jacks plug into, but you can easily make your own basic tool to do the job.

If you go to a model (hobby) shop that sells bits and pieces and not just kits, it's possible to buy a piece of very small-diameter brass tubing...with an internal hole around the diameter of the pins in the jackplug.

Cut a piece of this tubing about 2cms long, cut a fine cross-slot in it lengthwise from one end to a depth of 1cm and solder a small piece of brass shim (bought from the same hobby shop and about the size of a postage stamp) in the slot so that the flat piece of shim sticks out evenly each side, with the rest waving in the breeze out the back..

Push this contraption onto the other end of each pin in turn BEFORE you start soldering to the business-end, and you will successfully transfer away a lot of heat from the process with less likelihood of melting the whole plastic bit and needing to start all over again with a new jackplug 

And as Codesmart says, get a good soldering iron...one with a variable temperature setting will get you out of lots of trouble...both now and in the future.   A tube of paste solder is a great way to 'tin' components easily too..   Tin the end of ALL your wires before you start, practice on a bit of scrap cable to see how much heat you need to apply before the insulation melts back up the wire !   

HTH ...ask questions if you need more answers before you start.

Cheers,
Peter

[Elantric]

While searching i found this link

Be sure to read

GK 13 pin Cable Maintenance Tips.
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=3132.0

[Hotmamaandme]

I ordered a 10 foot midi cable from Best-Tronics btpa while not cheap in price it does appear to be high quality. I think it was worth it to have the custom length I wanted.

[mooncaine]

I've got one Best-Tronics 13-pin. It seems well made but has an irritating difference: the plastic shell around each plug is looser and it slides away from the end of the cable. Makes it hard to unplug, and feels like it might not be as durable because I have to squeeze much harder on this B-T cable to unplug it.

It took me a long time to realize what was happening. At first I thought I had broken it.

But my Roland cables have gone microphonic and rumbly, except for a backup I'm saving. This B-T cable stays plugged in most of the time, on the VG anyway. I have to struggle to get it out of the GK2A wart.

[admin]

Roland cables have gone microphonic and rumbly

Extend the life your GK 13 pin cables, and prevent them going microphonic and noisy when bounced by learning how to wrap your audio cables


Learn How to over/under wrap your audio cables
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=17715.msg126215#msg126215

GK 13 pin Cable Maintenance Tips.
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=3132.0

[mooncaine]

Where can I get a good 13-pin cable these days?

The last one I got was from Best-Tronics. It's working fine, but as I said, the plug's housing is loose and that makes these cables difficult to unplug. I feel like I'm pressing so hard, it's like trying to open one of those darn childproof pill bottles, and I gotta wonder if I'm risking damage to the GK wart's 13pin input jack.