I have some Monster Cable M1000i interconnect cable, one metre lengths that I’d like to make up.
It’s a quite bulky/substantial cable consisting of two signal wires wrapped in mylar foil with a drain wire running within the foil, this is surrounded by a copper braided shield.
Question :- Do I need to ground at one end the drain wire alone, or do I need to connect both drain wire and braided shield to ground at one end of the cable.
I’ve always connected the braid but have never had a drain wire to consider before, any help/views would be appreciated.
Yours in ignorance, moi.
Up to you how you do it. It only needs connecting at one end to do its job. Some folk advocate leaving it floating (unconnected at either end), this reduces (but doesn’t negate) its value as a shield, but can benefit nett capacitance.
Thanks Paul, I was considering connecting the drain wire but leaving the braid floating as the signal wires are quite chunky and together braid and signal would be a nightmare to solder/ fit the plug.
I wouldn’t leave the braid floating. Connect them all together at the source end.
Sounds about right. Not intimately familiar with that cable, but the drain wire should be making more than enough contact with the braid to mean you don’t also need to solder the braid, as you say, it’d be a 'mare to do, and plenty of risk of stray whiskers shorting somewhere.
What a nightmare to terminate, I’ve managed it no shorting, that’s one cable done. Building up courage to attempt the second, braid and drain wire connected albeit with paired down braiding to get a fit in the plug. Anglo Saxon terminology used quite liberally.
Thanks for your help in resolving my uncertainty.
2 Likes
The good thing is that as long as you’ve checked for continuity and no shorts, there’s not much to get wrong - and it’s very satisfying as a numpty! I never progressed beyond cables and a pot-in-the-box passive for that reason - no nasty leccy stuff to get wrong.
I was close to giving up but the m1000i sounds very good in my system and I wasn’t going to pay the daft prices for a completed cable. I don’t think I shall be doing this again.
1 Like