RG316 braided cable

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boji

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 6, 2010
Messages
2,375
Location
Maryland, USA
Has anyone around here worked with RG316 for audio applications?  I'm curious how easy the wire is to solder up and work with without using sma term ends.

Thanks for your input!
 
If it's for soldering to a PCB then you can create a rectangular solder pad and just lay the coax on the pad on it's side and solder the braid directly to the pad. No need to pull the braid apart. The braid takes solder nicely which prevents fraying and also acts as a sort of fastener to the PCB. It's also a lot cleaner looking than trying to pull the braid apart and twist it into a "wire".
 
Ive harvested some bits of that cable out of moblie phone extension antennas from handsfree car kits ,  flexible multistrand core is best , soft jacket material , you could hardly do better for unballanced connections within equipment , Rg174u is another Rf cable that works  well for audio . There is another white jacketed ptfe braided cable I sometimes see in lots on ebay ,often out of Huntsville Alabama , probably ex nasa stuff , often green lettering on it , silver plated core and screen , designed to be bombarded by subatomic particles for years  and keep going ,nice if you can get it .
 
I was working it today testing RF conns.  It’s got two-layers of braided  shield so it’s a bit unruly to terminate both for audio, like for interlinking within a module or chassis.  Try clipping the outer layer completely and only prep the inner layer for soldering.  Some non QPL suppliers make it with a single layer shield which is better for audio work.
Mike

 
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