Which TRS jack design is superior?

[Che_Guitarra]

Looking to order 96 TRS jacks for a hand wired patchbay.  I can buy 100 pieces for around $50, but i'm not sure which of these types is deemed the superior design?

   

 

[pucho812]

the plastic ones often either break for wear and tear. They also are often found on dbx and other patchbays and usually require a resolder every few months as they solder joints tend to crack. I would go for the metal jacks as they will last much longer.

 

[bruce0]

Call the Plastic and Metal.

Both have switched and unswitched versions depending upon if inserting the plug opens a contact.

Plastic works, but there are different versions primarily based upon whether they chassis ground the sleeve. Of course we have all seen broken plastic ones and the quality of the plastic is different in the different units.

Metal works, but as far as I know always chassis grounds the sleeve. There are two issues I have had with these 1) the wiring can become entangled with the inserted plug.  (Imagine tightly coiled hookup wire on those broadly spaced connectors).  The second is that they are held together by a crimp, you can see the crimp in your photo as a slot in the "swaged" tube in the middle (the S contact for TRS).  What can happen especially on cheaper connectors is that if you tighten the connector onto the panel it pulls on that swage and can actually loosen the connector and make it either fall apart or be unreliable, so don't overtighten.

I have used both.

There is also a version of the plastic one with shiny metal outside part, smooth and finished looking that comes in chassis contact and non-chassis contact versions and is good looking on the finished product.  I would choose those, they look good, and function well.  Neutrik I think.

 

[Che_Guitarra]

Thanks for the input guys. 

It's going to be a simple patch bay - straight through connectivity for a rack of comps and EQs.  No normalised or half-normalised circuitry, so if the sleeves ground I think I should be OK.  I'm wanting to chassis mount the jacks as the PCB mounted jacks are destined to fail prematurely (or at a critical time  :-[). 

I too prefer the metal design as the fastening lug is of a smaller footprint.  Happy to spend a bit more for better quality pieces, as long as i'm not buying the same parts with a middle-man percentage attached.

 

[Brian Roth]

For 1/4" TRS jacks, I've used the Switchcraft 12B jacks for decades.  Never had one fall apart...assuming they are still currently made to the same standard.  If necessary, you can add insulated (plastic or fiber) flat and shoulder washers to insulate the bushing/sleeve contact from a metal panel.  The shoulder washer requires a panel mounting hole larger than the standard 3/8" diameter hole required by the jack itself....can't recall the diameter.  Keystone electronics makes the required insulated flat and shoulder washers.

Bri

 

[Che_Guitarra]

Any suggestions where I could get a 100-lot of Switchcraft 12Bs or Neutrik NYS-230s for a decent price?  Preferably a bit cheaper than this    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Neutrik-NYS230-connector-/301028040527?pt=UK_Computing_Sound_Vision_Video_Cables_Adapters&hash=item4616ab5f4f


I live in Australia BTW.

 

[Brian Roth]

;D  ;D  ;D

The world's most expensive TRS jack (although the shipping rate looks OK).

No suggestions for where to get the Switchcrafts or Neutriks in Oz, however. 

Bri

 

[JohnRoberts]

Apples and oranges... A p-p wired panel jack vs a PCB mount jack are not comparable for manufacturing cost.

Both are reliable if used properly.

If you plan to hand wire your patch bay, use the jack designed to be hand wired.

JR

 

[dandeurloo]

Unless this is for a specialty bay, do yourself a favor and do a TT patchbay.  Trust me, in the future you will want it and it will cost you less in the long run to do it now.

 

[emrr]

Yes, if hand wiring I'd definitely use the Switchcraft metal frame type.  The 14B normalling jacks are nice if you need that feature, and you can get all sorts of other switch configurations in that footprint. 

I have had lots of problems with the plastic frame type.  I've found that anything patched frequently, and subject to any amount of cable weight stress, becomes intermittent over time.  I have assumed this is from the plastic flexing repeatedly until it becomes weak.  I've seen it in recorders, and with the modular TRS patch bays I've found you might as well buy two so you have a supply of cards to swap out as the ones in use start to fail.