The splice of life
Aug. 13th, 2009 02:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
robotech_masterI managed to get my speaker cables spliced today.
The hardest part was figuring how to strip the insulation from the wires without pulling the wires themselves out or cutting all the way through by accident. I ended up cutting the plastic between the wires to separate them, carefully slicing around the insulation on a wire, then using my fingernails to slide the insulation off. The wires were made up of 6 or 7 strands each. Sometimes I yanked one or two of the strands off with the insulation, but for the most part I got enough wire to make sure of a connection. Luckily I had plenty of length to practice with.
Then I twisted them together and used electrical tape to hold them together. Sort of. I had to redo the tape on the first splice twice. I finally managed to get them all hooked up; they're not pretty but they work.
Anyway, they only need to last until Sunday, when I'm informed my folks are coming up for a visit. Dad will, I assume, bring the equipment necessary for a more permanent splice.
The hardest part was figuring how to strip the insulation from the wires without pulling the wires themselves out or cutting all the way through by accident. I ended up cutting the plastic between the wires to separate them, carefully slicing around the insulation on a wire, then using my fingernails to slide the insulation off. The wires were made up of 6 or 7 strands each. Sometimes I yanked one or two of the strands off with the insulation, but for the most part I got enough wire to make sure of a connection. Luckily I had plenty of length to practice with.
Then I twisted them together and used electrical tape to hold them together. Sort of. I had to redo the tape on the first splice twice. I finally managed to get them all hooked up; they're not pretty but they work.
Anyway, they only need to last until Sunday, when I'm informed my folks are coming up for a visit. Dad will, I assume, bring the equipment necessary for a more permanent splice.
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(no subject)
Date: 2009-08-13 10:36 pm (UTC)I think the last time DH tried to tape something, I got frustrated with the amateur and took over. *giggles*
I'm just glad that of all the things the cats will chew on, the speaker wire isn't one of them. (Not so always for network cables or phone line) We've moved so many times that we now purposely have left slack on the speaker wires so that we won't have to rewire the bleeping things for the next room. But then, we also have speaker stands and the excess bundles are taped TO the stand.