DIY computer cable extension?

"Call me Bob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'd like to extend the sensor cable on my Cateye Astrale, is this
DIY'able?

Reasonably common practice for tandems.

Quoted message said:

I thought cut cable, insert new length, join by twisting ends together
and adding a dab of solder, insulate with some heat shrink tubing and
job's a good 'un?

The cables are often coaxial and tiny, so the joining can be fiddly, but
provided you're reasonably competent you should have no problem. Make sure
it's waterproof though (heatshrink helps here).

cheers,
clive

Call me Bob said:

You can probably tell my electronics knowledge is not much more
sophisticated than is demanded by 13amp plugs, so if I've said
something hilarious, feel free to laugh at me 🙂

I've done that but be aware that getting it waterproof so it doesn't
pack up in the rain can be difficult and frustrating.

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

Clive George said:

Quoted message said:

I'd like to extend the sensor cable on my Cateye Astrale, is this
DIY'able?

Reasonably common practice for tandems.

Ah yes, of course.

Quoted message said:

The cables are often coaxial and tiny, so the joining can be fiddly, but
provided you're reasonably competent you should have no problem.

Coax? Right, didn't realise. Noted, and thanks.

"Bob"
--

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On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 22:51:14 +0100, Tony Raven <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I've done that but be aware that getting it waterproof so it doesn't
pack up in the rain can be difficult and frustrating.

I think there's half a chance I can run the joined section inside the
frame, which should provide protection from the worst. Then the heat
shrink tube, and a bit of sealant, and fingers crossed.

Cheers.

"Bob"
--

"I will refuse to register for an ID card and will donate £10
to a legal defence fund but only if 10,000 other people will
also make this same pledge." Phil Booth, NO2ID

Join the Pledge !!

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Call me Bob said:

Clive George said:

Quoted message said:

I'd like to extend the sensor cable on my Cateye Astrale, is this
DIY'able?

Reasonably common practice for tandems.

Ah yes, of course.

Quoted message said:

The cables are often coaxial and tiny, so the joining can be fiddly, but
provided you're reasonably competent you should have no problem.

Coax? Right, didn't realise. Noted, and thanks.

Not only that, but (thinks back vaguely into the past) the individual
strands are very fine. I've done this for our road tandem and it has
worked fine for years (out in all weather), but I found it very fiddly.

James
--
James Annan
see web pages for email
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/
http://julesandjames.blogspot.com/

Call me Bob said:

I'd like to extend the sensor cable on my Cateye Astrale, is this
DIY'able?

Is there any reason I couldn't just add an extra piece of
appropriately sized cable into the middle of the run, say about a
meter?

I thought cut cable, insert new length, join by twisting ends together
and adding a dab of solder, insulate with some heat shrink tubing and
job's a good 'un?

You can probably tell my electronics knowledge is not much more
sophisticated than is demanded by 13amp plugs, so if I've said
something hilarious, feel free to laugh at me 🙂

"Bob"

It worked for me.

Be aware that some of these cables aint what they seam.. Sometimes its 2
tiny threads.. only one of em insulated and that with varnish.. in one
plastic core. Its still doable but finicky as hell. You really need
good soldering skills.

If you cut it and find this.. lemme know and I will talk u thru how I
did it..

Call me Bob said:

I'd like to extend the sensor cable on my Cateye Astrale, is this
DIY'able?

Go for it, but don't cut right near sensor or bracket in case you do have
any difficulty and mess up on first attempt. Most I've bodged have been
easy but some have had nasty cables which are difficult to strip & join
(dunno what Astrale's is like).

Alternativley, Cateye make rear wheel kits.

~PB

dave said:

Call me Bob said:

I'd like to extend the sensor cable on my Cateye Astrale, is this
DIY'able?

Is there any reason I couldn't just add an extra piece of
appropriately sized cable into the middle of the run, say about a
meter?

I thought cut cable, insert new length, join by twisting ends together
and adding a dab of solder, insulate with some heat shrink tubing and
job's a good 'un?

You can probably tell my electronics knowledge is not much more
sophisticated than is demanded by 13amp plugs, so if I've said
something hilarious, feel free to laugh at me 🙂

"Bob"

It worked for me.

Be aware that some of these cables aint what they seam.. Sometimes its 2
tiny threads.. only one of em insulated and that with varnish.. in one
plastic core. Its still doable but finicky as hell. You really need
good soldering skills.

If you cut it and find this.. lemme know and I will talk u thru how I
did it..

Mine had insulated threads and it was a cateye. Was a bit of a bugger
to be honest. But it has been fine since.

James

A dolt I know inadvertently cut his Shimano Flight deck cable a few months
ago. The try to resolder was unsuccessful because the fine copper strands
were interspersed between fibreglass reinforcement. Both Glass and copper
strands were unbelievably fine, impossible to separate and any amount of
soldering heat was quickly sucked away down the glass. Result - no join
and a new Flight deck mount, bar tape. I keep looking at the unsuccessful
join to see if there's anything to be done. Just can't throw out thew old
$100 mount and b-ggered cable

Bob Chambers
"Pete Biggs" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Call me Bob said:

I'd like to extend the sensor cable on my Cateye Astrale, is this
DIY'able?

Go for it, but don't cut right near sensor or bracket in case you do have
any difficulty and mess up on first attempt. Most I've bodged have been
easy but some have had nasty cables which are difficult to strip & join
(dunno what Astrale's is like).

Alternativley, Cateye make rear wheel kits.

~PB

Pat and Bob Chambers said:

Both Glass and copper
strands were unbelievably fine, impossible to separate and any amount of
soldering heat was quickly sucked away down the glass.

<nerd>

Glass is an excellent thermal insulator

</nerd>

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

"Call me Bob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'd like to extend the sensor cable on my Cateye Astrale, is this
DIY'able?

Is there any reason I couldn't just add an extra piece of
appropriately sized cable into the middle of the run, say about a
meter?

I thought cut cable, insert new length, join by twisting ends together
and adding a dab of solder, insulate with some heat shrink tubing and
job's a good 'un?

You can probably tell my electronics knowledge is not much more
sophisticated than is demanded by 13amp plugs, so if I've said
something hilarious, feel free to laugh at me 🙂

I've done it a couple months ago, also with an Astrale, to get the cables
inside the tubing on my bent. Pretty easy, though the fine coax cable is a
little fiddly, it's not difficult soldering.

Pat and Bob Chambers said:

A dolt I know inadvertently cut his Shimano Flight deck cable a few
months ago. The try to resolder was unsuccessful because the fine
copper strands were interspersed between fibreglass reinforcement.
Both Glass and copper strands were unbelievably fine, impossible to
separate and any amount of soldering heat was quickly sucked away
down the glass. Result - no join and a new Flight deck mount, bar
tape. I keep looking at the unsuccessful join to see if there's
anything to be done. Just can't throw out thew old $100 mount and
b-ggered cable

I've no experience of Flight Decks but have done the following on
"difficult" cables:

Gently sand the cable with vey fine wet & dry paper to reveal enough metal
to solder. Be as quick with the soldering iron as you can.

~PB

dave said:

Be aware that some of these cables aint what they seam.. Sometimes its 2
tiny threads.. only one of em insulated and that with varnish.. in one
plastic core. Its still doable but finicky as hell. You really need
good soldering skills.

If you cut it and find this.. lemme know and I will talk u thru how I
did it..

Thanks v much, I may well need further advice, will shout up if so.

"Bob"
--

"I will refuse to register for an ID card and will donate £10
to a legal defence fund but only if 10,000 other people will
also make this same pledge." Phil Booth, NO2ID

Join the Pledge !!

http://www.pledgebank.com/refuse

http://www.pledgebank.com/faq

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Pete Biggs said:

Alternativley, Cateye make rear wheel kits.

The Astrale, which is the comp in question, has cadence function so is
rear wheel mount by default. It /might/ just be long enough anyway,
depends what I think the neatest routing will be.

"Bob"
--

"I will refuse to register for an ID card and will donate £10
to a legal defence fund but only if 10,000 other people will
also make this same pledge." Phil Booth, NO2ID

Join the Pledge !!

http://www.pledgebank.com/refuse

http://www.pledgebank.com/faq

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.

LSMike said:

I've done it a couple months ago, also with an Astrale, to get the cables
inside the tubing on my bent.

Ah, exactly what I'm considering. I think you have a Hurricane, mine
will be doing duty on the Taifun 🙂

Quoted message said:

Pretty easy, though the fine coax cable is a
little fiddly, it's not difficult soldering.

Well that's good to know. Fiddly I can manage, if it were technically
difficult (I didn't imagine it would be, really) then it might not
have been a go'er.

Thanks to others too for advice.

"Bob"
--

"I will refuse to register for an ID card and will donate £10
to a legal defence fund but only if 10,000 other people will
also make this same pledge." Phil Booth, NO2ID

Join the Pledge !!

http://www.pledgebank.com/refuse

http://www.pledgebank.com/faq

Email address is spam trapped, to reply directly remove the beverage.

"Call me Bob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

LSMike said:

I've done it a couple months ago, also with an Astrale, to get the cables
inside the tubing on my bent.

Ah, exactly what I'm considering. I think you have a Hurricane, mine
will be doing duty on the Taifun 🙂

Doh! Of course that's what you wanted it for, I should have realised,
sorry. I mounted both sensors on the front, and still had spare cable left
over. Still had to cut and solder though, because the sensors/computer
mounting are too large to get through the frame holes.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Pretty easy, though the fine coax cable is a
little fiddly, it's not difficult soldering.

Well that's good to know. Fiddly I can manage, if it were technically
difficult (I didn't imagine it would be, really) then it might not
have been a go'er.

I'm sure you'll have no trouble at all doing it. Oh, one thing I've noticed
is that the cateye mount contacts aren't always perfectly reliable, nothing
to do with the soldering job of course.

Quoted message said:

Thanks to others too for advice.

"Bob"
--

Call me Bob said:

Ah, exactly what I'm considering. I think you have a Hurricane, mine
will be doing duty on the Taifun 🙂

I haven't tried routing the cables through the frame, but I have Astrales on
the Speedmachine and the Baron and the length of the cadence sensor wire is
adequate. Just.

I run the speed sensors off the front wheel.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
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