Restoring 8 Pin DIN Cables for Transformer 112/212 (PFC4) and BAM (PFC4B)
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 4:20 pm
WARNING - Sanpera cables appear to be different so the below applies only to the Transformer and the BAM which use the PFC4 and PFC4B footswitches respectively.
After gathering up three Transformer 112s from the dust bins of ebay, I ended up with two footswitches and two footswitch cables. All three Transformers, both foot switches, and one of the cables work great (one Transformer electronics went back to the factory for a refurb). My adventures with using two of the T-112s are in another thread. The third I replaced the stock speaker with a Jansen and use it to comp for a friend who plays clarinet.
One of the cables had some really gnarly cable ends - massive amounts of duct tape and electrical tape to provide strain relief because the rubber strain relief on the plugs had separated from the plug shell. Attempts to buy shorter aftermarket cables to replace the factory cables were unsuccessful - they created a wicked ground-loop hum for some unknown reason. I found the replacement plugs (same as factory) at Mouser - they are Switchcraft part # 15BL8MX - and are identical to the factory plugs. I finally got around to replacing the two plugs this afternoon.
The plugs come apart with the single screw visible in the shell. The inside just pushes out from the back. The factory workmanship was quite good, not mil-spec but everything was heat-shrinked, twice, then a small amount of electrical tape added to provide friction with the soft strain relief jacket.
I unsoldered one plug and was able to slide the first old shell from the far end of the cable and slide new shell/strain relief over the unsoldered end to the soldered end so I only had to unsolder/resolder one end. After carefully writing down the color code of the wires, I soldered the new plug onto the cable - using the same amount of heat shrink tubing as factory and being sure to slide the new shell/strain relief onto the cable before doing any soldering. I reassembled the new plug, did a continuity check and everything looks great - just like new.
If anyone else has 8 pin DIN Peavey cables and doesn't like having gnarly plugs, replacing them with factory plugs is relatively easy with rudimentary soldering and mechanical assembly skills. It appears to be the only solution because these cables aren't available from the factory any more and aftermarket 8 pin DIN cables don't work. Let me know if I can answer any questions or provide any advice to anyone else who wants to do this.
After comparing the aftermarket cables to the Peavey cable, I found the difference - the metal shells on the Peavey cables are not connected to anything. There's no cable shield, just a bare ground wire connected to the center pin on the plug. The metal shells are completely insulated from everything. On the aftermarket cables, the shells are connected to each other.
After gathering up three Transformer 112s from the dust bins of ebay, I ended up with two footswitches and two footswitch cables. All three Transformers, both foot switches, and one of the cables work great (one Transformer electronics went back to the factory for a refurb). My adventures with using two of the T-112s are in another thread. The third I replaced the stock speaker with a Jansen and use it to comp for a friend who plays clarinet.
One of the cables had some really gnarly cable ends - massive amounts of duct tape and electrical tape to provide strain relief because the rubber strain relief on the plugs had separated from the plug shell. Attempts to buy shorter aftermarket cables to replace the factory cables were unsuccessful - they created a wicked ground-loop hum for some unknown reason. I found the replacement plugs (same as factory) at Mouser - they are Switchcraft part # 15BL8MX - and are identical to the factory plugs. I finally got around to replacing the two plugs this afternoon.
The plugs come apart with the single screw visible in the shell. The inside just pushes out from the back. The factory workmanship was quite good, not mil-spec but everything was heat-shrinked, twice, then a small amount of electrical tape added to provide friction with the soft strain relief jacket.
I unsoldered one plug and was able to slide the first old shell from the far end of the cable and slide new shell/strain relief over the unsoldered end to the soldered end so I only had to unsolder/resolder one end. After carefully writing down the color code of the wires, I soldered the new plug onto the cable - using the same amount of heat shrink tubing as factory and being sure to slide the new shell/strain relief onto the cable before doing any soldering. I reassembled the new plug, did a continuity check and everything looks great - just like new.
If anyone else has 8 pin DIN Peavey cables and doesn't like having gnarly plugs, replacing them with factory plugs is relatively easy with rudimentary soldering and mechanical assembly skills. It appears to be the only solution because these cables aren't available from the factory any more and aftermarket 8 pin DIN cables don't work. Let me know if I can answer any questions or provide any advice to anyone else who wants to do this.
After comparing the aftermarket cables to the Peavey cable, I found the difference - the metal shells on the Peavey cables are not connected to anything. There's no cable shield, just a bare ground wire connected to the center pin on the plug. The metal shells are completely insulated from everything. On the aftermarket cables, the shells are connected to each other.