DIY Cable Shielding - Copper Tape or Aluminium Foil ?

[Nada]

Im planning on making my first pair of interconnects and want them to be well shielded.

I wonder if Copper Tape or Aluminium Foil could be used to wrap around the cable to provide uber-shielding?

What do the DIY gurus reckon?

COPPER EMI SHIELDING TAPE 30mm x 4m LOW IMPEDANCE SHIELDING

EMI shield cables by wrapping the tape around the cable. An overlap is recommended.

Conductive adhesive and therefore does not require soldering from the adhesive side to the copper. If stuck to itself continuity will pass through one side to the other.

OR

Does Aluminium Foil present a ready option?

If so is Home Brand quality OK or should I go upmarket?

Cheers.

Edited April 24, 2012 by Nada

[Guest Muon]

How about trying a three wire plaited IC, one wire is signal and two earth, the second earth only connected at source end acting as a shield, as long as you don't have a particularly big issue requiring shielding it should be sufficient.

Edit:Plait it as you would a pony tail.

Edited April 24, 2012 by datafone

[Monkeyboi]

For audio I'd go with the copper as a preferred choice of sheilding over the aluminium.

I've used cable that had a low coverage copper braid over a full bonded aluminium foil and found it less effective as a screen at low frequencies (audio) compared to a high coverage (95+%) copper braid. Given you propose to use a copper foil as one of your options, if overlapped should provide 100% coverage and very effective screening at both audio and radio frequencies.

You could slip some heatshrink tubing over the outside of the copper foil wrap to keep it looking neat and ensuring the wrap stays in place with flexing.

Cheers,

Alan R.

[Guest Muon]

In case you want to try it, here is a guide for what I mentioned http://diyaudioproje...ower/diySilver/

Edit:Although I would try them without the ferrite cores.

I used this construction from my phono stage to amp, I didn't bother with the heat shrink or ferrite cores.

Edited April 24, 2012 by datafone

[Ampex53]

I've made cables using air-cored shielded cable - 75ohm ... i used to get it from Dick smith off the roll. You can even use the solid core centre conductor. The idea I was using was to feed either pure silver wire or OFC copper wire off the spool down the teflon or plastic centre - there's heaps of room & some air-cored types have holes exactly right for 24awg wire to feed through.

This way you have in-built shielding + your signal carriers. I've yet to find anything that sounds better.

cb

[Nada]

I've made cables using air-cored shielded cable - 75ohm ... i used to get it from Dick smith off the roll. You can even use the solid core centre conductor. The idea I was using was to feed either pure silver wire or OFC copper wire off the spool down the teflon or plastic centre - there's heaps of room & some air-cored types have holes exactly right for 24awg wire to feed through.

This way you have in-built shielding + your signal carriers. I've yet to find anything that sounds better.

cb

thats a brilliant idea - Ill look into that

thanks

[Krispy Audio]

I'd recommend a braided copper shield instead of foil, as it has a far better conductivity (for dissipating noise). If noise is a big issue for you, then I would suggest a double layer of copper braid.

[Ampex53]

Depending on which air-cored cable you find, you will get both ... from memory the cable I used had a braided copper shield + foil ... and it can be sealed & finished with the nylon braid & heatshrink ... no noise, & performance to match any of the audiophoole nonsense priced IC cables. The ODC/HC insulated copper can be got on spools from motor rewinders - its the stuff your OP Tx are wound with. 4 or 5 9's silver can be got from quite a few places. CMC & Eichman have good copper RCA plugs & you can experiment with different diameter copper for send & return as per Keth Eichman's ideas.

cb

[Batty]

How about different lengths for send and return as per Anti Cables interconnect, I made a pair of ICs using 1m inner and 3m return using silver plated copper solid core 0.25mm teflon coated wire to good effect.

Biggest downside was they get tangled easily.

Edited April 27, 2012 by Batty

[Ampex53]

Well I guess thats the beauty of experimenting ... although if you use air cored coax for your carrier then thats difficult ... ok for speaker cables. Years ago I made up some anti cables from 12 awg OFC copper (from a motor rewinder ... not red insulation though like anti cables) & couldn't tell the difference between them.

The issue nowadays seems to be finding air-core coax ... anyone have a source?

cb

[Decky]

I have used copper foil and tinned copper braid for shielding. Foil looks attractive but it will make your cable very stiff and not particularly well shielded. It also breaks and splits as the cable is flexed in usage. A cooper braid is much better, even very heavy ones will allow flexing of the cable and provide good shielding. You can get it from several Hong Kong shops and Pars Connexion.

[uHenry]

...or just nick some from RG6 quad, works for me. So has the recipe Ampex53 suggested. A twisted pair in 3.2mm teflon tube (8$ for 25ft from China) with both braids from RG6 quad psuedo balanced and techflex over the top is an excellent highly flexible cable.

[quiet-shadow]

Apart from Tungsten ( foil) copper has the second highest rate of EMI and RFI rejection, I would suggest copper