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DIY ribbon power cords?

152.11.88.1
Posted on April 5, 2017 at 08:41:33
boodles
Audiophile

Posts: 354
Joined: January 22, 2005
 Hi everyone,

After doing some reading on the internet, I decided to make some DIY ribbon speaker cables using a Goertz 14g copper foil inductor that I unwound. All I can say is these things sound fantastic with my Decware Torii III driving my GMA Eos HD speakers. The amount of detail and ambient info on good recordings is amazing, and timbre is spot-on! They were easy as can be to make; I simply sandwiched the copper foil between two pieces of packing tape, lay the plus and minus ribbon atop one another, fixing in place with double-sided Scotch tape, and then rolled the assembly with a veneer roller to get rid of any bubbles. Some Tech-flex sleeving for a professional finish, and voila!

Has anyone tried to make power cords out of copper foil? I know companies like Verrastar sell foil PCs, but they cost some serious cash, so I was thinking I could try to DIY one myself. Are there any tricks to make a foil/ribbon power cord?

Thanks so much for any suggestions,
Chris

 

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RE: DIY ribbon power cords?, posted on April 5, 2017 at 09:13:53
trekpilot5.2
Audiophile

Posts: 17
Location: Wisconsin
Joined: January 21, 2014
 Chris,
I haven't made any ribbon power cables but off the top of my head my concern would be proper insulation for 120V and then how do you fit and secure the ribbon in the AC connector?
I do use Elrod power cables, which are ribbon, but never cut one apart to see the construction.

Scott

 

Dangerous AC delivery device, posted on April 5, 2017 at 11:56:44
Duster
Manufacturer

Posts: 17117
Location: Pacific Northwest
Joined: August 25, 2002
 I agree, trekpilot5.2. A number of DIY AC delivery designs may sound good, in part due to cutting corners on safety, and there's nothing one can do to stop a person who chooses to build an AC device that's unsafe, but it's the responsibility of other AA Inmates to caution others about a design that could result in a catastrophe. No matter how careful a listener may treat a dangerous AC device, there are still potential hazards that might occur at some point regardless of how careful the device is handled, including a future end user with kids and pets who might find a questionable AC design at a yard sale when the DIY builder is no longer around to warn them about a potentially dangerous AC delivery device.

 

RE: DIY ribbon power cords?, posted on April 6, 2017 at 03:39:50
tweakmenow
Audiophile

Posts: 245
Location: East Coast USA
Joined: March 26, 2012
 The "Omega Mikro" power cords have been around for a long time. Thin copper ribbons, wrapped in a shell of clear plastic, almost like very heavy saran wrap. The sound is amazing...


https://www.audioasylum.com/forums/isolation/messages/7735.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=omega+mikro+power+cord&btnG=Search&hl=en&gbv=1&site=imghp&tbm=isch

 

RE: Dangerous AC delivery device, posted on April 6, 2017 at 21:39:10
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 you dont think it would throw 15A breaker if it dead shorted? It would. Im not big on the OP choice of double sided scotch tape though.


ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

RE: Dangerous AC delivery device, posted on April 7, 2017 at 08:13:18
bcowen
Audiophile

Posts: 1076
Location: North Carolina
Joined: December 19, 2015
 A dead short should cause the breaker to trip. But the bigger danger is in using unrated and imperfectly applied insulation materials resulting in a current flow between the conductors. Not a dead short, but enough to generate heat, causing further and escalating breakdown of the insulation, and in the end, a fire. Ribbon material may be great for interconnects and speaker cables, but is a very risky endeavor for DIY power cords, IMO.

 

Agree the insulation is VERY important, and MUST be rated for a higher voltage breakdown than the voltage used, posted on April 7, 2017 at 14:45:19
3+4=5
 If you have no idea what the voltage rating of the insulating material is.. You really cannot use it.
I have never seen the voltage rating listed of 'double sided Scotch tape'. Nor of 'generic packing tape'.

 

RE: Agree the insulation is VERY important, and MUST be rated for a higher voltage breakdown than the voltage used, posted on April 9, 2017 at 15:28:09
boodles
Audiophile

Posts: 354
Joined: January 22, 2005
 Sorry for not better clarifying; I had NO intention of using packing tape as the insulator for a power cord; I simply used that for the speaker cables, given its ease of application and the low voltages involved. I was wondering if it might be possible to make a power cord using the ribbon conductor, if it were insulated with appropriate heat shrink rated to 600V, or similar. Would this still be a bad idea?
Thanks so much,
Chris

 

RE: DIY ribbon power cords?, posted on April 10, 2017 at 07:55:43
boodles
Audiophile

Posts: 354
Joined: January 22, 2005
 Sorry for not better clarifying; I had NO intention of using packing tape as the insulator for a power cord; I simply used that for the speaker cables, given its ease of application and the low voltages involved.

I was wondering if it might be possible to make a power cord using the left-over ribbon conductor, if it were insulated with appropriate heat shrink rated to 600V, or similar. Would this still be a bad idea?
Thanks so much,
Chris

 

RE: DIY ribbon power cords?, posted on April 11, 2017 at 04:23:19
reidar
Audiophile

Posts: 1
Joined: April 11, 2017
A friend tryed this years ago and we came to discover that a ordinary 12awg solid core copper conductor did better in both cases. A lot moore open sound as a speakerwire and imressive dynamics used as a powercord

 

RE: Dangerous AC delivery device, posted on April 13, 2017 at 10:43:34
boodles
Audiophile

Posts: 354
Joined: January 22, 2005
 Hi all,
Sorry for not better clarifying; I had NO intention of using packing tape as the insulator for a power cord; I simply used that for the speaker cables, given its ease of application and the low voltages involved.

I was wondering if it might be possible to make a power cord using the left-over ribbon conductor, if it were insulated with appropriate heat shrink rated to 600V, or similar. Would this still be a bad idea?
Thanks so much,
Chris

 

RE: DIY ribbon power cords?, posted on April 16, 2017 at 12:52:19
Tireman2012
Audiophile

Posts: 13
Location: British Columbia
Joined: December 21, 2012
 Years ago, I made a copper ribbon power cable, using teflon tape and heat shrink as insulation materials. As far as I could remember, it sounded dull and sound stage was much constrained. It was soon dismantled and the copper foils were reused in other projects.

Yet, copper foil speaker cables is another story. I love them so much, in particular, the lower and deep bass.

 

RE: DIY ribbon power cords?, posted on April 17, 2017 at 05:21:59
boodles
Audiophile

Posts: 354
Joined: January 22, 2005
 Hi Tireman,

Thanks so much for the info!

If it's not too much trouble, could you explain how you managed to connect the ribbons to the AC plugs? Did you just fold them to get them to fit into the screw terminals, or did you solder a very short wire to the end of each to allow connection to the plugs, or something else altogether?

Since I have some plugs and plenty of ribbon, I figure I may as well give it a try. Also, to insulate with teflon tape, did you just wrap the tape around the ribbon and then slide the wrapped ribbon into the heatshrink?

Thanks so much again,
Chris

 

RE: DIY ribbon power cords?, posted on April 17, 2017 at 08:05:24
Tireman2012
Audiophile

Posts: 13
Location: British Columbia
Joined: December 21, 2012
 I folded the ribbon but I think soldering a short wire is a good way too.

Yes, I wrapped the teflon tape (the yellow one) around the ribbon and then put in HS.

Hope you will enjoy your project.

 

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