Source for solid conductor RJ12 cables? (Chinese DRO scale cable)

You don't buy them, you make them, RJ11 connectors for solid wire are readily available. I certainly wouldn't use solid wire for anything that moves line connections to axis scales. I'm not sure why you have trouble soldering stranded wire, perhaps you're using the very fine "tinsel" stranded flat cord. I'd suggest using a good flexible 24ga wire such as Cat5 patch cable wire to make your cables.

An RJ-12 is the same physical size as an RJ-11 telephone base cord plug, but has 6 pins instead of 4.

If that is what you are talking about...

On the rare occasions when I need them I buy 6 pin RJ-12 plugs made for stranded wire and crimp them onto 6 conductor stranded satin wire base cord with an appropriate crimper. This will be a hundred times more durable in any machine with movement or vibration than a solid wire version. I probably have a box on the shelf in the shop and a partial roll of wire with a few hundred feet left.

If you really want solid wire, then just buy some solid wire. Telco (22 or

24 gage multi-conductor with twisted pairs) is available from 4 conductor upto several hundred pairs. Note that you CAN NOT use the same RJ plug on solid wire as you use on stranded wire. Solid wire plugs skin the insulation off and pinch the wire when crimping. Stranded wire plugs pierce the wire.

Flexing kills solid wire.

What he said. I can solder those satin cord conductors, but its very very difficult, and its still going to break beyond your glob of solder if you breath on it hard. I have a small tip low power iron for small stuff.

[snip other comments re plugs etc]

Ohland wants to solder solid wires of a cable instead of stranded wires to contacts on a digital caliper's PC board. The RJ12 (or whatever) connector is at the other end of the cable and plugs into an ordinary matching socket. Ie, the RJ12 connector is not a concern, the problem is getting the wires connected to the caliper's PCB. Ohland implies that an expensive commercial cable is available with RJ12 on one end and a plug to match the caliper contacts at the other end; he wants to avoid buying the expensive cable.

Sounds like you nailed that one . I have cables with stranded wire soldered to the pads in my digital scales on the mill , but made my own with 26ga stranded I bought at RS . Of course the other end of mine terminate into 4 pin nini-din plugs , not RJ12's ... and mine are ziptied at 2 places on the read head bracket , so the wires don't fatigue and break .

Exactamundo. The RJ12 end plugs in to the 3 axis DRO display, the end that is the challenge is the RJ11 that plugs (loosely) into the scale electronics. Even with a new RJ11 plug and scale, any side pressure will eventually pull the plug out.

Ah yes, our little brothers across the ocean really did themselves proud with this set-up. I had hoped that I could find a matching PCB mounting terminal where I could solder the tails to the PCB, then simply either screw or push in the conductor.

Use cat 5 cable - (RJ45) and you just have an extra pair. By RJ12 you mean a 6p6c plug?

Looking at your picture, you only need a 4 conductor cable. Radio Shack 278-872 is solid conductor 24 guage.

278-870 is also 4 conductor phone cable - not sure if it is solid or stranded, or what guage.

Their website says solid under the tech specs . 870-0367 is 4 conductor stranded - on a 100 foot roll . If you want some and dont want to buy a 100 foot roll , ping me offline . It was the smallest package I could find when building my DRO and I got lots left .

The crimp-on tips for RJ12 connection are DIFFERENT for solid and for stranded wire. It's only easy to find the tips for the stranded wire. Crimping the stranded-type tips to the solid wire is unreliable.

I have used some (at work before I retired) which claimed to be designed for both solid and stranded wire. I suspect that they got those because they did not want to have to figure out which type of wire they were working with in the field. :-)

Enjoy, DoN.

I just did over 100 RJ45 solids a couple months ago. The commectors I used were "universal"