Heat Shrink Tubing

[Greg.]

Chris, if you get stuck in your endeavours, send them to me and I’ll take a look at them and repair if possible. Alternative RCA plugs could always be fitted. There would be no charge for this apart from cost of parts (excluding heat shrink which I have in stock).

[bob orbell]

OK, I think I have it, I think, as Greg said, junk those plugs for something better, there must be something better . Bob

[Chris]

Thanks Greg for such a generous offer, I will keep this in mind as it would be so easy to mess them up completely, I have managed to push the pin back into place by holding the barrel and pushing the cable up to it, but am not sure if it will just slip back if it's not held tight.
Bob this is the problem when new techniques and materials are used there is no time to iron out such issues, many industrial designers will replicate ware and tear on their products before going into production.

Chris.

[A Stuart]

Out of interest, as we can't see from the photo, are the central pin and the metal screen connector staying in register with each other, while the plastic outer moves? Or is are the plastic outer and the screen connector staying in register with each other, but moving relative to the central pin?
If the second of these, I would be very worried that the electrical connections are no longer connected. Have you checked with a meter.

[Greg.]

Originally Posted by A Stuart

Out of interest, as we can't see from the photo, are the central pin and the metal screen connector staying in register with each other, while the plastic outer moves? Or is are the plastic outer and the screen connector staying in register with each other, but moving relative to the central pin?
If the second of these, I would be very worried that the electrical connections are no longer connected. Have you checked with a meter.

I think you are complicating it.

It just needs a strip down and rebuild. Original or new RCA’s accordingly. The heat shrink will be the Icing on the Cake.

[Chris]

Both of the shrink tubing on each plug can be pulled back 2-3 mm, does not seem to be glued, possible that they had used the wrong shrink tubing?
I like the idea of using super glue, I wonder if the glue would migrate further down the tubing? also how fast it would set 2 seconds? Then how would the glue perform if I was to heat up the tubing once glued?

Chris.

[Greg.]

I wouldn’t apply heat gun level heat to newly applied superglue. You’ll probably vaporise some very toxic chemicals that could be injurious.

[bob orbell]

If these plugs are PTFE, then nothing will stick to it, junk and fit nice new plugs, and please don't tell us you may hear a difference. Bob

[Richard]

I wouldn't use superglue, no glue will stick to Teflon and there's almost no margin for it to stick to anyway. Yes you can guarantee if you try it you will stick your fingers together and to the table and the rest will run inside the cable.

Chris, why do you think it's adhesive heat shrink? The plug may be a collet type fitting with regular heat shrink just used to tidy it up. Dealers have done that for years, around here 40 years ago they were making up speaker leads in a similar way, leaving the screw on plug cover off and heat shrinking the cable over onto the plug pin with red and black tubing. Looks neat but it's just window dressing really, standard Cliff 4mm plug made to look posh.

As Alastair says the connection may already be broken and there's no way you can stop the pin sliding in the plug body without at least taking it to pieces to see how it fixes. Send it back to Sevenoaks (if they sold it to you, not the cable maker) or to Greg, he's done lots of this sort of thing, or take a craft knife to it and send us a picture

[Richard]

Ah, morning Bob