From Brian Willoughby Sent Mon, Feb 12th 2018, 05:50
From Brian Willoughby Sent Mon, Feb 12th 2018, 05:50
Whatever you end up doing, it=E2=80=99s a really bad idea to leave = everything plugged in. That=E2=80=99s the fastest way to wear out = cables, and also a high risk of breaking the jacks inside your = equipment. I=E2=80=99ve seen several USB jacks break, rendering the = entire device useless. I=E2=80=99ve seen countless 1/4=E2=80=9D jacks = break, especially on foot pedals, resulting in completely unreliable and = random operation. The cables break because, when they=E2=80=99re left plugged in, they = flex at exactly the same place every time you pack or unpack, and = repeatedly bending a wire in the same place is the quickest way to break = it. The best care for your cables is to disconnect them and coil them = properly before storing separately. Of course, you should always have = spare cables on hand, but the extra time to disconnect them will ensure = that they last longer. The jacks break because the cables put internal pressure on the = hardware. Back in the days when gear was built like a tank, this = wasn=E2=80=99t much of an issue because all jacks were secured to a = metal panel, with stranded wire running to the electronics. These days, = everything is PCB-mounted, and it doesn=E2=80=99t matter whether it=E2=80=99= s through-hole or surface-mount because cable and plug torque will crack = the solder joints and render the electronics unusable or unreliable. Again, removing all plugs from the jacks will not only make your cables = last longer, but your gear will last longer, too. If only you could = operate electronics with nothing plugged in, they might last forever. = Either that, or manufacturers could go back to solid, panel-mounted = jacks that cannot damage the main PCB. Brian On Jan 3, 2018, at 7:20 AM, Ian <xxx.xxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.xxx> wrote: > How is everyone getting their gear TO the gigs? unplugging, packing, = and plugging everything takes kind of a long time and wears on my = patience so I'm working on bundling my various cables (midi, audio, = power) into snakes and labeling everything to aid with faster setup. = I'm also going to work on leaving anything plugged in that I can, but = that dream likely won't be achieved for a while. >=20 > my eventual desire is to have my mixer(s) on a rolling rackmount = roadcase along with other effects, synths etc, and then having all of my = desktop modules all hooked up and velcroed to a surface inside a custom = coffin-style box i'm designing. currently in the planning stages, the = box is about 5 feet long (very rough prototype: = https://photos.app.goo.gl/tskV1ILq0huYJubH3) and will have large wheels = at one end for going up/down stairs and general mobility. =20 >=20 > I've been thinking about trying to split the gear up into smaller = boxes, too, to make transport easier, but i don't know. Then, = everything would be interlinked either via snakes of cables or, if I can = afford to join the future, ethernet cables coming from various digital = snake boxes. >=20 > It seems like the dream would be to have it so that everything can = remain plugged in all of the time and transport is as easy as curling a = snake into the case and closing the lid.