Author Topic: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?  (Read 12696 times)

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Offline HextejasTopic starter

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How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« on: September 30, 2018, 07:58:37 pm »
I am building a pre-amp and it has 4 RCA connectors on the back. I have done some reading and it has not been helpful.
Anyway here is a disassembled picture of mine in 5 pieces.
I think that all 4 of the loose pieces go inside the chassis but there are a few things that dont seem to make sense to me.
1 of the black washers has a lip on it as if it is meant to isolate the something from the chassis and I dont know what.
What is the 3rd from left, the metal ring with a tab used for ? It looks like it is meant to be used to be able to run a wire to ground or somewhere. But isnt the whole dang assembly, with the exception of the internal signal, grounded by being in contact with the chassis ?
Have you any picture that would show how this booger is attached ?

Thanks.
 

Offline Gyro

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #1 on: September 30, 2018, 08:35:45 pm »
Quote
I think that all 4 of the loose pieces go inside the chassis but there are a few things that dont seem to make sense to me.

Three of them go inside, one of the plastic washers (the one with the lip) goes outside. The lip is to center the connector so that the outer doesn't short to the chassis. The inner washer insulates the solder tag from the inside of the chassis (The solder tag goes next to the nut).

If you don't need to isolate the RCA connector from the chassis, then you can just ditch the plastic washers.
« Last Edit: September 30, 2018, 08:40:14 pm by Gyro »
Best Regards, Chris
 

Offline edpalmer42

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #2 on: September 30, 2018, 08:40:05 pm »
The connector has the option of isolating the ground from the chassis or not.

If you want to isolate the ground, slide the black washer with the lip over the back end of the connector with the lip pointing toward the solder end.  Now push the connector through the hole in the chassis from the outside.  The mounting hole has to be big enough so that the lip fits through the hole.  Now add the second black washer on the inside of the chassis.  The metal ring goes next, and finally, the nut.  Make your connections to the solder connection on the end and on the tab.

If you don't want to isolate the ground, don't use the black washers or the ring, just the connector and the nut.

The question of whether to isolate the ground or not depends on your application.

Ed
 

Offline bson

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2018, 08:59:56 pm »
Drill a hole to fit the outside of the bushing lip.  Insert bushing lip side in from the front.  Insert the connector from the front.  Add the rear bushing or plastic washer.  Add  the the ground tab, thread on the nut; orient the ground tab to a suitable position and hand tighten the nut with a matching socket.  No gorilla stuff needed.  Bend the ground tab out a little so it comes off the panel.  Solder hookup wire onto center and ground tab.
« Last Edit: September 30, 2018, 09:01:51 pm by bson »
 

Offline Brumby

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2018, 01:48:39 am »
This:
Three of them go inside, one of the plastic washers (the one with the lip) goes outside. The lip is to center the connector so that the outer doesn't short to the chassis. The inner washer insulates the solder tag from the inside of the chassis (The solder tag goes next to the nut).

This is just a quick sketch showing the panel and the two washers.  The important things to remember are the size of the hole - and that you need to make sure you deburr and clean off any metal bits from around the hole or you could short to the chassis.

Note: These washers are only necessary when you want the body of the RCA connector isolated from the chassis.  You won't need either of them if you want the body of the connector secured directly to the chassis.  Which way you go will depend on the requirements.

« Last Edit: October 01, 2018, 02:03:43 am by Brumby »
 

Offline CatalinaWOW

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2018, 02:41:20 am »
This general approach is used for several kinds of connectors.  BNC, banana plugs and binding posts often have the same type of optional isolation.  Be sure to watch for it when repairing equipment with any type of connector in a metal chassis.
 

Offline Brumby

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2018, 05:43:55 am »
Yes - this mounting technique is used in many places.

Here's a little rework of your original photo:
 
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Offline tooki

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #7 on: October 01, 2018, 09:14:01 am »
The connector has the option of isolating the ground from the chassis or not.

If you want to isolate the ground, slide the black washer with the lip over the back end of the connector with the lip pointing toward the solder end.  Now push the connector through the hole in the chassis from the outside.  The mounting hole has to be big enough so that the lip fits through the hole.  Now add the second black washer on the inside of the chassis.  The metal ring goes next, and finally, the nut.  Make your connections to the solder connection on the end and on the tab.

If you don't want to isolate the ground, don't use the black washers or the ring, just the connector and the nut.

The question of whether to isolate the ground or not depends on your application.
Wouldn't it be better to solder to the tab before mounting, so as to not heat the plastic washers?
 

Offline coppercone2

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #8 on: October 01, 2018, 09:20:49 am »
RCA is shit. avoid it. maybe bnc to rca adapter.
 

Offline tooki

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #9 on: October 01, 2018, 11:30:20 am »
RCA is shit. avoid it. maybe bnc to rca adapter.
That's just stupid advice. In home audio, RCA jacks are what are used. Installing a BNC jack and then requiring the use of an adapter is just going to reduce performance and introduce points of failure.
 

Offline HextejasTopic starter

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #10 on: October 01, 2018, 11:44:33 am »
Thanks folks, this is exactly what I was hoping for, with the exception of coppercone of course.
 
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Offline coppercone2

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #11 on: October 01, 2018, 10:07:59 pm »
the art of electronics has nothing nice to say about RCA connectors, for your information, they are on an avoid list, you know, just sayin

might be easier to have a sacrificial BNC to RCA adapter that can easily be replaced then to open the whole thing up.

i never used them much, but I found them to be fiddly for things like CCTV. I had to adjust them every time I nudged the monitor, so I agree with the book that its a poor standard.
 

Offline CatalinaWOW

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2018, 10:25:13 pm »
RCA connectors are like everything else.  When good ones are used within their service capabilities they are good enough for most folks.  They were originally designed for audio, and then got pushed into the low bandwidth video realm (less than a couple of MHz).  They were never intended for thousands of mating cycles.  Their wide usage and long expired proprietary protections mean that everyone on earth has made them, for every market from the shave another 10 millicents off the cost end up through the audiophile/audiophool stuff.  The stuff on the market that makes the cost manager happy and keeps the engineer one stroke from hari-kiri end of the range deserves the bad rap they often get.  Particularly if assembly quality in the cables and equipment using them reflects the same attitudes.

Most of the same things can be said about BNC connectors, and I can certainly tell anecdotes about flaky BNC connections.
 
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Offline coppercone2

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #13 on: October 01, 2018, 10:50:22 pm »
The so-called phono jack used in
audio equipment is a nice lesson in bad design, because the
inner (signal) conductor mates before the shield (ground)
when you plug it in; furthermore, the design of the con-
nector is such that both shield and center conductor tend to
make poor contact. You’ve undoubtedly heard the results!

53
Advocates of each would probably reply “This is our most modestly
priced receptacle.”

to be specific, i never noticed that much of a problem with BNC, i found even crusty old ones worked fine, but always a decent brand
 

Offline Brumby

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #14 on: October 02, 2018, 12:37:19 am »
I have a couple of boxes with cables of varying types bagged up.  As well as one for anything that is oddball or underrepresented, I have one for RF, one for video (D15, DVI, HDMI), one for phone, one for network and one for anything with an RCA on it.  That last one is a very healthy weight.

I'm sorry - but while the criticism of the RCA connector is not undeserving, advocating for the replacement of it by BNC is just elitist, absurd and dismisses the fact that the RCA is ubiquitous.
 

Offline coppercone2

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #15 on: October 02, 2018, 12:46:34 am »
yes so thats why a sacrificial adapter is a good idea. easy and cheap to replace cable and adapter but not so easy to take the thing apart.

and you can mate em so it grounds first.

I also have a giant bag of RCAs, but there is no reason why you can't use a sacrificial adapter.

honestly the comment was mainly triggered by someone suggesting some crazy ass shit with washers (wtf?) but its still not a bad idea if you can stand 4$ adapters

the washer thing is nuts because real connectors come in real isolated versions, like bulkhead BNC isolated, not relying on filing holes etc to make the thing align. I just assumed RCA does not even have real isolated mounts.
« Last Edit: October 02, 2018, 12:52:42 am by coppercone2 »
 

Offline tooki

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #16 on: October 02, 2018, 01:49:30 pm »
yes so thats why a sacrificial adapter is a good idea. easy and cheap to replace cable and adapter but not so easy to take the thing apart.

and you can mate em so it grounds first.

I also have a giant bag of RCAs, but there is no reason why you can't use a sacrificial adapter.

honestly the comment was mainly triggered by someone suggesting some crazy ass shit with washers (wtf?) but its still not a bad idea if you can stand 4$ adapters

the washer thing is nuts because real connectors come in real isolated versions, like bulkhead BNC isolated, not relying on filing holes etc to make the thing align. I just assumed RCA does not even have real isolated mounts.
FFS, dude. Nobody cares about your anti-RCA crusade.

1. I've never heard of an RCA jack wearing out. They're so simple, what is there to wear out?? It's not as though they have a bunch of moving parts. It's a simple friction fit.
2. If you had bad experiences with them, it was almost certainly due to bad cables, not bad jacks, or due to substantial corrosion, which could affect any connector.
3. RCA jacks come at every conceivable price point, including ones that are inherently insulated from the enclosure. This particular model is designed to work either way. That's a deliberate design decision of this jack model, not an inherent property of RCA jacks. That you don't understand how this model is designed doesn't make it "crazy ass shit".
4. They are THE standard in home audio. It doesn't matter what you think about the connector design, if you want a product that readily connects, you use RCA. It works fine for this application. The OP was not asking for opinions on what connectors to choose, and it's arrogant of you to keep belaboring the point.

The only legitimate criticism of RCA jacks, IMHO, is the issue of the signal making contact before ground. But let's be realistic, in its intended application, this isn't an issue. It's not as though RCA jacks' intended uses include routine hot-plugging.
 
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Offline coppercone2

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #17 on: October 02, 2018, 03:44:04 pm »
well the design also allows you to zap the center conductor with ESD easily. especially in a shagged out audio room.

same problem with the audio connectors.

everyone so mad, god guys, buyers remorse from 20 years ago? everything is optical now for good reason. war's over people, japan surrendered in the 40's, no point defending this jungle anymore
« Last Edit: October 02, 2018, 03:50:32 pm by coppercone2 »
 

Offline CatalinaWOW

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #18 on: October 02, 2018, 09:18:40 pm »
This war never started, except for one person.  No one here has claimed RCA phono plugs are a great design.  No one is trying to force you to use them.  All anyone has said is that they are adequately to purpose and widely used in audio.  If you want to convert all your audio gear to BNC, no one is going to stop you.  I'm not converting my TE to RCA, but I will continue to use it on my stereo gear where I have never actually encountered any of the dire outcomes which you correctly point out can happen with RCA.
 
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Offline Brumby

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #19 on: October 03, 2018, 12:35:44 am »
Gee whiz.  Somebody hates RCAs with a passion beyond reason.

In my experience, the only problems I've encountered because of the RCA plug and socket combination have been fixed by removal and reinsertion a couple of times, usually with a twist or two.
 
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Offline coppercone2

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #20 on: October 03, 2018, 12:42:14 am »
it's the cable equivalent of percussive maintenance and NES cartridges. I have seen people blow into CDROM drives because of all the chaos those things caused in the past.

I am just imagining big screen tv's falling down because of bad RCA connections. I also got yelled at once because of something like that happening to me because of a RCA connector IIRC when I was young, so I have a bone to pick with them. I think a poorly placed VCR took like a 6 foot fall.
 

Offline Brumby

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #21 on: October 03, 2018, 01:00:23 am »
it's the cable equivalent of percussive maintenance and NES cartridges.
Perhaps - but once in 10 years isn't cause for wholesale exile IMHO.

Quote
I am just imagining big screen tv's falling down because of bad RCA connections.
Now you're just messing with us ... surely.

Quote
I also got yelled at once because of something like that happening to me because of a RCA connector IIRC when I was young, so I have a bone to pick with them. I think a poorly placed VCR took like a 6 foot fall.
Not sure how an RCA connector could be the cause of something like that which would not happen with, say, a BNC.  But, OK - so you had a bad childhood experience and it has led you to an irrational hatred.  At least we now know where it came from.
 

Offline RobertHolcombe

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #22 on: October 03, 2018, 05:06:59 am »
My uncle bob was severely injured in a freak RCA connector incident, I too have not been able to move on.







 :-DD
 
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Offline coppercone2

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #23 on: October 03, 2018, 02:01:32 pm »
it was temperamental and I got up on a chair to mess with it and boom. Probably got nudged because you know, you need to move home AV equipment to clean the dust under it *unless your a dirty fuck*

Never would have happened with BNC. Obviously people won't have it so poorly set up but the fact is the equipment needs to be moved once in a while to clean behind, under it, etc, unless its part of a sterile AV rack mount device.

There is like a 100% chance some house wife is going to be regularly messing with some kind of home audio setup to find dust during regular cleaning. Maybe some people will have a filtered AV cabinet under their TV with some fan and filters to change, but I never saw that.
« Last Edit: October 03, 2018, 02:03:29 pm by coppercone2 »
 

Offline langwadt

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Re: How to attach an RCA connector to a chassis ?
« Reply #24 on: October 03, 2018, 02:20:21 pm »
yes so thats why a sacrificial adapter is a good idea. easy and cheap to replace cable and adapter but not so easy to take the thing apart.

and you can mate em so it grounds first.

I also have a giant bag of RCAs, but there is no reason why you can't use a sacrificial adapter.

honestly the comment was mainly triggered by someone suggesting some crazy ass shit with washers (wtf?) but its still not a bad idea if you can stand 4$ adapters

the washer thing is nuts because real connectors come in real isolated versions, like bulkhead BNC isolated, not relying on filing holes etc to make the thing align. I just assumed RCA does not even have real isolated mounts.
FFS, dude. Nobody cares about your anti-RCA crusade.

1. I've never heard of an RCA jack wearing out. They're so simple, what is there to wear out?? It's not as though they have a bunch of moving parts. It's a simple friction fit.
2. If you had bad experiences with them, it was almost certainly due to bad cables, not bad jacks, or due to substantial corrosion, which could affect any connector.
3. RCA jacks come at every conceivable price point, including ones that are inherently insulated from the enclosure. This particular model is designed to work either way. That's a deliberate design decision of this jack model, not an inherent property of RCA jacks. That you don't understand how this model is designed doesn't make it "crazy ass shit".
4. They are THE standard in home audio. It doesn't matter what you think about the connector design, if you want a product that readily connects, you use RCA. It works fine for this application. The OP was not asking for opinions on what connectors to choose, and it's arrogant of you to keep belaboring the point.

The only legitimate criticism of RCA jacks, IMHO, is the issue of the signal making contact before ground. But let's be realistic, in its intended application, this isn't an issue. It's not as though RCA jacks' intended uses include routine hot-plugging.

you can get RCAs that connect ground first, http://www.neutrik.co.uk/website/uploads/images/07/660x/profi-uebersicht.jpg
 
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