Hi I want to extend the my montior/ vga cable (the one conecting the montior to the lcd). Can i just cut it in half and add as much cable in beween as i like or will i need a signal booster/repeater?
I only need an extra 1.5meters, what the maximum i can extend without degredation?
Are the signals digital?
thanks, Im sure this has been posted before but i honestly couldnt find it?
I only need an extra 1.5meters, what the maximum i can extend without degredation?
Are the signals digital?
thanks, Im sure this has been posted before but i honestly couldnt find it?
You can buy monitor/vga extension cables, generally its just a male/female monitor cable. Might save you some work and hassle. Vga is analog, DVI is digital.
Thanks thats great. I cant be buying any cables thats just too expensive, this has to be done on the cheap. And i know how they love to rip u off with the cables-especially here in england
40ft!-raaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssclaaaaaaaaaart!
40ft!-raaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssclaaaaaaaaaart!
I use cat5 and a set of $3 VGA connectors from Radio Shack. Quality is good if you have clean connections.
All you really have to do is match the RGBHV to their return with the cat5 and you'll be set, I will see if I can find a tutorial online somewhere...
EDIT:
http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/vgacable.html
Go there for a pinout, it also lists parts. If you have a spool of cat5 lying around, it will be very cheap to make. I only had to spend ~$3US on the d-sub connectors to make the cable.
All you really have to do is match the RGBHV to their return with the cat5 and you'll be set, I will see if I can find a tutorial online somewhere...
EDIT:
http://www.myhometheater.homestead.com/vgacable.html
Go there for a pinout, it also lists parts. If you have a spool of cat5 lying around, it will be very cheap to make. I only had to spend ~$3US on the d-sub connectors to make the cable.
Thanks for that
hmm. No spools of cat5 lying around. cat5 is what they use in network cables isnt it? if i go in to my local electronics store and ask for cat5 will they give me a length of network cable or is "cat5" just a term used to discribe the cable width?
$3.00- thats just too much! i think ill just cut the existing cable and solder them together.
Hey is there a professional way to extend cables(other than buying conectors)? on so many occasions ive just twisted to ends of a wire together and then rapped it in a bit of selotape! damm thats what i did with my lcd when i stripped it
hmm. No spools of cat5 lying around. cat5 is what they use in network cables isnt it? if i go in to my local electronics store and ask for cat5 will they give me a length of network cable or is "cat5" just a term used to discribe the cable width?
$3.00- thats just too much! i think ill just cut the existing cable and solder them together.
Hey is there a professional way to extend cables(other than buying conectors)? on so many occasions ive just twisted to ends of a wire together and then rapped it in a bit of selotape! damm thats what i did with my lcd when i stripped it
$3.00 is too much?!?
You could always use butt connectors if you dont want to just twist them together. Cat5 is network cable. The "cat5" is just the speed its rated for. If you dont want to spend any money, just cut the ends off a cable you have lying around.
You could always use butt connectors if you dont want to just twist them together. Cat5 is network cable. The "cat5" is just the speed its rated for. If you dont want to spend any money, just cut the ends off a cable you have lying around.
I've tried splicing a pair of VGA cables before. Even after soldering the two cables together, there were wavy diagonal lines going across the screen.
I would say you'd be better off getting a 100ft spool of cat5 for like $15 and $3 for the dsub connectors than buying a premade 10 foot VGA cable for $30. After you're done making the VGA cable, you can give yourself a reason to setup a network (or build another computer to put on your current network).
But they also sell male to male converters that will do the trick if you have a couple of spare VGA cables. I think the connectors go for about $2.
Check out the Rat Shack before they stop selling those kinda electronic things and turn into a cell phone and DVD player store. I can't even by flux paste at that place anymore! haha.
I would say you'd be better off getting a 100ft spool of cat5 for like $15 and $3 for the dsub connectors than buying a premade 10 foot VGA cable for $30. After you're done making the VGA cable, you can give yourself a reason to setup a network (or build another computer to put on your current network).
But they also sell male to male converters that will do the trick if you have a couple of spare VGA cables. I think the connectors go for about $2.
Check out the Rat Shack before they stop selling those kinda electronic things and turn into a cell phone and DVD player store. I can't even by flux paste at that place anymore! haha.
Quote
"I've tried splicing a pair of VGA cables before. Even after soldering the two cables together, there were wavy diagonal lines going across the screen."
Its really strange that soldering a cable together doesnt work but a conector will. U would have thought that if anything a soldered conection would be far supirior to two bits of metal just being touched together. Ive had that before on other extentions.
I think the cat5 spool and dsub conectors looks like the best bet. Ill just have to look around a wiegh everything up.
"I've tried splicing a pair of VGA cables before. Even after soldering the two cables together, there were wavy diagonal lines going across the screen."
Its really strange that soldering a cable together doesnt work but a conector will. U would have thought that if anything a soldered conection would be far supirior to two bits of metal just being touched together. Ive had that before on other extentions.
I think the cat5 spool and dsub conectors looks like the best bet. Ill just have to look around a wiegh everything up.
Quote
"I've tried splicing a pair of VGA cables before. Even after soldering the two cables together, there were wavy diagonal lines going across the screen."
Thats really screwed up my ghetto cable extention plans. Does anyone know why this is? I think its important because many people have had this with fcc extentions.
"I've tried splicing a pair of VGA cables before. Even after soldering the two cables together, there were wavy diagonal lines going across the screen."
Thats really screwed up my ghetto cable extention plans. Does anyone know why this is? I think its important because many people have had this with fcc extentions.
It might have been that one of the cables I spliced was really old (cut from a broken 1990 model monitor that had the cable hardwired to the back)... Give it a shot, if you like.
maybe i will. I have nothing to lose.
I there anyone else whose tried a ghetto cable extension?
Thanks
I there anyone else whose tried a ghetto cable extension?
Thanks
I cannot
believe you would be cutting up a perfectly good cable to put a piece in between but... who am I.
anyway pay attention that you donot mix up the wiring colors.
in one chinese origin version there is a pink colored wire and a salmon colored wire but only when you put a bright light on it you will see the difference = accidents (or lines on the screen) bound to happen!
J-P
By the way what is the total length of the Male/Female vga cable you need? you can let me know in meters, I am in the USA since 2000 and still prefer metric on top of anything else 🙂
believe you would be cutting up a perfectly good cable to put a piece in between but... who am I.
anyway pay attention that you donot mix up the wiring colors.
in one chinese origin version there is a pink colored wire and a salmon colored wire but only when you put a bright light on it you will see the difference = accidents (or lines on the screen) bound to happen!
J-P
By the way what is the total length of the Male/Female vga cable you need? you can let me know in meters, I am in the USA since 2000 and still prefer metric on top of anything else 🙂
For it to be neat and no one see the cable- id need about 4m in total.
Thanks for the advise on cable colours, im actually colour blind so im gonna have to watch out for that one.
Thanks for the advise on cable colours, im actually colour blind so im gonna have to watch out for that one.
Hi guys,
This is an interesting thread to me because I will be needing to make a longer VGA cable of about 12 - 14 feet from the HTPC to the projector.
I once added a VGA cable extension to my computer an it made the picture real bad so I feel that this is something that need to be done right to not have too much signal degradation.
The expensive Belden VGA cables that you see are not really that well made but I have a suggesion. Take the category5 networking cable that has been talked about earlier and cut several of the twisted pairs of the right length so you have enough conductors.
Then get some 1 inch teflon foam round core material. I don't know where you get this but I know it's not too expensive.
Then you make several spiral paths around the foam core and cut a small slot for each twisted pair to go into. The farther away the twisted conductors are spaced from each other the better. And spiraling them around the foam core will reduce inductance in the wire. Then you wrap your new fat VGA conductor with some flat 1/4 inch thick teflon flat foam and then with tin foil followed by some kind of flexible plastic tape to hold the thing together.
The aluminim foil shield can be grounded at each end and acts to reduce outside signal interferance.
Teflon is used because it is a fast and high quality dialectric but other types of foam may be cheaper and work well enough.
Then you terminate the cable with your custom VGA connectors.
Now you have a cheap high end VGA cable.
Hezz
This is an interesting thread to me because I will be needing to make a longer VGA cable of about 12 - 14 feet from the HTPC to the projector.
I once added a VGA cable extension to my computer an it made the picture real bad so I feel that this is something that need to be done right to not have too much signal degradation.
The expensive Belden VGA cables that you see are not really that well made but I have a suggesion. Take the category5 networking cable that has been talked about earlier and cut several of the twisted pairs of the right length so you have enough conductors.
Then get some 1 inch teflon foam round core material. I don't know where you get this but I know it's not too expensive.
Then you make several spiral paths around the foam core and cut a small slot for each twisted pair to go into. The farther away the twisted conductors are spaced from each other the better. And spiraling them around the foam core will reduce inductance in the wire. Then you wrap your new fat VGA conductor with some flat 1/4 inch thick teflon flat foam and then with tin foil followed by some kind of flexible plastic tape to hold the thing together.
The aluminim foil shield can be grounded at each end and acts to reduce outside signal interferance.
Teflon is used because it is a fast and high quality dialectric but other types of foam may be cheaper and work well enough.
Then you terminate the cable with your custom VGA connectors.
Now you have a cheap high end VGA cable.
Hezz
Guys,
Here is a link to some reasonably priced good quality SVGA cables.
http://www.mycableshop.com/sku/CVGAM15.htm
Hezz
Here is a link to some reasonably priced good quality SVGA cables.
http://www.mycableshop.com/sku/CVGAM15.htm
Hezz
- Status
- Not open for further replies.