DIYbanter - View Single Post - Harman Kardon Citation 17 Pre-Amp Speaker Plug

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wrote:
Many thanks for this. I may make a clay model or some such - which
would then allow me to cast a plug myself if hard against it.

I have heard of (but not personally done) something like this, for one
of those circular multi-pin connectors that a lot of US military gear
has. Those connectors only have three or four different pin sizes, but
approximately one billion different pin arrangements, shell sizes,
keying notches, etc. Somebody needed to connect some equipment *now*,
so they bought the individual pins put wires on them, plugged the pins
into the female connector one by one, and verified that they had what
they wanted. Then they put tape (IIRC) around the threads on the female
connector to make a "dam" around the wires+pins, and dumped silicone or
some other material in to mold a plug body. The result was a plug that
was at least good enough to do testing with, while waiting for Amphenol
or whoever to mill them an official plug out of solid unobtainium.

You might use different gauges of solid wire, gently, in the individual
pin holes, until you find something that fits well. Or, you might also
be able to use the blunt end of various sizes of drill bits to get a
good fit; if you have a set that goes by 1/64ths, you have approximately
0.016 inch steps. Once you find a size you like, browse around Digi-Key
or Mouser for connector pins of about that size, and try it out.

Matt Roberds