Hi,
I'm searching for banana plugs replacement and wanna try spade/fork connectors. This is to be used with vintage amps and 20 year old speakers.
While searching, I found out that most spade and banana plugs are made of brass. The copper ones are more expensive. However, I also found lots of relatively cheap with 99% copper lug/ ring terminals. I wonder that anyone has tried to use those instead of commercially available pure copper spade/fork connector?
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lug+terminal
The thick one comes with ring/ lug shape which rated for 50A - 100A of pure copper, but they needed to be cut open (dremel?) to be spade/ fork shape in order to be used with typical binding post. I will solder the wire and tin whole connector with silver soldering lead to reduce oxidation.
Those may have zero "audio grade" snake oil but my guess it still should be better than aliexpress brass banana plugs?
Your thoughts?
AP
I'm searching for banana plugs replacement and wanna try spade/fork connectors. This is to be used with vintage amps and 20 year old speakers.
While searching, I found out that most spade and banana plugs are made of brass. The copper ones are more expensive. However, I also found lots of relatively cheap with 99% copper lug/ ring terminals. I wonder that anyone has tried to use those instead of commercially available pure copper spade/fork connector?
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lug+terminal
The thick one comes with ring/ lug shape which rated for 50A - 100A of pure copper, but they needed to be cut open (dremel?) to be spade/ fork shape in order to be used with typical binding post. I will solder the wire and tin whole connector with silver soldering lead to reduce oxidation.
Those may have zero "audio grade" snake oil but my guess it still should be better than aliexpress brass banana plugs?
Your thoughts?
AP
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Not sure if ali plugs are real copper or brass with copper plate... (or steel with copper color)
In Ali, too many shops to choose, but we can get copper lug/ ring terminal locally and traceable to reputed manufacturers.
In Ali, too many shops to choose, but we can get copper lug/ ring terminal locally and traceable to reputed manufacturers.
Cut a 1/4" slot into the side of the ring opposite to the barrel, using heavy duty side cutters.
File off any rough spots to make the cut edge smooth. I've done this many times, works well.
File off any rough spots to make the cut edge smooth. I've done this many times, works well.
I modified 10 pieces of 1/4 inch lugs into spades on a milling machine many years ago, but I don't look forward to assembling them, as I don't have the "21 RED" die or anything else for crimping them, and they take 5AWG wire, so a fairly massive part to solder. I hope I don't run out of the 1/4 inch Vampire spades I'm sitting on.
My 1/4 inch dia lugs I happened to find in a surplus shop, and they appear atomic grade, but from over there you'll only get random junk. Modify a ring terminal as rayma described to get you going?
My 1/4 inch dia lugs I happened to find in a surplus shop, and they appear atomic grade, but from over there you'll only get random junk. Modify a ring terminal as rayma described to get you going?
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Also "some" binding posts have removable caps, or at least they can be removed,
by firmly untwisting them. A ring lug is better than a spade, since there is even pressure.
by firmly untwisting them. A ring lug is better than a spade, since there is even pressure.
IMO you're better off sticking with banana plugs. If you're worried about signal integrity, just get some high-quality locking plugs with gold plating. Blue Jeans Cable makes great ones... ultrasonically-welded to the cable, too. https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm
But, if you really want to try spades/forks, just make sure your binding posts are up to the task. The threads should be clean and smooth, and no plastic in the compressed assembly, as they'll need to be able to keep ample residual compression on the connectors to keep them from coming loose from vibration.
But, if you really want to try spades/forks, just make sure your binding posts are up to the task. The threads should be clean and smooth, and no plastic in the compressed assembly, as they'll need to be able to keep ample residual compression on the connectors to keep them from coming loose from vibration.
I've used forks bent to fit the binding terminal or screw terminal strip for 51 years. The ST70 purchased 1970 had screw terminal strips. I've cut some ring terminals too, when forks for #10 screws weren't available. The ST120 purchased 1985 had binder terminals. Yellow crimp terminals from T&B, Amp, 3M, panduit, Ideal don't melt out at 30 amps. Radio Shack ones did. My recent replacement purchases since the 9/20 burglary have had screw terminal outputs anyway. Mono MMA-875T, MMA-81502 averaged $40 each and most recently a stereo QSC CX302 was $106. Nice thing about fork terminals, if you trip on the speaker wire it yanks cleanly off the amp, instead of pulling out 1/4" and shorting the amp the way a 1/4" phone plug will.
IMHO gold plating is silly for speaker voltage circuits. The screw pressure excludes the oxygen, anyway. Reserve gold for the RCA plugs & jacks that go silent after 6-8 years if not removed & replaced.
IMHO gold plating is silly for speaker voltage circuits. The screw pressure excludes the oxygen, anyway. Reserve gold for the RCA plugs & jacks that go silent after 6-8 years if not removed & replaced.