Those Metal Banana Plugs

[Beatnik]

I get paranoid about everything and can see two of the housings shorting together easily. I went to the hardware store and grabbed some 3/8 diam clear tubing. A heat gun helped slide them on. Only 24 more to go.

 

[biscuithead]

I've thought of this also... I like your tubing idea. I used split packaging tape because I'm cheap

 

[awillia6]

...3/8 diam clear tubing. A heat gun helped slide them on.

Great idea! Love the idea of the tubing keeping the screw ons from screwing off as well. See-through to polarity indicators is the finishing touch—pure brilliance! Thanks for posting.

 

[Mrv8q]

Or, Pomona plugs, metal banana and plastic body. Hmmm, maybe METAL BANANA will be my band’s new name!

 

[Beatnik]

If anyone wants to do do this, I just cut them over-sized (long), heated up, slid them on and trimmed with a fresh utility blade. A ten foot roll of tubing was like 4 bucks.

 

[Beatnik]

I've noticed on the nakamichi plugs, some have plastic threaded inserts so they don't have continuity to the sleeve, some are metal and do.

 

[Beatnik]

plastic insert left, metal right.

 

[Watthour]

If the ground side of the plug is connected to the shell, does it even matter?

 

[Beatnik]

Seems if somehow they accidentally got pulled from the speaker (kid,dog,cat,etc) while on and touched in anyway you could short. This was just to help prevent that, the tips can still short together, but the shell itself won't. I added above that some of the ones I have are isolated and others not.

 

[fernarias]

People would rather something look pretty than functional. Those outer metal covers aren't needed. I leave them off and then cover the exposed metal surfaces with shrink wrap (I use black and red).

 

[fredgarvin]

Nakamichi plugs and RCA's are a pretty good deal of a product.

 

[invaderzim]

That is a great idea. I had some of the connectors, I don't know what they are called, that are designed for the spring loaded speaker terminals and thought they were cool until I moved the speaker and then looked and saw they had twisted and the metal housings were touching. It would have ruined my day if the amp had been on.

If the ground side of the plug is connected to the shell, does it even matter?

These are single conductor connectors so whatever wire is going in is connected to the shell.

 

[slimecity]

Great idea. I've got some amps where the fear of shorting banana plugs freaks me right out.....

 

[Watthour]

If components are move so frequently that quick-connects are needed, perhaps NL2/SpeakOn plugs are a better idea.

Save the banana plugs for instruments (where many of them are shrouded to prevent this kind of thing).