I want to shorten a sonar cable, and the existing 9 pin end is imprinted "ODS",. which with some web sleuthing appears to be a Taiwanese company with offices in China and Germany.
Anyone out there have any luck in getting any of these?
The field Application support staff categorically decline to provide a SKU to allow an order and suggest that customers should never ever cut the cables. In an ideal world on a new boat, that might be practical, not so in my case. I have bought an extension cable as an expensive means to procuring a male/female set, and in the worst case can use a terminal strip to provide a break, but that's not going to solve my transducer end problem, though I could just coil up the 20 ' of extra cable and let it flop about.
Alternatively a recommendation of an open stock item from Amphenol or similar is appreciated.
S
Why shorten the cable and why does it have to flop about? I see neatly coiled and secured cables commonly on boats with pro installations, particularly transducer cables.
The transducer is one I want to install on both a dinghy, or on Lioness. In either case the pigtail on the transducer would be about 1-2 meter, and having 9 meters of coil is just in the way.
With the dinghy the total cable length is 1m to the Elite-7 TI, and on Lioness, I would have an extension back in the lazarette to the SonarHub mounted in the cabin or a bulkhead mounted under the counter to plug into when mounting aboard. (here is the prototype on Lioness: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154530873711664&set=pb.542601663.-2207520000.1464193292.&type=3&theater)
I have no issue with leaving neat coils where they are not in the way, or where cable termination & signal propagation is an issue and reflections are problematic.
It is highly unlikely you will find a way to purchase a single or even a small quantity of a molded CPC like that used by a OEM. If you want to shorten it, your best option will be to find a replacement CPC or shielded circular metal connector from another manufacturer and put it on both sides, but it will be a bit expensive since you have to buy the plug, receptacle, pins and sockets, as well as an acceptable crimp tool at the very least. There are some inexpensive "military" style or other connectors which use solder cups... I find them to be a pain and much prefer the wire seal + crimped pin type, but they are much cheaper for you.
Your best bet is to simply coil the wire up.
I have worked out with ODS to buy 10 sets.
Just have to send a wire transfer.
These are field installable solder cups and will give a neater solution than moving a coil of cable back and forth to tender.