Audio Cable with Alligator Clips

What I did

For this project, we were asked to make an audio cable with alligator clips that we could attach to our paper speakers (see here).

 

What I used

Materials: audio cable, cable with alligator clips, solder, electrical tape

Tools: soldering iron, wire cutters, scissors

 

How I did it

To begin, I cut the wire with alligator clips on it in half using wire cutters. Then I used the wire cutters to strip the end of both halves of the wire, as well as the two wires protruding from the audio cable.

   

 

Next, I twisted the small copper wires, so they weren’t spread apart. Then I turned on the exhaust and the soldering iron.

  

 

 

After cleaning and tinning the soldering iron, I tinned all the wires. Next, I soldered each of the alligator clip wires to an audio cable wire, turned off and cleaned the soldering iron, and covered the exposed wire with electrical tape.

  

 

Finally, I tested my audio cable with my paper speaker. Unfortunately, when selecting materials, I chose a wire with old, malfunctioning alligator clips, and one of them fell apart, so I had to wrap the wire from the speaker around the remaining part of one of the clips. Fortunately, this was effective, and the speaker still worked.

   

What I learned

Firstly, I learned how important it is to inspect your materials before you start a project. I didn’t realize my alligator clip was faulty until the wires had already been soldered together. It was fortunate that my workaround was effective, otherwise I would have had to redo the project.

Additionally, this project made me realize just how important it is to be diligent about safety. It didn’t occur to me until I was writing up this documentation that I had forgotten to wear safety glasses while soldering. I probably wasn’t at much risk, but slipping up here and there or getting lazy can have serious consequences, so I should be more careful in the future.