Magnetic Cables

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:10 pm

Just found this on an RSS feed from Engadget.

http://www.belkin.com/pressroom/releases/uploads/07_10_08BreakFree.html

Basically 2 magnets that transfer audio between them (no idea how), meaning if you stretch the guitar cable too far, it breaks apart instead of pulling out of the amp jack.

Posted: Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:32 pm

I bet they got the idea from the "Guitar Hero" cable. That one has a adapter on it so you don't yank your X-Box 360 onto the floor when you stage dive off the couch.

Yeah, I play Guitar Hero. I have 5 kids, it's MANDATORY! so don't give me any crap about it Mad

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:45 am

The magnets don't have anything to do with the signal transfer. They just hold together the two parts of a connector that has spring-loaded contacts between the two parts. Any mechanical force greater than the magnetic attraction pulls the two halves apart and breaks the connection. I believe also that to avoid loud clicks and pops when the connection is broken the signal on the lead is grounded.

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:33 pm

I saw these at NAMM this year and they seem to be prety good. No noise ar anything the only down side is t hat the ones they had looked bulky and not pretty it all. It might it been a different company than Belkin.

Zoro
www.produccionestecate.com

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 7:05 pm

MarkG:
"Yeah, I play Guitar Hero. I have 5 kids, it's MANDATORY! so don't give me any crap about it"
IMO, we should give GH itself some crap that you play it Laughing

(that don't make no sense :S)

Boswell:
Useful. Couldn't tell how it worked from the picture. I did think that the magnetic part would need to be electrically separate from the audio transfer part.

Zoro:
There's more, possibly? These might be vaguely popular for some things, how odd.
I can't imagine myself using them.

Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:31 pm

Belkin suck.

Their product sucks, their Reps sucked and my job selling their crap sucked.

Cool idea, though if you use a 1/4" connector properly you shouldn't need it.

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:02 pm

Codemonkey

I would never use something like that I mean I don't play an instrument right now but I don't see my self using these in my studio I rather use the good old hand made cables with Neutrik connectors and mogami cable.

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 6:40 pm

I thought I posted here earlier :S

Using these on a stage would be an OK idea for guitars.
Synths, gear in racks and consoles tend not to move much and these are pointless.
For someone moving around a lot though...especially in a 7m space with a 5m cable...

Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 9:31 pm

For stage, wireless is the shizzit.

Posted: Fri Jul 25, 2008 5:18 am

EricUndead wrote:

For stage, wireless is the shizzit.

Uh... is that good or bad? Well, I don't play live much any more ,so I don't give a shizzit.

Posted: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:52 am

Good, for me anyway. Can't pull out any cords.

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