Identifying jack tips

[Herr Masel]

Hi, I'm new to this, having lots of fun but I can't find a page explaining how I identify the tips on mono or stereo jacks. Also, how big should I drill holes for the jacks and pots?

[Herr Masel]

Ooops should of put it in the 'beginners only' thread. How do you edit here?

[ninoman123]

You need a DMM (digital multi meter). Stick a guitar cable in the jack. Turn your DMM on continuity mode. Then touch one probe to the tip of the guitar cable and touch the other probe to one of the soldering lugs of the jack. If it beeps, you have the lug for the tip if it doesnt beep try again. Then stick one probe to the sleeve of the guitar cable and the other probe to a different solder lug. If it beeps you have the lug for the sleeve, if it doesnt keep trying. If you have a mono jack then you are done. If you have a stereo jack, then the lug left over is for the ring of the jack.

Hope that made sense...if it didnt I will post a tutorial on my page later today.

[petemoore]

  Top right click on modify...
  Sure fire way to test what jacks do is use a cable to insert into the jack, then adress any connection questions to DMM. For tip, touch the tip of the cable and find the lug that beeps the DMM.
  Testing to see if a jack is doing what you think it will or want it to...poke around it with the DMM and cable to find the connections and N/C's [non-connections] of the jack in question.

[Herr Masel]

Thanks, but what is the continuity mode? I have DCV, ACV, DCA, 10A with a line and a broken line under it, hFE, a picture of what looks like a square sine wave, and ohm measurement. But anyway in order to test it the way you recommended I need to connect the jacks to the circuit, and since I can't tell the difference between the tip, ring and sleeve I can't connect it! I think you read too much into my question, I just need a picture that will help me identify the parts..

[Herr Masel]

No one? I'm really lost here..

[ninoman123]

Continuity mode depends on your DMM. We cant simply tell you that. And its the easiest way to connect a cable into the jack. You dont have to do it this way. And we never said the jack had to be connected to your circuit. You can just connect the jack by itself to the cable.

[Herr Masel]

Aha, success! Sorry for being stubborn, I forgot to be keen to learn there for a moment.

Edit: Hmm on the stereo jack I tried two lugs were beeping when I touched the sleeve, can I use either one?

[KORGULL]

If your meter doesn't have continuity test, you can use the resistance (ohm) setting. Put one probe on the jack's tip and the other on one of the lugs - the correct lug should give you a small resistance reading, the wrong lug(s) will show an open circuit reading.

If you have open style jacks you should be able to look at the edge of the jack and see which lug connects to the tip. The lugs are staggered, each one is aligned with its corresponding prong - if that makes any sense to you. 
On my Switchcraft jacks, the tip lug is the one that is closest to the threads (where you plug in the cord), the sleeve lug is all the way on the inside, and the ring lug is in the middle.

[KORGULL]

Didn't see your edit when I was typing...

Edit: Hmm on the stereo jack I tried two lugs were beeping when I touched the sleeve, can I use either one?

You might have a jack with NC (normally closed) contacts that connect two lugs until a plug is inserted and the contact (metal strip with a dimple on it) is pushed away from the prong it was touching. I don't think the sleeve is usually connected to those though...
I will see if I can find a picture to explain things better.


Does your jack have 2 "prongs" like the one on the left, or 1 like the one on the right?
If yours is like the one on the right except that it has three solder lugs, then it is probably a NC mono jack.

More info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_plug

Here is a NC mono jack:
Notice the little metal strip that makes the switch connection.

[Herr Masel]

That helped, but... and I really don't like sounding like an idiot,   how do you tell the sleeve and ring apart? I mean they are both touching the sleeve of the cable when it is plugged in, so the continuity test doesn't tell me alot,, so there must be a different way to be able to tell which is which. My stereo jack has two prongs, like the left one in the pic you posted, so my logic says that the extra prong is the ring, but then my logic also says the ring is called the ring because it is the the lug with no prong, with the hole in the middle, which the cable plugs through.

[ninoman123]

The ring is the area between the black lines. The reason why you are getting a reading at both the ring and the sleeve is because in a mono jack the ring and the sleeve are connected. Use a stereo cable and you can tell the difference

[KORGULL]

Look at the stereo jack on the left that has two prongs. The bumps in the prongs make contact with either the tip or the ring section of the plug (see ninoman123's pic/post).
The prong that has the bump furthest out, away from the lugs is the tip. The other one is the ring. The sleeve has no extending prong.

Diagrams here: http://pw1.netcom.com/~t-rex/JackWire.html

[Herr Masel]

The ring is the area between the black lines. The reason why you are getting a reading at both the ring and the sleeve is because in a mono jack the ring and the sleeve are connected. Use a stereo cable and you can tell the difference

D'ohhh!!! Of course, I was using a mono cable. Goddamnit. Sorry for being so slow about it.

Edit: Hmm even with the stereo jack the sleeve and ring gave readings together, but I can see with my eyes which is which.

[formerMember1]

hey guys,
What do you use those NC mono jacks for?  What is the NC for?

later....