3 pin XLR microphone wire

[urthegman]

Can anyone tell me what actually goes bad on 3 pin XLR microphone wire, I know they are not intended for outdoor usage but it seem like the slightest bit of moisture and they are rendered useless!!! Any outdoor alternatives for them?

[zwiller]

Normally, one good tug on em and one of the wires will work loose.  That or moisture inside will short connections as the shell is grounded metal.  Definitely not weatherproof (or beer proof).  I would instead use a 3 core connector or 2 conductor if have em.  I remember a pinout chart in the wiki...   

[rm357]

There are weatherproof xlr cables,  but the cheapos were never meant to be in a moist environment. The connectors are not sealed and the basic design allows a very small amount of moisture to short the pins together...

[caretaker]

Hopefully you are not using microphone wire for DMX....   Here is a blog about the differences for those who are interested:
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[rm357]

Caretaker is correct. Sometimes you can get away with using a mic cable, but as you add length and additional fixtures your likelihood of having issues goes up dramatically.

It's better to use one of the pairs in a cat5 Ethernet cable - even if you stick with the xlr connectors...

[dmaccole]

It's better to use one of the pairs in a cat5 Ethernet cable - even if you stick with the xlr connectors...

If you're using Cat5, use Pair 1 (white/orange, orange/white), as it is the twisted pair; if you're using Cat5e, you can use any pair, as they're all twisted.

\dmc

[tbone321]

Both Cat5 and Cat5e have all pairs twisted.  If this were not true, then Cat5 could not be used for full duplex operations.  The difference between them is that Cat5e has tighter specs and a thicker outer jacket making it a more durable cable as well.

[urthegman]

I am using the wire for RGB snowtubes using Madrix effects, I am not sure but I am pretty sure the Enttec clone controllers I have actually HAVE a cat5 port on them, not sure if it is for output though. I will check when I get home in about 20 minutes.