HDMI disaster - help please.

HDMI disaster - help please.

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Discussion

B17NNS

Original Poster:

18,506 posts

246 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
Hi there, hope somebody might be able to help me out of a spot.

Just installed a 5.1 surround setup for my girfriend.

All cables chased into walls, room freshly plastered and painted. Feature walls papered (in very expensive paper).

Anyway, to the problem...

We popped the display off the wall earlier to address a minor electrical issue. All cables came out fine until we got to the HDMI.

The connection bit stayed in the panel and the HDMI connection to the AV system is knackered.

Any way of making the connection off again?

The last thing I want to do is take of the paper, chop another cable in, replaster and re-paper.

All help and advice appreciated.

Matt

OldSkoolRS

6,718 posts

178 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
Oh dear, could be bad news I'm afraid. Some people claim to have repaired HDMI connectors, but you'd need a very small soldering iron and extremely steady hands (and eagle eyesight too). No good now, but it's better to run a HDMI cable inside some conduit so you can pull another one through if it should fail, or run a second cable as a spare even.

I'm not being smug as I have a 12 metre cable running around the edge of my room behind skirting that I hope will not fail as the skirting, floor and some plasterboard would have to be removed. paperbag

andy.blue.mini

125 posts

185 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
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I am guessing you don't have a spare HDMI and can install a switch, failing that a CAT5e you could maybe use. Andy

B17NNS

Original Poster:

18,506 posts

246 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
I thought I'd covered all options nfortunately.

Popping out behind TV is (now broken HDMI), optical, scart, TV co-ax and power.

Popping out behing amp is the returns from the HDMI, scart and optical plus RJ45, FM, TV co-ax, BT, twin FF plugs and power.

As an alternative would an optical to HDMI plug do the job?

Mrs is seriously pissed off even though it was me holding 42" of TV whilst she unplugged the connections smile

Crafty_

13,248 posts

199 months

Thursday 5th April 2012
quotequote all
Optical will only be carrying audio.

I think you are committed to opening up the wall.

Dig out the wall and put a small piece of plastic tube in, run all the wires through that, so next time it happens you can just feed a new cable through.

cjs

10,694 posts

250 months

Friday 6th April 2012
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You can buy to HDMI connectors with screw terminals, you'll need a steady hand, some good cable strippers and maybe a soldering iron to 'tin' the end of the cable. Best go for a face plate, module and a back box, if you can get that behind the TV.

http://cpc.farnell.com/1/1/18936-module-hdmi-screw...

skilly1

2,700 posts

194 months

Friday 6th April 2012
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Can you pull un-termintaed CAT6 cable through, using one of the other cables, and use one of these?

http://www.tvcables.co.uk/cgi-bin/tvcables/hdmi-ca...

headcase

2,389 posts

216 months

Friday 6th April 2012
quotequote all
Ive repaired loads, I have it down to a fine art now about 20 mins :P Your first one will proberbly take an hour. The easy way is to get another lead from the same manufacturer then chop the end off it with about 6" of cable left and strip back to the conductors, you will find a few single cores (easy enough) and a few twisted pairs with a drain wire in each pair. Where your wire sticks out of the wall again chop it off (make sure it isnt plugged in at the other end) and again strip back to the conductors. When soldering together you want to maintain the twist in the twisted pairs as much as possible and keep all of the drains separate using insulating tape. If you used a cable the same as your original then you should have a colour code to follow, if your unlucky and have all white cables then you need to dig out your multimeter and label them all and make yourself a diagram. There is no crossover in a HDMI lead its just pin1 to pin1 2-2 etc...
It is a good idea before you plug it in to check you got it right with your multimeter, you will need a single strand of speaker cable (or similar) to poke up the end of the hdmi connector as your meter probes wont fit wink

B17NNS

Original Poster:

18,506 posts

246 months

Friday 6th April 2012
quotequote all
Cheers guys, glad to hear all is not lost.

I'll give it a whirl, nothing to loose!

Will try the solder new end on first.

bristolracer

5,528 posts

148 months

Friday 6th April 2012
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You can get HDMI over co ax devices now. Not cheap at about £350 but if all else fails........

Dr Doofenshmirtz

15,186 posts

199 months

Monday 9th April 2012
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Crafty_ said:
I think you are committed to opening up the wall.

Dig out the wall and put a small piece of plastic tube in, run all the wires through that, so next time it happens you can just feed a new cable through.
I don't think the OP or anyone is stupid enough not to do this surely...?

B17NNS

Original Poster:

18,506 posts

246 months

Tuesday 10th April 2012
quotequote all
Dr Doofenshmirtz said:
I don't think the OP or anyone is stupid enough not to do this surely...?
Not happening I'm afraid. Paper is up and staying up.

Worst case senario is one black HDMI cable from the side HDMI4 port on the display to the reciever.

I've spoken to lots of people today and nobody is prepared to have a go at soldering it. Most have simply said impossible.

So to the guy who says he's done loads, if you fancy a trip to Staffs (paid of course) I'd welcome a PM.

NorthDave

2,355 posts

231 months

Tuesday 10th April 2012
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Chop the end off the knackered HDMI and use it to pull new Cat5e/Cat6 cables through the wall to the amp. Then research what HDMI over Cat5e connectors you need to do what you need and cough up.

Chalk it up to experience and move on. Should be the easiest option?

im

34,302 posts

216 months

Tuesday 10th April 2012
quotequote all
Can I just ask what the logic was in chasing the cables into the wall direct and not through conduit buried in the wall or even conduit running around the skirting board? Clearly, at some point, the cables were either going to fail, become obsolete due to new HDMI standards or become obsolete due to new technology.

I'm not having a 'pop' at you, just wondering why you went for the worst possible option.

nickfrog

20,872 posts

216 months

Tuesday 10th April 2012
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im said:
I'm not having a 'pop' at you
Well you do make it sound like you are I am afraid...biggrin

talkssense

1,336 posts

201 months

Tuesday 10th April 2012
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nickfrog said:
Well you do make it sound like you are I am afraid...biggrin
He's right though.

Hopefully it will be a lesson to others. NEVER plaster cables into a wall. If you are going to chase out anyway, which you have to to get the cables in, then put a conduit in so you can pull cable through when it fails, needs updating, or you need to add more.

B17NNS

Original Poster:

18,506 posts

246 months

Wednesday 11th April 2012
quotequote all
nickfrog said:
Well you do make it sound like you are I am afraid...biggrin
No offence taken, I realise I've dropped a bk. Just wondering if there was a workaround. The display is on a chimney breast, the AV kit in the alcove. I used capping but due to the run there is no chance of pulling through a cable.

headcase

2,389 posts

216 months

Thursday 12th April 2012
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PM sent.

headcase

2,389 posts

216 months

Thursday 12th April 2012
quotequote all
talkssense said:
He's right though.

Hopefully it will be a lesson to others. NEVER plaster cables into a wall. If you are going to chase out anyway, which you have to to get the cables in, then put a conduit in so you can pull cable through when it fails, needs updating, or you need to add more.
I do it for a living m8, its not as easy as it sounds, if the TV is on a chimney breast even with trunking embedded there is no way you can pull a cable around a 90 degree corner.

Dr Doofenshmirtz

15,186 posts

199 months

Thursday 12th April 2012
quotequote all
headcase said:
talkssense said:
He's right though.

Hopefully it will be a lesson to others. NEVER plaster cables into a wall. If you are going to chase out anyway, which you have to to get the cables in, then put a conduit in so you can pull cable through when it fails, needs updating, or you need to add more.
I do it for a living m8, its not as easy as it sounds, if the TV is on a chimney breast even with trunking embedded there is no way you can pull a cable around a 90 degree corner.
For a 90 degree bend you would fit a junction box, so the cable can be fed round the bend via the access point. Shurely a professional installer would never plaster a cable into a wall?