Breakout cable assemblies are also called Fan-out, Hydra and Octopus cables depending on what market segment and application history is involved. The name Hydra is used by those in the enterprise infrastructure interconnect industry. Breakout is the term favored by many Cloud datacenter people. Fan-out has been mostly used by enterprise datacenter people and Octopus […]
Basics
Coaxial cable: Where to use?
A coaxial cable has inner conductors surrounded by several insulating layers. A conducting shield and jacket are then wrapped around the insulation layers to prevent signal interference such as EMI. A coaxial cable differs from other shielded cables used for carrying lower-frequency signals. In other words, they are used in almost every single home for […]
When should you use flat cables?
If extreme flexing and tight designs are part of your application, flat cables may be the route you need to go. There are three types of flat cables that are most commonly used. Extruded Flexx-Sil, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and molded flat cables. All three of these types are used in place of round cables for easy […]
What’s going on with the new RCx high speed IO passive copper cabling?
RCx, Rack Connect x(lane), is a new intra-rack passive copper short reach, 25 Gbps per lane cabling system that is being driven and supported by a group of next generation Cloud interconnect developers. The 25Gigabit Ethernet Consortium, Ethernet Alliance and soon, maybe other IO interface groups, are supporting RCx which connects ToR or MoR […]
What are the types of twisted pair cabling available today?
The use of balanced, four twisted pair, infrastructure high-speed I/O network system copper cabling, both new and old types, is in a major transition right now. CAT-5e 100 MHz unshielded, twisted pair cabling usage is in significant decline as does not support newer emerging applications and signaling technologies. It has been used for primarily 100 […]
How do you specify twin-axial, high-speed I/O cabling?
It is amazing that after five decades of copper twin-axial raw cable developments, shipments and diverse applications, there are several newly released raw cable products being used for several new generation I/O interface standard and custom cable assemblies. These cables are being used for both internal and external assemblies applications used within new consumer, […]
From the archives: cable pass-through seals against washdown
In this Design World video, Senior Editor Lisa Eitel and I discuss the advantages of cable pass-through products from Roxtec—with a little help from our friend and colleague, Tom Lazar, who let us give him a head of cable hair to demonstrate how Roxtec’s EZEntry cable-pass through works. Tune in for a few good laughs […]
Multimode Fiber Optic Cable or Single: What’s the Difference?
Fiber optic cables used in data centers are available in two types—multimode and single-mode fiber optic cable. All fiber optic cables feature a glass core on which light travels. These glass strands are then protected by a plastic coating, the cable construction itself and its jacketing material. According to CABLExpress, single-mode fiber is fiber optic […]
Where are antimicrobial cables used?
A number of manufacturers make antimicrobial cables, which are used primarily in food, beverage and medical manufacturing and packaging applications to prevent bacterial growth. Cables used in these applications not only require a tough, clean jacket, but must also be able to withstand harsh chemicals, a range of extreme temperatures, and abrasion and crushing. They […]
VFD cable selection: The value of sheilding
Variable frequency drives emit electrical noise, which can interfere with other circuits. This interference can cause motor torque loss or cause motors to stall out or fail completely. It can also reduce system efficiency, pose a hazard to personnel in the area and create false trips of drive overcurrent. To protect those circuits, VFD cable […]