Each quarter, Control Design's editors pull together the latest online tools and resources that we can find in a specific topic area, and present them here. In this installment, the topic is Wire and Cable.
Understand Electrical Performance
Data transmission today is expected to send more data than ever, and send it increasingly farther and faster. To do that, somewhere along the line you need wire and cable. "Understanding the Electrical Performance of Category Cables" is a white paper that takes a pretty basic look at popular category cables such Cat. 5, Cat. 5e and Cat. 6. The authors explain performance measurements such as electromagnetic interference (EMI), crosstalk, and alien crosstalk. The article also explains frequency, bandwidth, insertion loss, return loss, propagation delay, delay skew, and other types of crosstalk.
C&M
(860) 774-4812
www.cmcorporation.com
Wire Wisdoms
If you could use a little more wisdom in your life, try Wire Wisdoms. These concise documents provide answers to some of the most frequently asked technical questions by electrical and electronic wire and cable customers. Topics include ampacity, cables for use with variable-speed drives, conduit fill, global cable standards, voltage drop, paralleling of power cables, and cable markings.
Anixter
(800) anixter
e-Learning
Thinking about going back to school to get a "degree" in wire and cable? You might take a look here first to see what you can learn about wire and cable, industrial connectors, strain relief cable glands, cable accessories, and wire and cable applications. Download one PDF file, for example, to learn about typical cabling techniques, as well as various flexing motions, and where they are applicable. Other sessions are more product-specific, explaining why one type of technology might be better than another, and what factors you need to consider for your application. Find the interactive PDFs all in one place at www.ControlDesign.com/lapplearn.
Lapp Group
(800) 774-3539
The Deal With Fiberoptics
If you're looking to make a switch to fiberoptic cables, or even if you could just use a refresher, "The Glass Story" gives a thorough explanation of single-mode and multimode optical fibers for LAN systems. It illustrates and explains the parts and measurements of the various types of fibers, and how the technologies work.
Optical Cable
(800) 622-7711
Tray Cables Demystified
Though rapidly increasing in popularity, tray cables are still a point of confusion for many. That's according to the authors of "Identifying Tray Cables," part of the Ask Turck collection. If you don't know what exactly a tray cable is, or why you might want to use tray cables, this is a good place to turn. This PDF document defines what a tray cable is, describes the different types of tray cables, provides uses and standards for each type, and serves as a reference guide.
Turck
(763) 553-7300
Cable Glossary
If you want to find out what a CV line is, or if you want to get a handle on what exactly electrolytic copper is, this glossary of cable terms is a good place to start. Terms are organized not just alphabetically, but also by sections, depending on whether they relate, for example, to cable manufacturing, cable elements, materials or the cables themselves.
Nexans
+33 (0)1 73 23 84 00
