As coaxial cables are increasingly widely used, they have become common equipment in homes, offices, telecommunication facilities, railroad platforms, industrial plants, and government/public safety facilities. Therefore, people should pay more
attention to choosing the right coaxial cable according to different environments, applications, and uses when purchasing.
What aspects can be considered? ZMS cable editorial takes you to understand.
The beginning of everything is always about understanding the problem to be solved.
In the case of coaxial cable, this means understanding the quality of the signal to be carried by the cable.
Some of the important factors are the frequency range and the power level of the signal being carried.
Other factors include the RF and electromagnetic environment through which the signal will travel, the length of the cabling, and the difficulty of the cabling.
The project budget and all institutional requirements around the specific coaxial cable chosen for a given application also play an important role in the decision.
The two main impedances used in coaxial cables are 75 ohms and 50 ohms.
It is impossible to tell the impedance of a coaxial cable from the outside unless there is visible identification of the content.
Confusing these two impedances can cause damage to the equipment connectors or the device itself, or at least degrade system performance.
Although sometimes cross-used, 75-ohm cables are typically used for video applications, while 50-ohm cables are more commonly used for data and wireless purposes.
The type of equipment and device to be connected determines the cable impedance to be used.
Signal energy can be lost due to heat energy caused by conductor resistance, the loss factor of the dielectric, and other factors related to the quality of the coaxial cable material.
The attenuation of a coaxial cable indicates the energy loss per unit length of cable.
For applications with very low signal power or extremely long cabling requirements and no amplifiers or signal boosters, a low-loss cable may be required to meet the minimum signal strength requirements at the receiving end of the coaxial cable.
If the attenuation of the coaxial cable is so low that a signal booster is not required, it is still a cost-effective investment even if the low-loss cable is more expensive.
Different applications often have very different wiring requirements.
The cabling requirements for large outdoor industrial environments are different than those inside a machining facility or an aircraft fuselage.
From cabling in equipment assemblies to cabling in complex buildings, there is a coaxial cable to meet the needs of almost any environment.
Coaxial cables have several technical parameters that measure their ability to meet the requirements for a specific cabling type, including bend radius, maximum load or unsupported cabling conditions, wind load, and a variety of environmental factors and ratings.
Typically, this information should be provided to the cable buyer, otherwise, the exact details of the cabling requirements can be as important as the electrical performance of the cable.
Because some applications make wiring rougher to handle, different jacket materials and protective layers are often used to assist in cable installation.
Certain applications, such as military, government, avionics, aerospace, and industrial equipment, have specific regulations and specific requirements for coaxial cable performance. Cables can only be qualified for use in these fields by meeting the institutional requirements of these industries, society, and governments. These requirements can be quite complex, and it is very difficult to remember them, and an expert may be the best person to consult on the details.
Different cables have different maximum handling power ratings, depending on cable diameter, center and outer conductor types, and cable quality. These ratings are given as values under continuous wave conditions, average or peak values, and have different meanings depending on the type of signal carried. In addition, it is also possible to give ratings as rated maximum voltage and rated maximum current. Note that such ratings are also frequency dependent, and cables with better safety margins should be selected. Once the power rating of the coaxial cable is exceeded, there is a risk of unfortunate failure modes such as sparking, accelerated aging, media degradation, burning, etc.
The above is the guidance on the purchase of coaxial cable, not only to the understanding of cable parameters application but also need to pay attention to the quality of the cable, beware of poor quality cable.