Section 3.1: Wires, Cables, and Connectors Scott Glogovsky and Jonathon Sturm Scott Glogovsky and Jonathon Sturm

What the section covers… Kinds and forms of wires Kinds of cables Connectors and their applications Frequency effects within wires and cables Weird behaviors in cables Impedance matching Standing waves Techniques for matching Impedances Kinds and forms of wires Kinds of cables Connectors and their applications Frequency effects within wires and cables Weird behaviors in cables Impedance matching Standing waves Techniques for matching Impedances

Wires Wire diameter is expressed in terms of a gauge number The smaller the gauge, the larger the wire The larger the wire, the lower the resistance If too much current is sent through a wire, it is possible to heat the wire to its melting point See table 3.1 Wire diameter is expressed in terms of a gauge number The smaller the gauge, the larger the wire The larger the wire, the lower the resistance If too much current is sent through a wire, it is possible to heat the wire to its melting point See table 3.1

Wire Forms Solid core Useful for wiring bread boards Tend to break if flexed too many times Stranded wire Compromised of a number of individual strands Tends to conduct better due to its greater surface area Doesn’t break as easily as solid core wire Braided wire Identical to stranded, only braided Often used as an electromagnetic shield in noise reduction cables and as a wire conductor (like in coaxial cables) Solid core Useful for wiring bread boards Tend to break if flexed too many times Stranded wire Compromised of a number of individual strands Tends to conduct better due to its greater surface area Doesn’t break as easily as solid core wire Braided wire Identical to stranded, only braided Often used as an electromagnetic shield in noise reduction cables and as a wire conductor (like in coaxial cables)

Kinds of Wire Pretinned solid bus wire Includes a tin-lead alloy to enhance solderability Often insulated with PVC, polyethylene, or Teflon Speaker wire High copper content Stranded wire Magnetic wire Used for building coils and electromagnets or anything requiring a large number of loops Solid core insulated by a varnish coating Pretinned solid bus wire Includes a tin-lead alloy to enhance solderability Often insulated with PVC, polyethylene, or Teflon Speaker wire High copper content Stranded wire Magnetic wire Used for building coils and electromagnets or anything requiring a large number of loops Solid core insulated by a varnish coating

Cables -Typical Wire Configurations-

Kinds of Cables

Cables Described Paired and Twisted Two individually insulated conductors Often used in DC or low frequency AC applications Twin Lead Flat, two wire line Maintains a 300 ohm impedance Primarily a transmission line between an antenna and a receiver Shielded Twin Lead Similar to paired, but contains a metal shield that is connected to a ground Unbalanced and Dual Coaxial Typically used to high-frequency signals like radio frequencies Very reliable in terms of interference Contains a solid core wire acting as the hot which is insulated by polyurethane separating it from its ground shield. The shield is also insulated by an outer jacket Paired and Twisted Two individually insulated conductors Often used in DC or low frequency AC applications Twin Lead Flat, two wire line Maintains a 300 ohm impedance Primarily a transmission line between an antenna and a receiver Shielded Twin Lead Similar to paired, but contains a metal shield that is connected to a ground Unbalanced and Dual Coaxial Typically used to high-frequency signals like radio frequencies Very reliable in terms of interference Contains a solid core wire acting as the hot which is insulated by polyurethane separating it from its ground shield. The shield is also insulated by an outer jacket

Cables Described (cont.) Balanced Coaxial Same as coaxial, however it’s shield does not act as one of the conductive paths Ribbon Used in low voltage applications where several wires are needed Very flexible Often used in digital equipment Multiple Conductor An example would be phone lines or cat-5 ethernet and communication cables Fiberoptic Transmit light through a glass material One cable generally consists of a number of individual fibers Balanced Coaxial Same as coaxial, however it’s shield does not act as one of the conductive paths Ribbon Used in low voltage applications where several wires are needed Very flexible Often used in digital equipment Multiple Conductor An example would be phone lines or cat-5 ethernet and communication cables Fiberoptic Transmit light through a glass material One cable generally consists of a number of individual fibers

Connectors

Connectors (Cont.)

Connectors (Cont. again…)

Wiring Symbols

Connector Symbols

Connector Symbols (Cont.)