Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [cables]

Questions about cable types, properties, ratings and construction.

Also sometimes called a "cord" which is a flexible cable.

Sometimes erroneously referred to as a "wire."

940 questions
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Securing electrical cables to holes in enclosures?

Suppose I would like to insert data-cables of varying diameters -- e.g., a cable of 5 mm diameter -- into the 6 mm diameter hole of a plastic enclosure. The wires within the cable are terminated via soldering to a PCB inside the enclosure. What…
OrCa
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In a USB cable, is it OK to swap the D+ and D- wires?

I heard that D+ and D- are differential signals, does it matter if I swap them when connecting a USB device to the computer?
Yan King Yin
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Why is an Ethernet cable not grounded?

There is no dedicated GND in the classical Ethernet 8P8C ("RJ45") pinout.[1] Why does the Ethernet spec not include a ground, unlike many other cable types used for interconnecting devices that may both have its independent power source as well,…
mykhal
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Why are copper cables round?

Why are cables only made of round shapes? What is the advantage of it? Why aren't there triangular or quadrilateral or pentagon shapes of cables?
Keno
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Why isn't stripping wires by burning with a lighter a more common practice?

I see people suggesting specialized tools, or trying it manually with sharp knife or scalpel, why not just burning the rubber for a second or two with a lighter and just pulling it out a more suggested option? Is there any con to this approach that…
appwizcpl
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Why aren't headphone jack shaped plugs used for data?

With Apple's lightning cable, and USB 3.0, reversible cables are taking off, and I personally think this is very convenient. But we have had better than reversible for a long time, in the form of the headphone jack, which can be inserted in any…
Drew
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Can a premium HDMI cable outperform a standard cable?

Assuming two cables both conform to the same standards (e.g. HDMI2.0, high-speed, ...) is it possible that a premium cable will outperform a standard cable when using an objective benchmark that measures the quality of picture/audio? Or what…
zr.
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Why were coax cables used for networking?

Often, if older standards become obsolete, it's because they are superseded by newer technologies. In the past networking was done using coax, instead of the twisted pair used today. Why did they use the more expensive coax? It doesn't look like the…
The Resistance
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What are those weird wires in the audio cables?

Trying to repair a headset cable, I discovered that it doesn't look at all like the “ordinary” cables I used to repair. I was expecting to see, inside the cable jacket, four wires, each one in a wire insulation. Instead, there is: A wire with a…
Arseni Mourzenko
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Why is it dangerous use a coiled extension cord?

What aspect of using a coiled extension cord makes it more dangerous than using an unrolled power cord? Many fire safety websites say that an extension cord should not be used while coiled. Is this due to the cord acting as an air core inductor? I…
Hugoagogo
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Can I use I2C over 2m cables?

In my current project, I need to communicate between a microcontroller and some sensors over I2C. One of them is a temperature sensor, it needs to be placed at approximatively 2 meters far from the microcontroller. I cannot choose another protocol…
JackOfHearts
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What does "no fit" mean in electronics?

I have found at some places, especially: Raspberry Pi Forums eLinux RPi Hardware page the following wording: S2: DSI interface. 15-pin surface mounted flat flex connector (possibly no-fit) S5: MIPI CSI-2 interface. 15-pin surface mounted flat…
dash17291
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Just chopped a cable, is red power, black ground?

I've just chopped a usb to micro-b usb cable. There are 4 small wires inside Red Black White Green Isn't it universal that Red is power and black is ground?
Jason94
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Is CAT5 cable good enough for RS-485 vs "true" RS-485 cable

I have a serial comms project coming up. A number of boards with RS-485 interfaces need to communicate. Date rate is 57600bps and cable length will be less than a few hundred feet. Will shielded CAT5 cable work well enough in this situation or…
SeanLabs
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What's the best cable to transfer audio signal?

Sorry if this is the wrong place but I'm interested in a scientific and electrical explanation and not some HiFi voodoo magic. I guess you all have seen the discussions about expensive audio cables and "improved" sound quality. My question is,…
Duckers
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